Wild Mushrooms And Fontina Pizza Food

PIZZA WITH PARSLEY PESTO, CREMINI MUSHROOMS, FONTINA AND GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
• For the parsley pesto: Add the Parmigiano-Reggiano, pine nuts, basil, garlic, parsley and some salt and pepper to a food processor. With the motor running, slowly add about 1/2 cup olive oil and process until smooth. Pulse a few times to incorporate, adding more oil if the mixture is too thick. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
• For the mushrooms: Heat the canola oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat until almost smoking. Add the mushrooms, garlic and shallots and saute until brown, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove to a plate and reserve.
• Preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat.
• For the pizzas: Portion the dough into six golf-ball-size pieces. Dust a work surface with flour and roll each piece of dough into a rectangle (or whatever shape you like). Brush the tops of each piece with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and toss on the grill, oil-side down. Cook until the bottoms are an even golden brown, about 3 minutes. (The tops will also start bubbling up with air pockets.) Flip over and grill until golden brown on the other side and just firm, about a minute or so. Remove to a baking sheet.
• Top the pizzas with the fontina, mushrooms, Parmigiano-Reggiano, dollops of goat cheese, crushed red pepper flakes and salt and pepper. Bake in the oven until the cheese is melted, 3 to 4 minutes. Top with the parsley pesto and garnish with a few more torn basil leaves.
• In a small bowl, add 1/2 cup warm water (if the water is too hot the yeast will die and if the water is too cold the yeast will not activate). Add the dry yeast and sugar, stir to combine and let sit for 15 minutes. The top of the water will bubble and it will smell very yeasty; this is what you want.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt. Make a well in the center of the flour and add the olive oil and the yeast/water mixture. Using a fork, gradually stir the flour into the yeast/water mix. Once most of the flour has combined, turn the dough out to a smooth, clean work surface dusted with flour and use your hands to knead the dough to a smooth consistency.
• Lightly coat the mixing bowl with oil, return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size, at least 1 hour.
• When the dough is ready, portion it into six golf-ball-size pieces. (If you're not using the dough right away, wrap each ball individually in plastic and refrigerate until ready to use.) Dust a work surface with flour and roll each piece of dough into a rectangle (or whatever shape you like; I like irregular shapes). Top the pizzas as desired.

MIXED MUSHROOM AND FONTINA PIZZA

Steps:

• To make the dough, place 1/4 cup of the warm water in a small bowl. Stir in the sugar until dissolved, then sprinkle the yeast onto the surface of the water. Let the yeast sit undisturbed for 1 minute, then stir it into the water until blended. Let the yeast "proof" for 10 minutes; it should become bubbly because of the presence of sugar. If it doesn=t bubble, it is outdated and inactive.
• Pour the yeast mixture into a large bowl. Mix in the remaining cup of water, the olive oil, and salt. Add the flour and semolina and stir with a wooden spoon until a ball of dough forms. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead 10 minutes, flouring the work surface as necessary to prevent the dough from sticking.
• Lightly oil a large ceramic or glass bowl. Place the dough inside, then flip it over so the oiled side is on top. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm place to rise until double in bulk, about 11 1/2 hours.
• Meanwhile make the topping. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the onions. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are golden brown all over, about 20 minutes. Mix in the mushrooms and cook until they are brown and juicy, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and season the mushrooms with the thyme, salt, and pepper.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. If you are using a pizza stone heat it at least 45 minutes before cooking the pizza on it.
• Punch down the dough and dump it onto your work surface. Divide it into 3. Lightly flour the work surface, then with a rolling pin, roll one portion of the dough into an 11inch circle. If you are using a pizza stone, then sprinkle some cornmeal onto a pizza peel and place the disk of dough on it; otherwise, lightly grease a baking sheet and place the dough on that.
• Spread 1/3 of the sour cream all over the dough. Sprinkle on 1/3 of the fontina cheese, then scatter 1/3 of the mushroom mixture all over the pizza. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown underneath. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

WILD MUSHROOMS AND FONTINA PIZZA

Steps:

• Thirty to sixty minutes before ready to bake the pizzas, place a baking stone on a rack in the lowest level of the oven; turn on oven to maximum temperature, 500°.
• Wipe mushrooms clean with damp paper towel; discard stems of shiitake mushrooms; cut mushrooms into thin slices.
• In a big pan, heat the oil with the garlic over medium heat; add in the mushrooms, thyme, salt, and pepper to taste; cook, stirring often.
• When the mushrooms liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms are browned, add the parsley; let cool.
• Place pizza dough on a floured surface; Using your fingers, stretch and flatten dough out into a 12-inch circle.
• Dust a pizza peel with flour; place dough on the peel, shaking it once or twice to make sure it does not stick-if it does, lift the dough and dust the peel with more flour.
• Spread the cheese slices over the dough leaving a ½ inch border all around; top with the mushrooms.
• Slide pizza onto prepared baking stone; bake pizza 6-7 minutes or until the edges are puffed and the crust is crisp and golden brown.
• Remove pizza to a cutting board; cut into wedges and serve immediately.

