Pizza "Tlayuda" is a crispy, thin-crust Mexican pizza that is inspired by one of Oaxaca’s most famous street foods. The base is a tortilla, the sauce is made with refried beans, and it is topped with cheese and veggies.
Ingredients
- avocado oil or vegetable oil: 1 Tbsp
- green onion, white parts only: 2 Tbsp (sliced)
- garlic: 2 clove (crushed)
- kosher salt, divided, plus more: 1 tsp (to taste)
- ground cumin: 1 tsp
- black pepper: 0.5 tsp (freshly ground)
- ancho chili powder or paprika: 1 tsp
- water: 0.5 cup
- (15-oz) black beans: 1 can (drained)
- Mexican oregano: 1 tsp (dried)
- pinch cayenne pepper: 1 piece
- pork lard, bacon fat, or “asiento” (see note below): 2 Tbsp
- lime juice: 2 Tbsp
- avocado oil: 3 Tbsp
- flour tortillas: 6 piece
- ounces grated Monterey Jack, Mozzarella, or Oaxacan cheese: 12 piece
- whole Brussels sprouts, cored and separated into leaves: 12 piece
- green onions, green parts only: 0.66667 cup (sliced)
- olive oil: 2 Tbsp
- salt: (to taste)
- radishes: 0.5 cup (thinly sliced)
- red chili sauce or salsa: 0.5 cup
- cilantro leaves: 0.5 cup
Metric Conversion
Stages of cooking
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Combine avocado oil, green onions, minced garlic, and a pinch of salt in a saucepan and place over medium heat. Once garlic starts to sizzle, cook and stir for 1 minute. Add cumin, black pepper, and ancho chili powder, and cook stirring for 30 seconds.
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Add water, drained black beans, remaining salt, oregano, cayenne, and asiento (crispy pork butter, see Cook's Note). Stir together and simmer for 5 minutes. Use a potato masher to mash beans until smooth. Simmer for 5 minutes more. Turn off heat and taste to adjust seasoning if necessary.
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Heat some of the avocado oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add 1 large flour tortilla at a time and cook until golden brown and almost crispy, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
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Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
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Spread toasted tortilla with refried black beans and sprinkle with cheese. Top with Brussels sprouts leaves and green onions. Drizzle top lightly with olive oil, and season with a pinch of salt.
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Bake in the preheated oven until pizza is crispy and well browned, cheese is melted, and Brussels sprouts leaves are nicely charred on the edges, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack, and let sit for 5 minutes.
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While resting, top with radishes, hot sauce or salsa, and cilantro leaves. Chef John Cook's Notes: To make your own “asiento,” cook cubed pork shoulder over low heat, stirring occasionally, until very well browned, and starting to get crispy. Transfer meat and all rendered fat into a bowl and allow to cool before chopping or blending into a paste. Add as much lard, or soft butter as you’d like to make a spread. Season with salt and pepper and keep refrigerated until needed. “Asiento” can be spread directly onto the crust, or added to the refried beans. These Pizza “Tlayudas” can be topped with any of your favorite meat and/or vegetable toppings. Once baked, other popular toppings are shredded cabbage, onions, tomatoes, pickled peppers or vegetables.
