if the coyote catches you
Recipe: the roadrunner (green chile and pepperoni) pizza
They’re here! Hatch green chiles from New Mexico have arrived in our markets and I snagged a huge bag just the other day. You can tell who knows what to do with them and who doesn’t. The people who know buy a lot. The people who don’t know look at the long green chiles with uncertainty and buy like… two. Of course, those of us buying one huge bag were in denial, because we’re just going to march right back and buy more. MORE GREEN CHILES. You can never have enough. As soon as we got home, Jeremy roasted them up on the grill and then we sweated them in a plastic bag and removed the charred skins.
a bowl full of chiles
You can see the process from fresh to roasted chiles from when we made green chile cheeseburgers. Most of the roasted chiles will be squirreled away in the freezer to use throughout the year when the precious chiles are not in season. But after roasting a batch, it is customary to eat some (or a lot) of the chiles. My favorite way to enjoy them is admittedly in chile rellenos. However, I didn’t feel like frying anything in the heat of the day, so we opted for grilling pizza.
stem and de-seed the chiles
dice them up
In New Mexico, they put green chiles on EVERYTHING. A pepperoni pizza with green chiles is called a Roadrunner. The roadrunner is the New Mexico state bird and they are funny creatures, known as the clowns of the desert. Jeremy recounted how they used to perch on the 6-foot high fence of his family’s yard and taunt their dogs by leaning forward as if they were going to fall in. It is only fitting that a great pizza would be named for this awesome bird.
pepperoni, diced green chiles, mozzarella, pizza dough, pizza sauce, salt, pepper
Now, if you do not have access to freshly roasted green chiles, you can use the canned variety. It won’t be as awesome, but it’s a start. I used the same dough as I make for The Woodward pizza because it is simply lovely and super easy. We like making thin crust pizzas at home, which means not being heavy handed with the toppings.
enough sauce to coat, but not douse the dough
You can put whatever you want on the pizza, but I made this per Jeremy’s specs: tomato sauce, pepperoni, cheese, and green chiles. I think some places will include mushrooms and other will include sausage. I’m just trying to respect the roadrunner here… Since our pizzas tend to be on the smallish side (about 12-inches in diameter), I used one large diced chile per pizza. We made a few more and I increased it to two diced chiles. More chiles. More better. MOAR!
pepperoni
distribute the green chiles
In all seriousness though, you should taste the chiles before determining the surface density of the chiles on the pizza. Green chiles run the gamut from mild to HOT. So gauge according to your preference. Then get ready to cook that baby. The grill is really the way to go for us. Basically, our oven sucks and our grill rocks. And YES to the pizza stone. I like my pizza grilled until the crust is crisp and the cheese is bubbling and starting to brown.
that’s right
Despite being a huge fan of cold pizza, I have to say that The Roadrunner is most excellent hot off the fire. I love it. But, having never tried a Roadrunner before this one, I had no way to gauge how good it really was. So I asked my Alburquerque boy how it compared to the Roadrunner pizzas of his youth and he replied, “This is way better.”
that coyote is really a crazy clown…
The Roadrunner Pizza (Green Chile and Pepperoni)
[print recipe]
1 ball of pizza dough (I absolutely love this one)
salt and pepper
tomato-based pizza sauce
mozzarella cheese
pepperoni
roasted green chiles (see how to roast here), stemmed, de-seeded, diced
Get your mise en place. Preheat a pizza stone in the bottom third of your oven to 550Β°F or heat your pizza stone on your grill to 550Β°F (or however hot it gets). Sprinkle your pizza peel with cornmeal or flour (to prevent sticking). Flatten the pizza dough on a floured work surface or onto the peel and roll it out to 1/8-inch thickness. Transfer the dough to your peel if it isnβt on there already and roll or shape it to a 12-inch diameter. Add more flour as you work to keep the dough from sticking to the peel. If you are comfortable tossing the dough, then do so.
Sprinkle salt and pepper over the dough. Spread enough pizza sauce over the dough to cover it, but keep it thin. Distribute pieces of mozzarella on the pizza, then repeat for the pepperoni. Sprinkle the diced green chiles over everything. Transfer the pizza from the peel to the stone and bake for 8-10 minutes or until the pizza is done to your liking. Remove the pizza from the oven or grill and serve. Makes one 12-inch pizza.
August 16th, 2012 at 6:54 pm
(Jeremy…this is NOT a test….Hatch chilies are AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
August 16th, 2012 at 8:34 pm
I’ve got 25 lbs. of hots on order here in SEA…this’ll be a perfect addition to our Hatch repertoire!
August 16th, 2012 at 8:51 pm
Try mashing the roasted and seeded hatch chiles with a little garlic salt and spread on a sandwich instead of mayo or mustard. You won’t be sorry. I put them in my potato creation with bacon, sour cream, onion, and cheese and a few spices. I also put them in soups, gravy, cornbread and roast pork. So, like you, I put lots in my freezer. Here in Brighton, we have a place that roasts them and bags them in ziplocks. Very convenient. Enjoy Jen!
August 16th, 2012 at 11:34 pm
The pizza look wonderful.