WILD MUSHROOM PIZZA - CARAMELIZED ONIONS, FONTINA, ROSEMARY

Steps:

• *** MAKE DOUGH*** Mix the yeast, salt, sugar and olive oil with the water in a 5-quart bowl or a lidded (not air-tight) food container.
• Mix in the flour without kneading using a spoon, a large capacity food processor (with dough attachment), or a heavy-duty stand mixer (with dough hook). If you're not using a machine, you may need to use wet hands to incorporate the last bit of flour. I use a spoon to combine, then my hands for the last bit of flour.
• Cover (not air-tight) and allow to rest at room temperature until dough rises and collapses (or flattens on top), approximately 2 hours.
• The dough can be used immediately after the initial rise, though it is easier to handle when cold. Refrigerate in a lidded (again, not air-tight) container and use over the next 12 days.
• *** MAKE PIZZA *** Melt 1 tablespoon butter with 1 tablespoons vegetable oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until golden, about 45 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter with 1 teaspoon vegetable oil in another heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, garlic, and shallot. Sauté 4 minutes. Add wine and simmer until almost all liquid is absorbed, stirring frequently, about 13 minutes. Add rosemary; season with salt and pepper.
• Position rack in bottom third of oven. Place a pizza stone on rack. Preheat oven to 500°F at least 30 minutes before baking.
• Instead of kneading this dough, you're going to "cloak" it, which (and this is VERY important), should take no more than 30 seconds for the whole process from grabbing off a hunk of dough to the end of cloaking. This is done after the 2-hour rest. Sprinkle a little flour on the surface of the dough you've made and pull or cut off a grapefruit-sized ball. This will be for one pizza. Sprinkle a bit more flour on the top of that ball and with the entire length of the sides of your thumbs, gently stretch the top surface around to the under part of the ball. Gently! You're not actually tearing the dough, but think of it as lengthening the fibers on the very top surface of the ball by stretching it just a bit.
• Roll out 2 dough disks on lightly floured surface to 10-inch rounds, allowing dough to rest a few minutes if it springs back. Sprinkle 2 pizza peels with cornmeal and transfer 1 dough round to each peel. Lightly brush dough with garlic oil. Sprinkle one with 1/2 cup cheese, and then scatter 2 1/2 tablespoons onions over cheese. Scatter 1/2 cup mushrooms over onions. Sprinkle with salt and repeat for second pizza.
• Position tip of pizza peel at a slightly downward angle to roughly 2/3 of the way across pizza stone. With quick forward jerks and less jerky backward motions, jiggle the pizza from the peel to the stone, then slide peel the remainder of the way out so that the pizza is centered on the stone. Repeat with second pizza and bake for 6 minutes. Rotate pizzas half a turn. Bake until crust is deep brown, about 6 minutes longer, but watch that the crust doesn't burn.
• Using a large spatula or two, carefully transfer pizzas to cutting board. Let rest 1 minute. Slice into wedges and serve.

WILD MUSHROOM SKILLET PIZZA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 500 degrees with rack in lowest position. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots; cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; cook until mushrooms are golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Add wine, bring to a boil, and cook until absorbed, about 1 minute. Add cream and stir to combine. Transfer to a plate, and let cool.
• Working with one piece of dough at a time, gently stretch into a 9-inch circle and place in an 8-inch cast-iron skillet. Brush dough all over with olive oil, and sprinkle with 1-ounce cheese, and one-quarter of the mushrooms. Top with another ounce of cheese. Drizzle with oil, and season with salt and pepper.
• Place skillet in the oven and bake until crust is golden brown, 15 to 16 minutes. Sprinkle with tarragon and cut into wedges. Serve immediately. Repeat process with remaining ingredients.

WILD MUSHROOM PIZZA WITH THYME & FONTINA

Steps:

• 1. Place a pizza stone in oven. Set temp to 400 degrees. Place a square of flatbread dough on pizza peel. If not on parchment paper flour the peel or use corn meal.
• 2. Place the dough in the oven for about 7 minutes. Meanwhile melt the butter in a skillet. Add the shallot and saute about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and mushrooms and saute for 5 minutes.
• 3. Add the wine and thyme. Cook until wine evaporates. Add the heavy cream and cook until the cream is absorbed. Taste and adjust for salt.
• 4. Remove the flatbread from the oven on a pizza peel. Spread the white sauce on the flatbread. Top with onion mixture then top with cheese. Place back on pizza stone.
• 5. Bake 7 minutes. Remove from oven with pizza peel. Top with pea shoots.

WILD MUSHROOM PIZZA

Steps:

• Char bell peppers over gas flame or in broiler until blackened on all sides. Enclose in paper bag; let stand 10 minutes. Peel, seed and thinly slice peppers.
• Preheat oven to 450°F. Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and rosemary. Cover skillet and cook until mushrooms are just tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Uncover and simmer until any juices evaporate. Season with salt and pepper.
• Place crust on baking sheet. Top with cheese, onion, peppers and mushrooms. Bake pizza until heated through and cheese melts, about 15 minutes.