Last weekend is one of the weekends of the year that I look forward to with unbridled anticipation. Yes, it was the weekend that our favorite farm market, Ambrose Farm Market, was open for business. They offer various types of greens, peppers, cucumbers, melons, and squash. But, what they are known for is their butter and sugar corn. This corn is the best corn in Butler County, period. Never starchy, always sweet. It is worth the hour round trip drive. Last weekend, my bounty also included some beautiful Early Girl tomatoes and jalapeño peppers. Life is good.
Last night was pizza night. I wanted something different. We had three ears of corn left in the refrigerator. Not enough for a meal, but enough to experiment with a nice little spicy pizza pie. I had been concocting this recipe in my head all day long. If you are a Chilihead, you will not be disappointed.
First, I thawed some chicken thighs and threw them on a hot grill. While the thighs were grilling, I whipped up a spice blend:
1 tsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Dried Parsley (you can substitute Cilantro here, but I am in the class of people that think Cilantro tastes like a bar of soap)
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1/2 tsp oregano
After Hope removed the kernels from three small ears of corn and I thinly sliced half of a sweet onion. The corn, onion, and two large cloves of minced garlic went into a bowl with three tsp of the spice blend and two tbsp of olive oil. After mixing well, I placed this mixture into a cast iron skillet, then roasted on my grill when the chicken was done. With the remaining spice blend, I added two cloves of minced garlic and enough olive oil to make the mixture mobile. I placed this off to the side while I was roasting the corn.
The grill was around 400 F, so I closed the lid to help with the roasting process. Every five minutes or so I gave the mixture a good mix. After about 20 minutes the corn was starting the brown and caramelize. So I removed the skillet from the grill and let cool while I prepared the final pieces of this pie.
While Hope sliced a jalapeño into rings, I removed the chicken from two thighs and diced an Early girl tomato. Normally I would use a roma tomato, but, if you quarter an Early Girl and remove the pulpy interior, you can dice the flesh and substitute for a meatier roma.
The final piece was thinly sliced smoked chipotle cheddar cheese. Time to build this pie.
On my dough, I brushed on a thin coat of the olive oil spice mix. Next up I layered the cheese, followed by the roasted corn, onion, and garlic. This was followed by the chicken, tomatoes, and jalapeño slices. This pizza was ready to bake.
After 15 minutes in a 450 degree oven, my creation was ready.
I waited five minutes for the cheese to set up a bit, then I sliced this pie, grabbed a cold beer, and sat down to try this creation.
The first flavor that came though was the sweetness from the roasted corn, onions, and fresh tomato. Where was the heat? Well, that kicked in about five seconds later. Lightly roasted jalapeño pepper, followed by the chili powder and cayenne, all tied together with the cumin. This was one balanced pie. Not that grab your tonsils, Atomic wing hotness. But, rather that satisfying dull burn that deepens with each satisfying bite. The chicken was a nice touch, but not needed. If you wanted a protein on this pizza, you could even substitute shrimp instead of chicken. Black beans maybe? Why not.
I was more than happy with how this pizza turned out. This recipe requires a bit of preparation, but it was well worth the work.
Thanks for stopping by,
Bill
Last night was pizza night. I wanted something different. We had three ears of corn left in the refrigerator. Not enough for a meal, but enough to experiment with a nice little spicy pizza pie. I had been concocting this recipe in my head all day long. If you are a Chilihead, you will not be disappointed.
First, I thawed some chicken thighs and threw them on a hot grill. While the thighs were grilling, I whipped up a spice blend:
1 tsp Chili Powder
1 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Dried Parsley (you can substitute Cilantro here, but I am in the class of people that think Cilantro tastes like a bar of soap)
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1/2 tsp oregano
After Hope removed the kernels from three small ears of corn and I thinly sliced half of a sweet onion. The corn, onion, and two large cloves of minced garlic went into a bowl with three tsp of the spice blend and two tbsp of olive oil. After mixing well, I placed this mixture into a cast iron skillet, then roasted on my grill when the chicken was done. With the remaining spice blend, I added two cloves of minced garlic and enough olive oil to make the mixture mobile. I placed this off to the side while I was roasting the corn.
The grill was around 400 F, so I closed the lid to help with the roasting process. Every five minutes or so I gave the mixture a good mix. After about 20 minutes the corn was starting the brown and caramelize. So I removed the skillet from the grill and let cool while I prepared the final pieces of this pie.
While Hope sliced a jalapeño into rings, I removed the chicken from two thighs and diced an Early girl tomato. Normally I would use a roma tomato, but, if you quarter an Early Girl and remove the pulpy interior, you can dice the flesh and substitute for a meatier roma.
The final piece was thinly sliced smoked chipotle cheddar cheese. Time to build this pie.
On my dough, I brushed on a thin coat of the olive oil spice mix. Next up I layered the cheese, followed by the roasted corn, onion, and garlic. This was followed by the chicken, tomatoes, and jalapeño slices. This pizza was ready to bake.
After 15 minutes in a 450 degree oven, my creation was ready.
I waited five minutes for the cheese to set up a bit, then I sliced this pie, grabbed a cold beer, and sat down to try this creation.
The first flavor that came though was the sweetness from the roasted corn, onions, and fresh tomato. Where was the heat? Well, that kicked in about five seconds later. Lightly roasted jalapeño pepper, followed by the chili powder and cayenne, all tied together with the cumin. This was one balanced pie. Not that grab your tonsils, Atomic wing hotness. But, rather that satisfying dull burn that deepens with each satisfying bite. The chicken was a nice touch, but not needed. If you wanted a protein on this pizza, you could even substitute shrimp instead of chicken. Black beans maybe? Why not.
I was more than happy with how this pizza turned out. This recipe requires a bit of preparation, but it was well worth the work.
Thanks for stopping by,
Bill
