Salsa Verde Pizza with Goat Cheese and Chorizo

Thank goodness while channel surfing yesterday I stopped on Rick Bayless.  He was preparing a Salsa Verde Pizza with Goat Cheese and Chorizo.  I decided immediately I had to go get the ingredients and make this pizza this weekend.  I'm very glad I did.

Ingredients:

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

8 ounces tomatillos, de-husked and rinsed (3 - 4 medium)

1 - 3 serrano chiles, stems removed

2 large garlic cloves, peeled

6 springs cilantro or 6 sprigs parsley, roughly chopped

1/4 cup water

1/4 small white onion, finely chopped

salt to taste

Roast the tomatillos, seranos and garlic on a rimmed baking sheet 4 inches below a very hot broiler, until blotchy black and softening (they'll be turning from lime green to olive green), about 5 minutes.  Flip them over and roast the other side.

***I toasted 3 cayenne peppers in a hot skillet and then rehdrated them with boiling water for about 10 minutes before adding them to the tomatillo mixture. If extra heat scares you, don't add them.

Cool, then transfer everything to a food processor, including all the juice that has accumulated.  Add the cilantro or parsley and 1/4 cup water, then blend to a coarse puree.  Empty into a serving dish.  Add the finely chopped onion and salt.

For the crust:

2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 t. instant yeast

1 t. salt

1/2 cup water at room temperature

1/3 cup beer, a light lager is good

In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, yeast and salt.  Measure in the water and beer.  Stir to combine everything in a rough looking mass.  Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for 6 - 18 hours.  After the dough has risen, heat the oven to 475 degrees.

Generously oil a 13 x 18 rimmed baking sheet (a half sheet pain).  Use a rubber spatula to gently deflate the dough and scrape it out onto the baking sheet.  Gently coax the dough into a mostly even rectangle about 9 x 13 inches.

Spread 2/3 cup of the roasted tomatillo salsa leaving a 1 inch border around the outside. 

Scatter on the cooked chorizo, sliced onion and crumbled goat cheese.  Bake in the middle rack until puffy and browned.

Sprinkle with queso and cilantro or parsley, cut into squares and serve.