August 16th, 2012 at 11:43 pm
I love getting email pertaining to a new post! For some reason, small pizzas always capture me visually. What a yummy looking pizza hehehe. One day, could you put some pics of real roadrunners on a post pleaseee :)?
August 17th, 2012 at 5:39 am
Just saw them in my grocery store ad, and may have to try them…yum!
August 17th, 2012 at 6:14 am
Yum…we are indeed lucky in Colorado to have chile roasters appear everywhere as fall approaches. Snag all you can while you can…like Jen says, you can’t have enough squirreled away!!
I roll pizza dough out on parchment paper….top it and toss it on the grill or in the oven. Nice thin crisp crust and it slides right off. Nice if you are doing multiple pizzas on the grill, as you can have them lined up and ready to go. The recovery time on my grill with stone is way faster than the oven!!!
August 17th, 2012 at 9:09 am
This is my favorite way to eat pizza! (Although I’ve lived in New Mexico for 22 years and have never heard of it being called the Roadrunner.) This doesn’t look as impressive, but at home, I usually just stir the chiles into the sauce. I hate trying to evenly distribute sticky roasted chiles over the top. Clearly I’m lazy.
August 17th, 2012 at 10:20 am
this looks incredible! you make pizza-making look so easy, and i am still trying to find my groove with it (after many years of practice). i lovvvve green chiles! i think a visit to NM is in my future. YUM.
August 17th, 2012 at 1:41 pm
[…] the roadrunner pizza. /* […]
August 17th, 2012 at 2:00 pm
Love that you and Jeremy can share this…it looks absolutely amazing!
Excited to try your pizza dough recipe.
August 17th, 2012 at 4:46 pm
I love green chilies. Just the smell of them roasting makes my mouth water. You did pizza. I did quesadillas. Either way it’s hard to go wrong!
August 17th, 2012 at 7:49 pm
…making a sourdough with fresh roasted green chilies in the a.m… :) (I love this time of year!)
August 19th, 2012 at 8:20 am
I love the smell of green chiles roasting…takes me back to the 70’s. ; )
August 20th, 2012 at 10:04 pm
I’ve never heard of pepperoni pizza with green chiles on it … I tried it tonight and I’m an instant FAN. YUM…. I used canned hatch green chiles (from Trader Joe’s) – I’m sure it would be even better with fresh hatch chiles … I’m waiting for Raley’s to stock them again in California – we can’t buy bags of them … I wish I could !!
Your photography is beautiful (as usual) and your pizza looks much better than mine did … but mine was yummy … just not as beautiful@
August 23rd, 2012 at 7:47 am
I AM one of ‘those’ people who ‘know’ In fact, I’m jone’sin right now because I took home 5 lbs from the store on Saturday and roasted them up, and now I’m freaking because I’m thinking in my head, “I should have gone right back on Sunday and gotten more, what if there are no more left!” I’m going back this weekend…. Now neatly stored in my freezer and ready to roll around cheese and fry, or added to all kinds of porky stews and posole…. oh how I love hatch green chilies…
August 26th, 2012 at 11:53 am
Margie – we had some database issues, but they are fixed now.
Michelle – woohoo!
brenda – that sounds terrific. I have made green chile mayo before, but this sounds even better.
Joy – thanks!
Jonathan – I have never photographed a roadrunner before, but if I do, I will certainly post it.
Kristin – yes!!
Carla – agreed, I love grilling pizzas (and the house doesn’t get crazy hot).
Bridget – you and Jeremy will have to discuss that one. I don’t know where he learned of it, but he loves it. You’re not lazy ;) ha ha!! xo
Sophie – it took some practice and well… there were a few mistossed pizza doughs for a while ;) but practice really helps!
Shut Up & Cook – it’s awesome, I hope you love it!
Abbe – I know, right?!?! :)
Margie – sounds great!
Jill – me too (well, not to the 70s, but to a favorite time of year)!
Doreen – awww, thanks. xoxo
angelitacarmelita – ha ha ha! you HAVE to buy double what you THINK you want ;)
August 30th, 2012 at 11:37 am
[…] Green Chile and Pepperoni Pizza […]
May 9th, 2013 at 10:13 am
If you’re seeing “hatch green chile” in your local produce market right now, I guarantee you it is NOT HATCH GREEN CHILE! Chile season here in southern NM is from late July to early October depending on the weather. Although some farms offer pre-orders this time of year (in the interest of full disclosure I work for Berridge Farms, a small family run outfit in Hatch) there absolutely no way anyone has fresh chile from anywhere in the US right now, let alone from here in Hatch.
Chances are, what you bought is from Peru since chile is in season there now.
May 12th, 2013 at 1:55 pm
Dear Preston – you are commenting on May 9th. This post was written and posted on August 15, 2012. Also, I’m removing your link from your comment, it’s spammy and bad etiquette.
June 7th, 2014 at 10:47 am
Hi Jen,
Just stumbled upon your blog looking for green chile recipes to take to an NMSU alum gathering today. Everyone takes the staples like enchiladas, chile sauces, etc. I decided to make and bring the roadrunner pizza and green chile cheese burgers, hopefully I can find slider buns.
Love your recipes, photos and stories!
Janet-from Alb, but lives in CA