Pizzanucho de Mérida

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy sheet pan or baking steel for the oven
• •Wooden bench scraper or sharp knife for dividing dough
• •Large clay or ceramic bowl for the bean masher
• •Bean masher or sturdy wooden spoon
• •Sharp paring knife for peeling the wax off the queso de bola
• •Coarse-hole box grater

Instructions

1. 1

   Mix the dough

   In a large bowl, whisk together the bread flour, instant yeast, and sea salt. Pour in the warm water and the melted manteca. Stir with a wooden spoon until a shaggy dough forms, then turn it out onto a lightly floured counter and knead for about 8 minutes. The dough should pull together into a smooth ball, tacky but not sticky. The manteca in the dough is what gives this base its tenderness. It is closer to a pan francés than to a Neapolitan pizza, and that is on purpose. This is Mérida, not Naples.

2. 2

   Let the dough rise

   Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with a damp cotton servilleta, and let it rise at warm room temperature for about 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until nearly doubled. In the heat of a Peninsula kitchen this happens fast. In a cold kitchen it takes longer. Trust the dough, not the clock.

   If you want a deeper flavor, mix the dough the night before and let it rise slowly in the refrigerator for 12 to 18 hours. Pull it out two hours before shaping.
3. 3

   Pickle the red onion

   While the dough rises, place the sliced red onion in a heatproof bowl. Pour boiling water over it and let it sit for 10 seconds, then drain. This takes the raw bite off without cooking the onion. Return the onion to the bowl and add the sour orange juice, the oregano yucateco, the ground allspice, the teaspoon of salt, and the slices of one habanero. Toss with your hands. Let it sit for at least 30 minutes. The onion should turn bright fuchsia. If yours stays pale, your sour orange is weak and you need more acid. This is the cebolla morada that defines Yucatecan food. Without it, no panucho, no cochinita, no pizzanucho.

4. 4

   Refry the black beans

   In a heavy skillet, melt the 3 tablespoons of manteca over medium heat. Add the diced white onion and cook for 4 minutes until translucent. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds more. Add the cooked black beans with a ladleful of their broth and the sprig of fresh epazote. Mash with a bean masher or the back of a wooden spoon. You want a thick paste, not a soup, but not dry either. It should spread like a soft butter. Taste and salt. Remove the epazote sprig. The beans are the layer that holds everything together on the pizzanucho the way they hold together a panucho. They are not a garnish. They are structure.

5. 5

   Shape the pizza bases

   Heat the oven to 475F with a heavy sheet pan or baking steel on the middle rack. Punch down the dough and divide it in two. On a lightly floured surface, press and stretch each piece into a 12-inch round. Mérida pizzanucho is not the airy Neapolitan style with a puffed cornicione. It is flatter, sturdier, almost the thickness of a pan francés split open. Brush both rounds lightly with melted manteca on top and bottom. Lay each on a piece of parchment.

6. 6

   Par-bake the bases

   Slide one round on its parchment onto the hot sheet pan and bake for 6 minutes. The base should be set, pale gold, with no raw flour smell. Pull it out and repeat with the second. This par-bake is what makes the structure work. If you build the toppings on raw dough, the beans soak in and you get a soggy disaster. The base has to be cooked enough to hold the bean layer like a panucho holds its filling. No me vengas con atajos.

7. 7

   Build the pizzanucho

   Spread half the refried black beans evenly over each par-baked base, leaving a half-inch border around the edge. Be generous. The beans should be a real layer, about a quarter-inch thick, the way they fill a panucho. Distribute the smoked turkey over the beans, draping the ribbons so every slice will catch some. Scatter the grated queso de bola evenly over the top. The queso de bola is non-negotiable. It is the Edam in red wax that came to Yucatán through the port of Sisal in the 19th century and stayed. Mozzarella is not a substitute. Cheddar is not a substitute. If you cannot find queso de bola, find a Yucatecan grocery or wait until you can.

8. 8

   Bake to finish

   Return each pizzanucho on its parchment to the hot sheet pan and bake for 8 to 10 minutes. The cheese should melt into a pale golden pool, the edges of the base should darken to a deep brown, and the bean layer should bubble at the rim. Queso de bola does not stretch like mozzarella. It melts into a smoother, denser layer with little spots of amber where the milk fat caramelizes. That is what you want. That is what tells you the cheese is right.

9. 9

   Top and serve

   Pull the pizzanuchos onto a wooden board. Pile the pickled red onion generously over the top of each one while still hot. The onion should cover most of the surface. This is the moment the dish becomes a panucho on a pizza base instead of a pizza with weird toppings. Cut into wedges with a sharp knife. Serve with the salsa de habanero tatemado, lime wedges, and the second sliced habanero on the side for those who want more heat. Eat with your hands. Así se hace y punto.

Chef Tips

• •Naranja agria, sour orange, is the soul of Yucatecan cooking. If you live anywhere with a Mexican or Caribbean market, ask for it by name. The substitution of orange, lime, and vinegar is a compromise, not an upgrade. It gets you to about 85 percent.
• •Queso de bola is sold in red wax balls in Mexican and Latin grocery stores under brands like El Faro or Garcia Baquero. Peel the wax with a paring knife and grate the cheese on the largest holes of the grater. If you grate it too fine, it clumps into a paste under the oven heat instead of melting cleanly.
• •The pavo ahumado should be the real smoked turkey from a Yucatecan-style butcher if you can find one. In its absence, a good-quality smoked turkey breast from the deli counter works. Do not use deli ham or chicken. The smoked turkey is what tells your mouth this is a panucho underneath.
• •Make extra pickled red onion. It keeps in the refrigerator for two weeks and it improves everything: tacos, eggs, sandwiches, beans. In Yucatán there is always a jar in the refrigerator. There should be one in yours too.

Advance Preparation

• •The pizza dough can be made up to 18 hours ahead and cold-fermented in the refrigerator. Pull it out two hours before shaping.
• •The refried black beans can be made two days ahead and refrigerated. Loosen with a splash of bean broth or water before spreading on the base.
• •The pickled red onion must be made at least 30 minutes ahead and improves over 24 hours. Keeps refrigerated for two weeks.
• •The bases can be par-baked earlier in the day and held at room temperature, covered with a clean cotton cloth, until ready to top and finish.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 410g)