This is Mexican pizza. You can find these on the streets of Oaxaca as large as American pizzas, or make them smaller like tostadas or fold them over like quesadillas. When I took a cooking class in Oaxaca through Quinta Brava, they taught us how to press and fry the masa into tortillas — this is especially handy if you want to make the larger size and can’t find them in the store that size.

This recipe will make two larger tlayudas. I haven’t made this at home yet, so this recipe is directly from Quinta Brava so far. It lists chorizo, but you can easily make this vegetarian by using only vegetarian toppings.

If you have access to a Mexican grocery, you might be able to find pre-mixed masa dough. If so, it’s an easy thing to roll out balls of dough and press them between two sheets of wax paper. Something close to a billiard ball size makes a taco-sized tortilla, so try something larger like a softball to get a tortilla closer to a medium-sized pizza. Use a heavy pan or giant book on top to flatten them out. If you like the idea of adding cilantro or chepiche to the tortilla as seen in the photo above, press the herbs into the surface after you’ve flattened it and then re-press.

2 tlayudas or large corn tortillas
500 grams quesillo or Oaxaca cheese
2 large Mexican chorizo sausages
3 cups refried black beans
2 tablespoons avocado oil, ghee, or lard (chorizo drippings)
1 white onion, diced
1 garlic clove
6 avocado leaves or hoja de aguacate
2 radishes, sliced
1 lemon
Mexican green or red salsa
chepiche (an aromatic herb)

Toast the avocado leaves for a couple minutes on a griddle. Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium-low heat. Sautee the onions until they become transparent and start to brown. Add the garlic and lightly fry. Add the beans and mash down until they become a paste, or use a blender. Add the chorizo drippings, then the avocado leaves, crumbled.

Warm the tortilla on a griddle. Spread the refried beans medley on the tortilla and top with the quesillo or Oaxaca cheese. (The recipe doesn’t mention it, but I’m guessing you can add the chorizo, radishes, salsa, and/or chepiche as other toppings, and maybe sprinkle with lemon juice to serve.)

Serve immediately and enjoy while hot.