Cook Time: 10 minutes, plus time to cook the chile verde and pickle the onions
To make the Chile Verde: Combine pork and salt, tossing to thoroughly coat. Set aside for at least 1 hour.
Meanwhile, foil wrap together as many peppers and jalapeños as will fit on a comal or cast iron pan and cook over medium to high heat until well charred, 20 to 30 minutes, turning halfway through. Open foil to check doneness; reseal to continue cooking, if necessary. Remove peppers from foil, immediately transfer to a large bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside to steam until skin removes easily, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, repeat with remaining peppers and jalapeños. When peppers are done steaming, remove skin and stems and transfer to a food processor.
Preheat the broiler to high. Arrange tomatillos on a foil-lined, rimmed baking sheet and broil until charred and soft, about 12 minutes, turning halfway through. Add tomatillos and any liquid to food processor. Add cilantro and garlic and pulse to roughly puree. Add salt to taste.
Preheat the oven to 325°F. In a large Dutch oven over medium high, heat oil until smoking. Add pork and cook without moving until well browned, about 5 minutes. Stir and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until well browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently and scraping up any browned bits in the pan, until onions are soft, about 4 minutes. Add cumin and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add chicken broth, ½ lime, lime juice, lime leaves, and pureed pepper mixture and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, cover, and transfer to oven, lid slightly ajar. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened and pork shreds easily, about 3 hours. Set aside to cool, then shed pork in sauce.
To make the Pickled Onions: Arrange onions in a heatproof container and set aside. In a saucepan, combine vinegar, water, sugar, and salt and heat until sugar and salt dissolve. Add peppercorns, allspice, and bay leaf. Pour vinegar mixture over onions and set aside for at least 1 hour. Transfer to a resealable container and refrigerate for up to a week.
To make the Whipped Real California Ricotta: In a stand mixer, whip Ricotta and cream until smooth and creamy. Add salt and pepper to taste.
To prepare the Pizza and Garnishes: Preheat the oven to 550°F. Lightly oil an 8-by-8-inch square pizza pan. Stretch the dough to fit the pan, then top with 1/3 of whipped Real California Ricotta. Parbake until pizza is just starting to brown and whipped Ricotta is beginning to caramelize, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool for at least 10 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 540°F. Spread remaining whipped Ricotta on parbaked pizza. Top with about 7 ounces chile verde and Mozzarella. Bake until bottom is dark golden brown and cheese is caramelized, 3 to 4 minutes.
Garnish with cilantro, about 1½ ounces pickled onion (drained), Cotija cheese, and Crème Fraîche. Grate Estero Gold over the top.
Chef Notes: This pizza also works great with Grandma Style, Sicilian, or Detroit-Style doughs.
Recipe courtesy of Leith Leiser Miller, Psychic Pie, Sebastopol, Calif.
2024 Real California Pizza Contest, Protein Category Finalist
