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Pico de Gallo -‘The beak of the Rooster.’ Implicating the size of the veggies being comparable to the size of a rooster’s beak. Also know as ‘salsa fresca’ & classified as a cruda (or raw salsa) it offers a fresh & vibrant accent to Mexican cuisine. The spicy pork chorizo, black beans, crispy seasoned potatoes & sunny eggs over the toothy chew of sourdough, makes this a hearty Mexican feast so gratifying. Serve with an offering of fresh mango or papaya & dark roast coffee. Our favorite is Humboldt County-Shipbuilders Dark Roast.

Chef Notes: This recipe uses a true sourdough made from starter, there is no added commercial yeast, therefor it is vital that your starter be healthy, alive & hungry so that it properly metabolizes the gluten. You will need to begin a day ahead to allow for proper fermentation & rise. Alternately if you are using discard, you may add 1 1/2 tsp. of active dry yeast to the recipe. This would be added to the water & starter, if you choose this method, use warm water (110f) rather than room temp. You can certainly make this recipe with purchased pizza dough to save time but the sourdough is so worth your effort. Feel free to use a purchased salsa to save time as there are many good quality varieties available.

Begin a day ahead.

makes 4-Individual breakfast pizza’s

Sourdough crust.

• 1 cup sourdough starter (healthy, alive & hungry)

• 3/4 water, room temp.

• 2 1/2-3 cup bread flour, unbleached

• 2 tbsp. olive oil (plus more to grease bowl)

• 2 tsp. salt

Huevos Rancheros.

• semolina, about 1/4 cup

• olive oil

• 1 tbsp. fresh oregano, finely minced

• 2 cups of Monteray Jack, shredded

• 8 oz. Cotija cheese, crumbled

• 16 oz. chorizo

• 2 large Yukon gold potatoes

• 1 can, black beans, rinsed

• 8 eggs, grade A large (room temp.)

Pico de gallo.

• 3 hot house tomatoes, small dice

• 1 small shallot, finely minced

• 3 plump cloves of garlic, crushed & minced

• 1/4 cilantro, chopped

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil

• 1/2 of a lime juiced

• 1 jalapeno minced fine (or a serrano, habanero or Thai chili)

• 1 tsp. fresh oregano, very fine mince

• 1 1/2 tsp. salt, or to taste

Optional offerings.

• 1 ripe avocado, sliced (toss with a tsp. of lemon juice to prevent browning)

• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

• 1/2 cup Cotija, crumbled

• 1/2 cup Crema Mexicana (or sour cream)

• 1 juicy lime, quartered

Prepare sourdough.

1.) In kitchenaid bowl, whisk together starter & listed water. With a wooden spoon stir in 1 1/2 cups bread flour, attach dough hook & run on low for 2 minutes. Stir in another cup of bread flour along with oil & salt, stir to incorporate then knead on low with dough hook for 10 minutes. You want a wet, fairly slack dough only add addition flour if necessary. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, shape into a ball & place in a large non-reactive bowl that has been oiled, turn to coat top then place smooth side up. Cover tightly with plastic wrap & leave on the kitchen counter over night. If it’s early in the day, place the dough in the fridge then place on the counter before you turn in for the night. You should wake up to a ‘full belly’ dough that has doubled in size.

Shape & bake your crusts.

2.) Punch down dough, turn out onto a lightly floured surface, cover with a kitchen towel & rest 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 500f. If using pizza stone’s, place them in the oven as it preheats. Alternately you may use two sheet pans, sprayed with non-stick spray & sprinkled with semolina. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces, roll or shape by hand each piece into a rimmed 8” circle. Brush with olive oil then scatter with fresh oregano. Remove the preheated pizza stone from the oven & sprinkle with semolina. Carefully lift pizza dough onto stone’s (or sheet pans if using). Par-bake for 4 minutes, remove from oven & set aside.

3.) Combine all of the ingredients for the Pico de Gallo & set aside to allow flavors to develop. Prick Yukons with a fork & microwave for 4-5 minutes, long enough to take the edge off but not so long that they cook through. Set aside to cool, then cut into large dice. Cook chorizo until no pink remains, remove with a slotted spoon (reserve fat) drain of paper towel then toss with black beans. Fry potato’s in the residual chorizo fat until crispy & cooked through, set aside.

4.) Layer ingredients on your crusts; a bit of cheese, chorizo & beans, potato’s more cheese, then create a couple of pockets to cradle the eggs. Crack eggs into the pockets (2 per pizza) give the eggs a good spritz of cooking spray (this helps prevent the eggs from drying out). Bake for 8-10 minutes are until the the crust is golden & the eggs are set but with a soft yolk. Remove from oven, garnish with Pico de Gallo & serve with other offering as desired.