Truffled Roasted Crimini Pizza by Heather Nolan of mmm… is for Mommy

(NC)—My love of mushrooms goes way back - I was one of those kids who loved them, albeit most of the time they were of the canned variety (my age is showing I think). While nowadays I prefer fresh and occasionally dried mushrooms, they still play a huge role in our day-to-day meals. I enjoy them both raw and cooked, and absolutely adore the combination of mushrooms cooked with herbs like thyme, rosemary or sage. This recipe will have your kitchen smelling awesome hours before dinner... the world's best appetizer!

Makes 1 large 16” pizza or 2 9” pizzas

2 ¼ tsp (or I package) active dry yeast

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil + more for oiling bowl and pizza pan

Cornmeal for preparing pizza pan (2 tbsp or so)

2 large shallots, thickly sliced

2 cups crimini (or mini bella) mushrooms, thickly sliced

3 cloves garlic, quartered

2 tbsp dry white wine

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp dried herbs (I used thyme and a bit of sage). If you have fresh, use a bit more and save a wee bit to put on top of the pizza after it's cooked.

2 cups grated cheese (I try to use what I have on hand but a combo of 1 ¼ cup mozzarella, ½ cup aged cheddar and ¼ shaved Parmesan is what I used on this one and it was delicious! Fontina, Provolone and a bit of goat cheese would be awesome too... whatever you like best)

While you could use a prepared pizza shell or refrigerated dough instead of making your own, you'll have lots of time while the mushrooms are roasting, so make it from scratch - it's well worth it.

To make the dough, I always use my KitchenAid stand mixer. I combine the yeast, warm water and honey in the mixing bowl and allow it to rest for about five minutes. Then I add the flour (I always measure my flour by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling it off with a knife), salt and olive oil and attach the dough hook and let it knead on speed 1 for 6 minutes. While the dough is kneading a fill a mug with water and put it in the microwave for two minutes... the warm, humid microwave will make the perfect rising spot for the dough. Once the dough is ready I remove the bowl from the mixer, slap the dough into a ball (love slapping dough... I'm weird) and while it's out of the bowl I lightly oil the bowl and then pop the dough back in, loosely cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise in that warm microwave for 45 minutes to an hour.

While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 425 degrees and chop the shallots, mushrooms and garlic. In a shallow roasting pan, combine the chopped vegetables with the white wine, olive oil, pepper and herbs. Roast for 30 minutes, stirring once about halfway through.

When the mushrooms are roasted, take them out, scrape the roasting pan with a spoon to be sure to release all of the caramelized goodness... you want that flavour on your pizza, not in your dishwater. Then set them aside and allow to cool somewhat while the dough finishes its rise.

When the dough is ready, press, toss, or roll (on a lightly floured board) the dough into whatever shape you are using. I usually use this recipe for a fairly thick crusted 16” pizza... you could make the same or do smaller or thinner crust versions - again, whatever works best for you.

Place your dough on an oiled pan that has been generously sprinkled with cornmeal (you can also use flour, but the cornmeal adds nice texture), cover the dough with cheese and then spread your roasted mushrooms evenly over the pizza. Bake on the bottom rack of a preheated 450 degree oven for 20-22 minutes, or in a convection oven at 400 degrees for about 16 minutes. When the pizza comes out of the oven, drizzle it with the truffle oil and a bit of finely chopped fresh herbs, if you have them.

Heather Nolan is a well known food blogger who resides in Nova Scotia. She started her blog, Mmm…is for Mommy in early 2011 as an online outlet for her love of baking and cooking. You can find her life as a mom and her tasty recipes documented on her blog.

http://www.mmmisformommy.com

www.newscanada.com

Attention editors: These articles are for distribution in Ontario only.

Articles are provided free of charge. Articles appearing on web sites, must credit www.newscanada.com. Articles appearing in Print, must credit News Canada with (NC) at beginning of an article or – News Canada at the end. Any source/sponsor of the information quoted in the text must also be identified as presented. Images are only to be used with corresponding editorial copy. Usage of News Canada articles constitutes your acceptance of these terms and an agreement between you and News Canada.

To open/download image(s) used in this article, please click the following links: