Chorizo Chili Nacho Panzerotto

I get a lot of strange ideas that end up panning out pretty well... this is one of them. This Chorizo Chili Nacho Panzerotto was super tasty, and the sleeper ingredient was... Fritos. It really could have gone either way, I added the Fritos to add a little bit of an extra crunch to my panzo. At first, they seemed a little jagged against the pizza dough after I folded everything together, but it held up while frying and was a great added crunch and saltiness to the panzo. Alongside (or under, actually) the Fritos was chorizo seasoned ground pork, fresh diced tomatoes, pickled jalapenos and cilantro, plus a bunch of American cheese - cause you can't panzo without the cheese. I topped my panzo off with a sprinkl of tajin and a squeeze of lime juice. If you want to know how to make my Chorizo Chili Nacho Panzerotto keep reading, or jump to the full recipe.

In a cast iron pan on medium heat, add a bit of oil, then once hot, add the onion and mix. Allow to cook 1-2 minutes and soften slightly. Break up the ground pork into the pan then season with the chili powder, cayenne and paprika.

Add the tomato paste and a splash of the water, then mix and break up the pork with a wooden spoon. Add the rest of the water and continue to break up the pork until it is completely broken up into small pieces.

Season with salt and squeeze in the juice from ½ a lime. Mix and allow to simmer until the liquid has fully absorbed.

Finely chop the pickled jalapenos and the tomatoes and place in a bowl. Set aside. Finely chop the cilantro and set aside for garnish.

Sprinkle the flour on your work surface and add the pizza dough, stretch it by hand into a circle and use your fingertips to knead it out. On one side, add three slices of American cheese, then top with the cooked ground pork.

Add the jalapeno and tomatoes, chopped cilantro, a small handful of Fritos, then three more slices of American cheese.

Fold the pizza dough over to cover the filling, press the edges together, and then crimp them together to seal the panzo.

Add an inch of oil to a pan or heavy bottom pot, once hot, add the panzo. Allow to cook about 1-2 minutes, spooning the hot oil over the top. Flip and allow to cook another 2-3 minutes, while spooning the hot oil on top.

Once golden and crispy, remove from the oil. Season with salt and pepper while hot.

To plate, cut the panzo in half, sprinkle with tajin and top with chopped cilantro for garnish. Serve with a wedge of lime to squeeze over the top before enjoying.

And now for the full recipe...

Chorizo Chili Nacho Panzerotto

Makes 1 panzo

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

230g pizza dough

1-2 tbsp all-purpose flour

½ small onion, finely chopped

1 lb ground pork

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp cayenne

1 tsp paprika 

2 tbsp tomato paste 

¼ cup water

1 lime

2-3 tbsp pickled jalapeños, finely chopped

4-5 cherry or grape tomatoes

6 slices American cheese

1/3 cup chopped cilantro 

Small handful Fritos 

Tajin 

Oil for frying

How to Make a Chorizo Chili Nacho Panzerotto

In a cast iron pan on medium heat, add a bit of oil, then once hot, add the onion and mix. Allow to cook 1-2 minutes and soften slightly. Break up the ground pork into the pan then season with the chili powder, cayenne and paprika. Add the tomato paste and a splash of the water, then mix and break up the pork with a wooden spoon. Add the rest of the water and continue to break up the pork until it is completely broken up into small pieces. Season with salt and squeeze in the juice from ½ a lime. Mix and allow to simmer until the liquid has fully absorbed.

Finely chop the pickled jalapenos and the tomatoes and place in a bowl. Set aside.

Finely chop the cilantro and set aside for garnish.

Sprinkle the flour on your work surface and add the pizza dough, stretch it by hand into a circle and use your fingertips to knead it out. On one side, add three slices of American cheese, then top with the cooked ground pork, the jalapeno and tomatoes, chopped cilantro, a small handful of Fritos, then three more slices of American cheese.

Fold the pizza dough over to cover the filling, press the edges together, and then crimp them together to seal the panzo.

Add an inch of oil to a pan or heavy bottom pot, once hot, add the panzo. Allow to cook about 1-2 minutes, spooning the hot oil over the top. Flip and allow to cook another 2-3 minutes, while spooning the hot oil on top. Flip once more and let cook another minute, continuing to spoon the oil on top. Once golden and crispy, remove from the oil. Season with salt and pepper while hot.

To plate, cut the panzo in half, sprinkle with tajin and top with chopped cilantro for garnish. Serve with a wedge of lime to squeeze over the top before enjoying.

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