Yo Quiero Taco Pizza!

"Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza." -- Dave Barry


Feeling hungry for the taste of your favourite pizza? Well, you're in luck! Pizza just happens to be one of the most ubiquitous dishes around. No doubt there are several pizzerias nearby, but if not, there are countless varieties of frozen pizzas, packaged pizza mixes, and ready-made pizza dough if you are keen to make your own.

Almost everyone loves pizza. From guys watching sporting events, to teenagers hanging out on the weekend, to families settling in and relaxing with an easy meal on a Friday night. In fact, a recent study showed that children aged 3-11 preferred pizza by far over all other possible dinner choices. And what about the people who are lucky enough to have friends who will help them move? No need to even think about what to feed these generous friends. It's pizza and beer. Always.

Apparently the first pizzeria in the U.S. was opened in New York City over 100 years ago and it is, remarkably, still open for business today. (http://www.firstpizza.com/) But it was when American soldiers returned from WWII service in Italy, missing and craving the pizza they had enjoyed there, that pizza really took off in a big way. And its popularity has grown by leaps and bounds ever since.

But the 'pizza craze' took a little time to reach my very small home town of Goderich in Southwestern Ontario. I was nearly 10 when the first pizzeria opened there in 1964. It was called "The Pizza Patio" and I remember it well for two reasons: my elder sister, Lori (then 16), got her first job there, and I celebrated my 10th birthday by eating this new and exotic food. And I loved it! Absolutely loved it. My two friends, however, were not as adventurous and could hardly be persuaded to try it. My Dad had taken us there, to "The Pizza Patio", and he was quite disappointed that the girls were so mulish. After all, he was one of the very few people in our rural area to have ever tried pizza before.

Some years before, probably in the late 50's, my Dad and his brother-in-law had gone on a rare trip to the big city of Detroit, Michigan, to see a ballgame at Tiger Stadium. It was quite a big event for them and they had a great time. All the excitement of the day apparently gave them an appetite so they decided to dine at a local restaurant before heading home. This, again, was very unusual as eating in restaurants was very uncommon back then - at least for our family!

Well, Dad and Uncle Charlie got settled in and were looking around, checking the place out, when they noticed many signs and posters advertising the new rage in food dishes - "Pizza Pie from Italy!" The waitress strongly suggested it and touted its incredible popularity saying, "Everyone loves it!" She tried to describe pizza to these two Huron County men who had probably never eaten a meal in their lives that didn't contain both meat and potatoes. She eventually gave up the description and told them to just go ahead and try it. And so they did.

They had no idea what to expect but were clearly feeling excited about trying something so new. The waitress asked them if they wanted a small, a medium, or a large and that perplexed them as well. It was so hard to know, as they had no idea what they looked like. It seems that Uncle Charlie puzzled over the decision for a bit and then said, "Well, I'm really feeling hungry so I think I'll get a large one." And then (somewhat surprisingly) my Dad, a slight man with a notoriously small appetite, agreed that he'd have a large one as well.

Dad told me later that they both nearly fell off their chairs when the two enormous 'pizza pies' arrived. Their eyes were practically as big as the great wheels of food filling up their table. He said they gave it their all, but between the two of them they were unable to finish even one. But it certainly made a good story for Dad to tell his family and friends. He had fun describing this amazing new dish with his arms spread wide as if telling a 'fish story'.

Since my first taste of pizza at age 10, I went on to see and to eat many more pizzas of astonishing varieties. But I was surprised last week when my daughter, Eliza, said that her meal of choice for her 21st birthday was a pizza I had never even heard of - a "Taco Pizza".

So, we headed out to shop for the necessary ingredients: pizza crusts, taco sauce, refried beans, salsa, a variety of sweet peppers, a red onion, corn niblets, and a slab of marble cheese. These ingredients were assembled in layers (see recipe below), then the two pizzas were cooked. (We had planned to make three, but wisely settled on two.) Once the cheese was bubbling and looking very fine, we topped the pizzas with shredded lettuce and drizzled them with sour cream. Amazing.

We quickly found out that taco pizza is delicious! Eliza, her brother, Daniel, her boyfriend, C.J., and her friend, Devin, and I enjoyed our thick, tasty, and hot slices enthusiastically. But in the end, our meal bore quite a resemblance to Dad's and Uncle Charlie's long-ago 'pizza pie' experience in Detroit. Because even with five hungry diners at our table (including three young men!), try as we might, we couldn't finish even ONE taco pizza!

Cheers!!

Diane

Recipe for Taco Pizza

1 pizza crust (any kind you like)
1 can refried beans
1 small can taco sauce
1/2 cup salsa (mild, medium, or hot - your call)
1/2 red onion, diced
2 sweet peppers, diced (any colour)
1/2 can corn niblets (drained well)
2 cups shredded marble cheese
2 cups shredded romaine lettuce
1 cup sour cream, thinned with a little milk or cream (placed in a squeeze bottle)
Black olives, optional (We didn't use them because Eliza despises them.)

Mix refried beans and taco sauce and spread on pizza crust. Spread salsa over bean mixture.
Top with onion and peppers and corn.
Top all with grated cheddar.

Place on a pizza stone (preferrably) or a pizza pan. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.
(Or until the cheese looks perfectly done to you.)

Remove pizza from oven carefully and place on a serving plate. Cover with shredded lettuce and drizzle with the sour cream. Slice pizza and serve immediately.

Wash down with a cold 'cerveza'. (Muy importante!)