Growing Chefs! Ontario Pico de Gallo Detroit Style Pizza

Pico de Gallo Detroit Style Pizza

Pico de Gallo is a delicious freshly chopped salsa, and all of the ingredients needed are at their best in the late summer months! Chef Chris from Through Thick and Thin restaurant developed this recipe specifically for our kids monthly cooking class.
Difficulty
Intermediate
Yield
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
1 ball detroit style pizza dough (see recipe)4 roma tomatoes, 2 seeded and finely diced, 2 roughly chopped1 cob of corn2 green onions, cut thinly1/4 cup red onion, finely diced3 cloves of garlic, finely minced1 sprig oregano1 jalapeño pepper, diced (optional, substitute for sweet pepper if desired)1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese1 1/2 cups cubed mozzarella cheese Olive oil Salt to taste For Garnish:1 cup mayo1 cup cilantro Zest and juice of 1 lime Salt to taste
Equipment
Cutting boardChef’s knife or paring knifeMeasuring cups and spoonsBowls, various sizesBaking dish, 9x13”GraterMedium potMedium frying panBlenderWooden spoonMicroplane (optional)Scissors (optional)SpatulasTasting spoonsDish towel

Get Organized

Gather all your ingredients and equipment before you get started!

Get Prepped!

Finely mince all three garlic cloves. Set aside ⅓ of puree for the tomato sauce.

Remove the oregano leaves from the stem, and blend the oregano leaves with the additional two roma tomatoes and season with salt.

In a medium pot over medium high heat, pour a tablespoon of olive oil, and let warm up. Add the 1 clove of minced garlic, and stir about 10 seconds until fragrant. Add the tomato sauce mixture and cook until thickened, about 10 minutes.

Cut two tomatoes in half lengthwise, and then into quarters. Carefully remove the core and seeds of tomatoes and discard. Cut the tomato quarters into thin strips, and then dice finely.

Peel your corn, and cut it off the cob. Toast the corn in a medium frying pan over high heat until it is slightly charred, about 3 – 4 minutes.

Thinly cut green onions into round (scissors work great for this task), and very finely dice the red onion.

Cut the jalapeño in half and remove the seeds and the stem. Cut the jalapeño into thin strips and then dice finely. Be careful to wash your hands well after handling the jalapeño!

Cut 1 cup of mozzarella cheese into 1 cm cubes, and grate another 1 ½ cups using the cheese grater.

To prepare the garnishes, remove the stems from the cilantro and leave the leaves whole. Remove the zest from the lime with a microplane and add to the mayonnaise. Cut the lime in half and squeeze out as much juice as possible and mix with the mayonnaise, and season with salt to taste.

To prepare pizza for baking, pour 1 – 2 teaspoons of olive oil into your baking dish and spread it around to all of the sides to make sure it is well greased. Place your dough into the pan and using your hands, stretch the dough and push it to the sides of the pan. If needed, let it rest a few minutes and then continue stretching.

Add the tomato sauce on the bottom of the pizza, spreading to about 2 centimetres away from the edge of the pizza.

In a bowl, mix together diced tomatoes, red onion, green onions, garlic, corn, and jalapeño. Season with salt to taste and mix together.

Add the diced mozzarella on top of the tomato sauce, and then add the tomato mixture on top of that.

Take your grated cheese, and place a small amount around the edges of the pizza, tucking it into the edges to create the frico crust. If there is any cheese leftover sprinkle it on top of the pizza.

Get Cooking!

Preheat the oven to 500°F (if your oven will reach this temperature, otherwise 450°F). Bake the pizza for 20 – 24 minutes until crust is golden and crispy and cooked through. Remove from the pan with a couple of spatulas, let pizza cool a couple minutes.

Cut pizza into squares, and then drizzle with lime mayo, and cilantro.

Detroit Style Pizza Dough

Detroit Style Pizza Dough

This recipe makes the perfect Detroit style pizza dough. Because one pizza is rarely enough, this pizza dough recipe makes enough for two pizzas, and can be made in a stand mixer at home, or mixed by hand.

Cook now!
Read more about Detroit Style Pizza Dough