COMBINATION TACO BELL PIZZA HUT

For the most part, my food inspires my musical pairings. But with this time, a song, “Combination Taco Bell Pizza Hut” from the artists known as Das Racist, inspired me. If you haven’t had a chance to listen to the intellectual genius-ness that is Das Racist, I suggest you pause reading, scroll down to the bottom and press play, then I give you permission to continue reading.

There is something so brilliant about the humor of Das Racist. This brilliance is evident not only in their lyrical musings, but also in interviews of the trio. Seriously, other than Diplo (who has produced beats for them), these are the guys I want to hang out with. But not in a let’s get bottle service in Vegas kind of hangout; in a beer and pizza on a roof top at 4 am in the middle of the city, talking sensible nonense kind of hangout.

From one of my favorite Das Racist songs, I came to the realization the genius-ness of a combination Taco Bell and Pizza Hut. This translated to me into a taco pizza. As much as the song and the Das Racist clan inspired this pizza, it also has its roots in the tostada pizza from CPK (California Pizza Kitchen). This pizza is pretty simple to throw together, especially if you use premade pizza dough.

Materials:

1 Pizza Dough (I prefer Trader Joe’s)

½ cup flour (for dusting pizza dough)

1 can black beans (1/2 of liquid reserved)

1 tablespoon hot sauce

2 cups shredded Mexican cheese

2 cups lettuce

1 cup jalapeño cream sauce (instructions below)

1 cup salsa

Tortilla Strips

Methods:

1.     Preheat oven according to instructions on pizza dough.

2.     While oven is preheating, leave floured pizza dough in a pan to rest.

3.     In a medium saucepan, heat up black beans plus ½ of the reserved liquid.

4.     Once beans are hot, remove from heat and use the back of a fork or potato masher to mash up the beans. Make sure they aren’t too mashed as you still want some texture.

5.     Roll out pizza dough onto any flat pan. Be sure to flour the pan as well as the bottom of the dough, so that the dough doesn’t stick.

6.     Spread the bean mixture onto the pizza, cover generously with cheese and heat according to instructions on the pizza dough.

7.     While the pizza is baking, make tortilla strips and the jalapeño sauce.

8.     Heat some oil in a pan, cut up corn or flour tortillas into strips and fry.

9.     Once the pizza is done, layer on the toppings! Salsa, Lettuce, jalapeño sauce, tortilla strips.

Jalapeño Sauce

In a blender, pulse together 1 jalepeno, 1 cup tightly packed cilantro, ½ an avocado, juice of 1 lime, ½ cup mayo, ½ sour cream, and ½ milk. Add more milk as necessary to achieve desired consistency. Add salt to taste.

Extra Bits:

-Instead of using salsa, you could make a quick pico de gallo with tomatoes, white onions, cilantro, and lime juice.

-If you are feeling extra lazy, you can blend together 1 cup ranch, 1 cup cilantro, and 1 jalapeno to make the sauce.

-With the leftover sauce, you can add more milk to make it more of a dressing consistency and use it to make a Mexican style Caesar salad the next day.

-Pairs well with beer.

Beats:

Das Racist – Combination Taco Bell Pizza Hut

Das Racist – You Oughta Know

Das Racist – You can Sell Anything (produced by Diplo)

Das Racist - Rainbow In The Dark

Das Racist – Girl (Etc! Etc! Remix)