Birria Pizza and A Man Called Otto

Hello and welcome to Pizza and a Movie on Djalali Cooks. Today I have a pizza made from leftovers. As many of you know, this is one my favorite challenges – how to turn my leftovers into something new. It’s usually a pizza because dough and cheese lends itself so perfectly to a variety of bits of pieces of whatever you have leftover or need to use up. A couple weeks ago we made Instant Pot Birria Tacos. I didn’t have enough leftover to recreate the original Birria tacos so I thought it might be good on a pizza. It is! Let me show you what I did.

Before doing anything else, get the oven preheating to 425 degrees F with a pizza stone or steel.

I wanted to add a bit of other texture and flavor to this pizza, there’s not much beef left in my leftover stew, so I went with what I had in the fridge: mushrooms and leftover cooked bacon. I always cook mushrooms before putting them on a pizza so they create less moisture on the pizza. To do this, I cook the sliced mushrooms in water until the water evaporates. Then I add a little oil to sauté the mushrooms to get some browning. In the browning phase of cooking, the mushrooms don’t soak up a bunch of the oil (because I cooked them in water).

Sprinkle the mushrooms with a pinch of kosher salt. Then I added my (already cooked) bacon just to heat it through.

Roll, spin or stretch your prepared pizza dough on a lightly floured pizza peel. Top the dough with grated cheese. I had leftover Mexican melting cheese from the birria tacos, but you can use mozzarella or a grated Mexican cheese blend if you like.

Top the cheese with the mushroom and bacon mixture.

Spoon the leftover Birria stew over the bacon and mushrooms. Top with another 1/2 cup or so of grated cheese. Bake the pizza on the pizza stone or steel until the crust is golden and the cheese is melted, about 10-15 minutes.

Birria Pizza

When the pizza comes out of the oven, top with chopped fresh cilantro and sliced scallions, if you like.

And that’s it! The dominant flavor is the Birria stew; but the mushrooms add a nice texture and earthy flavor; the bacon adds a meaty, smoky bite which really complements the smoky flavor of the Birria stew. Overall, it’s a great reimagining of Birria stew leftovers. If you have leftover Birria stew, consider this Birria pizza as a way to repurpose those leftovers. If you don’t have mushrooms and bacon, you can just go with the Birria stew and cheese, or you can add frozen corn, bell pepper…get creative!

Movie Night: A Man Called Otto

We have our Birria Pizza ready to go, so let’s get to the movie. A Man Called Otto is based on a Swedish book called A Man Called Ove. This is the second movie version of the book; the first was a Swedish movie from 2015, by Hannes Holm. This is one of those predictable dramas with both comedic and heartbreaking moments. Is it Tom Hanks’ best movie? No. But is it entertaining to watch Tom Hanks play a character somewhat against type? Yes. Mariana Treviño brings a moving performance as Marisol, Otto’s new neighbor. This movie isn’t groundbreaking or especially inventive. But it’s a feel-good movie that is perfect for a family movie night.

A Man Called Otto is available to rent on Apple TV, Google Play, Vudu, Amazon, Redbox and YouTube.

Thank you all for joining me today for Pizza and a Movie! i hope you have a wonderful weekend, take care and be well! xo Kelly

Key Equipment

Print Recipe

Birria Pizza

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Dinner, Main Course – American/Italian/Mexican

By Kelly Djalali – Serves: 2-4

Prep Time: 15 Minutes – Cooking Time: 15-20 Minutes – Total Time: ~30 Minutes

Use your Birria Stew leftovers to create a rich and flavorful pizza. Add extra toppings like bacon and mushrooms to customize to your liking.

Ingredients

• 8-10 Mushrooms, sliced
• Cooked Bacon pieces, about 3/4 cup
• 1 Prepared Pizza Dough
• 1 cup grated Cheese: Mexican Blend, Mozzarella or Mexican Melting Cheese like Oaxaca
• Leftover Birria Stew, about 1 cup
• Chopped Fresh Cilantro, as garnish
• Sliced Scallions, as garnish

Instructions

1

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F with a pizza stone or steel.

2

In a pan over medium-high heat, cook the sliced mushrooms in water until the water evaporates.

3

Then add a little oil to sauté the mushrooms to get some browning.

4

Sprinkle the mushrooms with a pinch of kosher salt. Then add cooked bacon pieces just to heat it through. Then cut the heat and set the pan aside.

5

Roll, spin or stretch your prepared pizza dough on a lightly floured pizza peel.

6

Top the dough with grated cheese.

7

Top the cheese with the mushroom and bacon mixture.

8

Spoon the leftover Birria stew over the bacon and mushrooms. Top with another 1/2 cup or so of grated cheese.

9

Bake the pizza on the pizza stone or steel until the crust is golden and the cheese is melted, about 10-15 minutes.

10

When the pizza comes out of the oven, top with chopped fresh cilantro and sliced scallions, if you like.

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