My mind runs in and on themes, this I know. Given that, I try to not perseverate too abundantly on this here blog. While many of ya’ll are possessed of minds that run in similar (if not more egregiously episodic) ways, I don’t want to push my luck.

But I need to talk about pizza right now. Pizza, the perfect food. I’ve yet to meet a serious adventurer who doesn’t really, really like it in some form. Even Lil’ Sleazers counts.

After I got back from my evening walk, I made some pizza for dinner. I started with a very dense, bran and wheat centric crust. Because we didn’t have much all-purpose flour left, and because I dumped a lot more bran mix in the yeast-water than I intended.

I did use my new secret crust weapon: a heaping tablespoonful of sesame seeds. I also mixed a bit of beer in where water might have otherwise gone.

That done, I began pulling stuff out of the fridge. My thought was to make two pizzas, one for this evening, one for lunch tomorrow. The first pizza turned out so well, I made another one exactly like it to help get me through the school day, and I’d recommend it to anyone.

The “sauce” is a mix of refried black beans and salsa verde. Rosarita’s Vegetarian Refried Black Beans are one of the world’s perfect foods, one on which I became irrevocably hooked living in Prescott. They’re fat free, have a bunch of fiber, taste great, and the more of them I eat, the better I feel over the long term. This has very little to do with flatulence.

The salsa verde I made last fall. It is little more than many fresh jalapenos, a few fresh assorted chilis, some oranges and limes, and a huge sweet white onion run through the food processor and mixed with apple cider vinegar and salt before being put in jars. It’s pretty burly stuff, and in this use as a sauce I have found its perfect place.
Next, thin sliced fresh tomatoes, sliced pickled jalapenos, and a light covering of shredded mozzarella.

If you don’t like jalapenos, this is not the pizza for you. Make sure they’re the real deal that have a good spice n’ pucker to them. Western Family brand is pretty reliable in this regard.
Spread the crust very thin, put it on a greased baking sheet, and put in on a lower rack in a very hot oven. 480 F or so.
It will not take long to cook. Yank it when the peaks of cheese are getting browned.
Which brings me to the issue at hand. A pizza like this is one I will make again, many times, and thus needs a name for ready shorthand and reference. This pizza is burly, enduring, very playful, seriously fun, somewhat surprising, multi-layered, spicy, and making it’s acquaintance is sure to be a rewarding experience. This personality, and the two hinge flavors being ones to which I became dedicated while living in Arizona, points to one possibility only.

Ladies and gentleman, I give you and the world: The Chad.

Good for its own sake, for the road, for adventures long or short. Best paired with long sunny skies and a cold beer or three.
Yes, I’m very sad I’ll miss the Arizona Spring Fling again, this time for the depths of my portfolio. I’m sad that the update I posted to the KMC page today highlights the uncertainty of my return to my favorite part of the world. I like skiing, I like school, and I love my friends here. I also love my friends elsewhere, and miss long rides, cacti, rocks, rocks, and trails I’m scared to ride down or up. I also miss, and am already looking forward to having again, weekends free of homework’s tyranny; weekends in which nothing save beer drinking and loquacious verbal expectoration is required after the adventure of the day.

Some day, soon.