red or green?: Pizza with Red Chile Pumpkin Sauce, Black Beans & Fresh Corn

I love everything about the Southwest...the architecture, people, weather, art...but most especially the food. I am always inspired by the use of corn, beans, squash and chile in their cooking. I decided the combination would work really well on a pizza. And, since it is pumpkin week at Food Network's Fall Fest, pumpkin is the squash of choice.

This red chile pumpkin sauce contains fresh pumpkin puree (although you can use canned in a pinch), onions, green pepper, garlic, New Mexican red chile powder, cilantro and a bit of milk to smooth everything out. It is cooked down, mixed in a food processor and then spread on top of my favorite homemade extra virgin olive oil pizza dough. The sauce is also really good thinned down with additional milk and tossed with hot pasta and topped with cheese and pepitas. Speaking of pepitas (pumpkin seeds), you can buy them, but it is very easy to make yourself. Use the seeds from your sugar pumpkins or from that Halloween jack-o lantern. Try this recipe from Martha Stewart Living. You can use these spicy pepitas or just plain roasted and salted ones on your pasta or pizza.

The pizza crust is easy, fast and bakes up light and crunchy. It contains extra virgin olive oil and a touch of honey. I make this recipe all the time. It can be topped with whatever you like...but today, I encourage you to try the pumpkin recipe. Adjust the topping ingredient quantities to suit your taste and, please, let me know what you think.

Happy pumpkin week everyone!

Pizza with Red Chile Pumpkin Sauce, Black Beans & Fresh Corn
(serves 6)

Ingredients:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil Pizza Crust
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
pinch sea salt
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp honey
1/2 cup unbleached white flour
2 cups white whole wheat flour
red chile pumpkin sauce (see below)
toppings(see below)

Spicy Pumpkin Sauce
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 red onion, 1/2 chopped, 1/2 sliced
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp New Mexican red chile powder (see Resources)2 cups fresh pumpkin puree (or plain canned pumpkin...not pumpkin pie mix)
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tsp fresh thyme
1/2 cup milk (I use unsweetened almond milk)
sea salt
black pepper

Warm olive oil in medium sized saucepan. Add the chopped onion, bell pepper, garlic, red chile powder and a pinch of sea salt. Sauté until vegetables are tender, approx 10 minutes. Add pumpkin puree, cilantro and thyme. cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. Place mixture in food processor and process until smooth. Add back to pot, add milk and stir well. Add another pinch of sea salt and one of black pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings. Cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside

Toppings
1 cup fresh corn, from 1 ear (or organic frozen corn, thawed)
1 cup black beans
the sliced red onions from pumpkin sauce recipe
1/2 cup shredded parmigiano-reggiano cheese
handful toasted pepitas
small handful fresh cilantro, chopped
red chili infused extra virgin olive oil (or extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of red pepper flakes)
coarse grey sea salt

Directions:
Add water to bowl of upright mixer and sprinkle yeast over top. Using the paddle attachment, mix until yeast has dissolved. Add salt, olive oil and honey and mix to combine. Add white flour and process just until incorporated. Add the whole wheat flour and process until incorporated. Process an additional minute until the dough has formed into a ball. Do not over mix. Remove dough from bowl, form into a smooth ball and place in an oiled bowl. Turn dough a few times to ensure it is totally covered in oil, cover bowl with saran wrap and place in a warm area. Allow to rise until doubled in size, about 40 minutes.

Remove from bowl and place on a lightly floured counter. Use a rolling pin to roll out dough in a circle. The dough should be about 1/2 inch thick. Place on pizza stone or baking sheet which has been lightly oiled with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkled with coarse cornmeal. (The cornmeal adds a delicious flavor and helps ensure the pizza dough will not stick to pan.)

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Ladle 1 cup of red chile pumpkin sauce over top of prepared pizza dough. Spread over pizza leaving 1 inch of space around edge of dough. Add additional sauce if you like it a bit more "saucy". I use almost 2 cups on my pizza. Sprinkle corn, black beans, the sliced red onions and cheese over sauce. Top with cilantro and pepitas. Drizzle chili infused oil over pizza, including the "naked" crust edges. Use a pastry brush to cover the naked crust with oil. Sprinkle a pinch or two of coarse grey salt over pizza and place in preheated oven. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until crust is golden brown and cheese is bubbling. Slice and serve immediately.