These delicious recipes celebrate American Latino cuisines

SEATTLE —

TACO PIZZA

YIELDS 2 PIZZAS (16 SLICES)

Prep Time: 10 MINUTES

Cook Time: 30 MINUTES, PLUS

COOLING TIME

Total Time: 45 MINUTES

BASE

• 2 pounds store-bought raw pizza dough
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 ounce Taco Seasoning (page 000)
• All-purpose flour for dusting
• 1 cup water
• 15 ounces Refried Beans (page 000)
• 1⁄2 cup salsa
• 2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
• 1⁄4 cup sliced black olives

TOPPINGS

• Sour cream
• Shredded iceberg lettuce
• Jarred or fresh Jalapeño pepper slices
• Sliced green onions
• Salsa
• Corn Tortilla Chips (page 000),
• crumbled or cut into strips

Directions:

1. Make the pizza base: Preheat the oven to 500°F and remove the pizza dough from the refrigerator.
2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, crumble the ground beef with a wooden spoon, and cook until the meat browns, 7 to 10 minutes.
3. Add the taco seasoning and the water and mix to combine.
4. Lower the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
5. On a flat, lightly floured surface, roll out the pizza dough into 2 circles, each 12 inches in diameter.
6. Transfer the dough to 2 large baking or cookie sheets.
7. In a medium bowl, combine the refried beans and salsa.
8. Spread the mixture on the dough, leaving a 1⁄2-inch bare border around the outside edges. Top evenly with the shredded cheese and black olives.
9. Bake until the crusts turns golden brown and the cheese has melted, 10 to 15 minutes.
10. Remove the pizzas from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes.
11. Top with sour cream, shredded lettuce, Jalapeño pepper slices, sliced green onions, salsa, and tortilla strips or crumbled chips.

Molletes

SERVES 8

Prep Time: 5 MINUTES

Cook Time: 10 MINUTES

Total Time: 15 MINUTES

Ingredients: 

• 4 bolillo rolls
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at
• room temperature
• 2 cups Refried Beans (page 000) or one
• 16-ounce can, warmed
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar or Monterey
• Jack cheese
• 1⁄2 to 1 cup Pico de Gallo (page 000)
• 1 avocado (optional)
• Hot sauce of choice (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Halve the rolls lengthwise and spread 11⁄2 teaspoons of the butter evenly across each cut side of the bread.
3. Line a baking sheet with foil and place the bread on it, cut side up. Evenly spread 1⁄4 cup of the refried beans onto each buttered roll, followed by 1⁄4 cup of the cheese.
4. Bake until the cheese melts, bubbles, and browns, 8 to 10 minutes.
5. Remove from the oven and serve with pico de gallo. Top with avocado and hot sauce, if desired.

VAR IATIONS

• You can replace the bolillo rolls with sub bread or a kaiser roll.

• Cheese swaps include provolone, mozzarella, Oaxaca, or Chihuahua.

• Add bacon or Mexican chorizo for a heartier take.

Guava Cream Cheese Cinnamon Rolls

Yields 12

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours

Dough

• 1 cup whole milk
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 6 tablespoons salted butter, melted
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups all--purpose flour, plus ½ cup for consistency if necessary, and more for dusting
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Unsalted butter, at room temperature, for greasing
• Cooking spray

Filling

• 8 ounces guava paste, cubed
• ⅔ cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 6 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature
• Frosting
• 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 4 ounces guava paste, cubed
• 1/4 cup salted butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Make the dough: In a large, microwave--safe bowl of a stand mixer, microwave the milk at full power for 45 to 60 seconds.
2. Add 1 tablespoon of the granulated sugar and the yeast, stir, and let sit until it becomes foamy, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the remaining granulated sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla; stir to combine; then add the 4 cups of flour, salt, and cinnamon.
4. Fit the stand mixer with a dough hook, place the bowl on the stand, and set the speed to low. Gradually increase the speed to high until a large ball forms.
5. Remove the dough ball and knead until smooth and slightly tacky to the touch. If the dough is too sticky and doesn’t form a ball, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, but no more than ½ cup.
6. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough for 3 to 5 minutes, until smooth.
7. Butter a large bowl with the room--temperature butter.
8. Shape the dough into a ball, place it into the buttered bowl, and cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap or a clean, damp towel.
9. In a warm place, let the dough rise until it doubles in size, 30 to 45 minutes. Don’t let it overrise.
10. While the dough rises, make the filling: In a mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to beat the guava paste until light and fluffy, starting slowly and gradually increasing the speed.
11. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the remaining filling ingredients, and beat until incorporated. Set aside.
12. Next, assemble and bake the rolls: Preheat the oven to 350°F, lightly spray a 9--by--13--inch glass baking dish with cooking spray, and lightly dust a large, flat, clean surface with flour.
13. Gently punch down the risen dough and, on the floured surface, form it into a rectangle.
14. With a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 12--by--24--inch rectangle, about ¼ inch thick. Note: The exact size of the rectangle can vary.
15. Spray a silicone or offset spatula with cooking spray and use it to spread the filling evenly over the dough.
16. Starting on the long end, tightly roll the dough into a log.
17. Cut the log into 12 equal--sized rolls, each about 2 inches wide.
18. Place the rolls horizontally in the glass baking dish in a 3--by--4 grid.
19. Cover the dish loosely with plastic wrap and let the rolls rise until they nearly double in size, 20 to 30 minutes.
20. Remove the plastic wrap and bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. If the tops brown too rapidly, tent the baking dish with foil and continue to bake. When done, the internal temperature of the rolls, taken with an instant--read thermometer, should measure between 195° and 200°F.
21. Remove the baking dish from the oven, place on a cooling rack, and let the rolls cool for 5 to 10 minutes.
22. While the rolls cool, make the frosting: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese on high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes.
23. Add the guava paste and butter and mix until smoothly combined. Gradually add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt until incorporated as well.
24. With a knife or icing spatula, spread the icing over the warm rolls and serve immediately.

Note

“Warm” means between 105° and 115°F.

Marisel Salazar will be at Town Hall Seattle tonight... Tuesday, September 3rd at 7:30pm.

Segment Producer Suzie Wiley. Watch New Day Northwest at 11 a.m. weekdays on KING 5 and streaming live on KING5.com. Contact New Day.