Tag: Pizza

Pizza with Morel Mushrooms and Green Onions

A few of my favorite signs of spring are the incredible vegetables that pop up early to remind us of the rich bounty of produce that is heading our way. This list includes asparagus (yes!), peas (nothing like ‘em), greens of all varieties, and for those fortunate to live near cool, damp forests, morel mushrooms.

For those of us who live in the high desert, the morel mushroom is a bit of unicorn, amazing to behold but rarely seen in person. But, this year, through a unicorn trick of her own, my friend Rachael, who lives in Missoula, Montana had a banner year foraging the forests and brought home sixteen pounds (!) of these woodsy gems.

That alone is amazing but she generously shared her haul with me. Isn’t that incredible? I was beside myself when she sent them to me. I have eaten morel mushrooms in restaurants before but I’d never worked with them before. So, once I opened up the package, I rolled up my sleeves and got to work researching how to store and looking for inspiration on how to prepare them.

How Morel Mushrooms Grow

<In your best Elmer Fudd voice> ‘Be very, very quiet, I am hunting morel mushrooms…’

Typically, Friday nights are not the most productive nights in my kitchen. I am usually tired and likely to be in the mood to put my feet up and enjoy a glass of wine. But, the allure of these mushrooms was just too great. I decided that pizza would be the perfect vehicle for these meaty mushrooms. If you can’t find morels you can substitute any other mushrooms in their place.

Turns out that they are easy to work with so if you happen to spot some at your local farmers’ market, grab them. I cut the stem ends off, split them down the middle vertically and gave them a good rinse. They are pretty dirty because they were plucked from the dirt in the forest. Hey-o! Keep in mind, you don’t want to rinse or wash them until you are ready to use them.

How to Make Morel Mushroom and Green Onion Pizza

I sautéed the mushrooms for a few minutes in a little butter and olive oil with pieces of green onions (red or yellow onions would work too). Then, I removed the veggies from heat and rolled out the pizza dough. Note: you can make your own dough from scratch if you are feeling inspired but I like to keep a few packages of Trader Joe’s pizza dough in the freezer at all times.

Roll out the dough into a thin circle and drizzle a little olive oil over the top. Spread the oil around the dough evenly. I also like to sprinkle some salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes over the dough. Then, top with shredded mozzarella, the sautéed morel mushrooms and green onions.

Pop the pizza in the oven for 15 minutes. Take the pizza out of the oven and carefully crack a raw egg into the center of the pizza. I cracked the egg into a small ramekin first to make the process easier (and in case I needed to pick out any egg shell fragments). Cook five more minutes. Take pizza out of the oven and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and chopped basil. When you cut into the pizza, the egg yolk breaks and becomes a rich, creamy sauce for the pizza.

The pizza was delicious and special thanks to Rachael for her generosity. I had a ball playing with the mushrooms.

Smoked Mozzarella Lemon Pizza

If you keep pizza dough in your freezer (you do keep pizza dough in your freezer, right?), then weeknight dinners are a breeze. All you need is sauce, a few vegetables, and cheese and you are good to go.

A few years back I found a recipe on a blog for smoked mozzarella pizza with lemon. The recipe and picture caught my eye because the lemon was sliced into paper thin rounds and used as a topping. Lemon rinds? Can you eat them? Would you want to?

Since I am always game to try new things, I made the recipe and fell in love with it! Since then I have realized that thinly sliced lemon on a salmon sushi roll is also delicious. But, this post is about pizza and over the years I have riffed variations of the original pizza based on whatever is in season or in my refrigerator.

This time around I had spinach that I needed to use and the end of a bag of pistachios. I find smoked mozzarella at Trader Joe’s. If you don’t have a Trader Joe’s near you, ask at your local grocery store. Smoked mozzarella can sometimes be challenging to find. You can use fresh mozzarella in a pinch if you can’t get your hands on the smoked variety.

Pizza Dough

I take the pizza dough out of the freezer the morning I plan to make pizza. The dough will be thawed by dinner time. A few tips on pizza dough. Many grocery stores stock fresh pizza dough in their refrigerated aisles. I particularly like Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. You can also hit the freezer section and get bread dough (like Rhodes) and keep that on hand. If you have some time on the weekend, you can make a delicious no-knead pizza dough and use it for this recipe or place it in the freezer for future use.

I also love making pizza on a pizza stone. You put the pizza stone in the oven as you start to preheat the oven. Once the oven comes to temperature, then set a timer for at least fifteen minutes and let the stone get nice and hot.

I roll the dough out on a parchment paper-lined pizza peel. Roll the dough out thin if you want to achieve a crispy crust. Then, drizzle the crust with olive oil and spread it around with your fingertips until there is even layer over the surface of the dough. Sprinkle salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes over the top of the dough.

Next, place slices of smoked mozzarella on top of the dough, followed by lemon slices (rind and all). My sweetie doesn’t love the lemon rind so I do cut the rind off half the lemon slices and put those pieces of lemon on his side of the pizza.

Finally, place spinach leaves over the top and sprinkle with the pistachios. Slide the pizza and parchment onto the pizza stone and let the magic begin.

I usually check the pizza halfway through cooking time and rotate the pizza 180 degrees to ensure even baking.

Let me know if you try this unusual but delicious pizza!

This recipe is inspired Alexandra Cooks recipe for Pizza with Lemon Smoked Mozzarella and Basil

Peach, Zucchini, and Basil Pizza

By Diane Hartford

On August 27, 2016

In Food

Peach, zucchini, and basil pizza Is there anything better than eating a peach on a hot summer day? During August I cannot drive by a fruit stand without veering off the road to pick up a few peaches. When I get home with an armload of them all I can think about is how to work peaches into every meal.

Bowl of peaches

Cutting up peaches for breakfast is a no-brainer. For lunch I will toss sliced peaches into a salad of greens and grains. When it came time for dinner though, I couldn’t resist incorporating peaches into a savory pizza. I had a small zucchini from the garden, tons of basil, and fresh mozzarella which adds creamy contrast to the freshness of the summer produce. The balsamic reduction adds a nice tang to the cooked pizza.

If you buy the pizza dough this dinner will come together in no time and is perfect for a weeknight dinner.

Peach, Zucchini, and Basil Pizza

1 lb. of pizza dough, homemade or store-bought

2 tsp olive oil

Dash of salt

1 small to medium zucchini, sliced into 1/8” rounds

2 peaches, thinly sliced

3 oz. of fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

½ cup balsamic vinegar

¼ cup fresh basil, leaves rolled up and thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Place a pizza stone in oven while the oven preheats. You can also bake pizza on a baking sheet rather than on a pizza stone but spray baking sheet with cooking spray before cooking.

Divide dough into two pieces. Place a sheet of parchment paper on a pizza peel and then sprinkle with flour. Roll dough out so the crust is thin. Sprinkle 1 tsp of olive oil over crust and spread oil around using your fingers or a pastry brush. Sprinkle dough with a dash of salt. Place half of each of the zucchini rounds, peach slices, and cheese on the pizza.

Transfer pizza to pizza stone or baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. While the pizza bakes place balsamic vinegar is a small saucepan on medium heat and cook down until it reduces and thickens. Remove from heat and let cool. Rotate pizza and cook for another 5 minutes or until the crust is golden and crispy and cheese is bubbly. Remove pizza from oven.

Repeat steps with the other half of the dough and remaining ingredients and place in oven to bake when the first pizza comes out of the oven.

Once the pizza is out of the oven drizzle half of the balsamic vinegar reduction and basil over the top of the pizza. Cut into wedges or squares and serve.

Serves 2-4

peach and zucchini pizza