Shiitake Mushroom Pizza Recipes

Steps:

• Heat grapeseed oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Place a pizza stone (available at most kitchen-supply stores) on floor of a gas oven (remove racks) or bottom rack of electric oven. Preheat oven to at least 500 degrees for 1 hour.
• Shape dough into a round. Holding top edge of dough round in both hands, let bottom edge touch work surface. Carefully move hands around edge to form a circle, as if turning a wheel. Hold dough on back of your hand, letting its weight stretch it into a 12-inch round. Transfer dough to a pizza peel (or an inverted baking sheet) lightly dusted with semolina flour. Press out edges using your fingers. Jerk peel; if dough sticks, lift, and dust more flour underneath.
• Drizzle olive oil over dough, leaving a 1-inch border. Arrange cheeses evenly over olive oil. Top with cooked mushrooms and thyme leaves; season with salt and pepper.
• Heat oven to broil. Align edge of peel with edge of stone. Tilt peel, jerking it gently to move pizza. When edge of pizza touches stone, quickly pull back peel to transfer pizza to stone. (Do not move pizza.) Broil until crust begins to bubble, 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce temperature to 500 degrees, and bake until crust is crisp and golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes more. (If not using broiler, bake pizza for 10 to 15 minutes total.) Remove pizza from oven using peel; drizzle with additional olive oil, if desired. Slice and serve.

Steps:

• Roll out pizza dough (basic dough recipe) and and spread garlic flavored olive oil across shell. Melt butter and saute garlic. Add sherry, lemon juice and mushrooms and saute until soft. Spread on pizza shell. Add caramelized onions, sharp cheddar cheese, parmesan cheese and chopped chives. Drizzle with truffle oil. Bake until bottom browns and add mozzarella cheese a few minutes before removing from the oven.

Steps:

• In a large bowl stir together water and yeast and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour and salt and blend until mixture forms a dough, adding additional tablespoon water if too dry. On a lightly floured surface knead dough about 10 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. (Alternatively, dough may be made in a standing electric mixer. In bowl of mixture make dough as described above. With dough hook knead dough about 5 minutes, or until smooth and elastic.)
• Put dough in a very lightly oiled deep bowl, turning to coat, and let rise, covered loosely, in a warm place 1 1/2 hours, or until doubled in bulk. Punch dough and divide into 4 equal pieces. Dough keeps, each piece put in a small, sealable plastic bag and sealed, pressing out excess air, chilled overnight or frozen 2 weeks. If dough is frozen, thaw overnight in refrigerator before using. Makes enough dough for four 12 by 6-inch oval pizzas.
• Preheat the oven to 500°F.
• In a large heavy non-stick skillet heat oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and sauté mushrooms and garlic with Sherry, lemon juice, and salt to taste 10 minutes, or until liquid is evaporated. Cool mixture slightly. Mushroom mixture may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.
• On a work surface sprinkled with 1 teaspoon cornmeal roll out 1 piece of dough into a 12 by 6-inch oval and transfer to a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining cornmeal and dough, ending up with 2 ovals on each of 2 baking sheets.
• Stir parsley and Gruyère into mushroom mixture and spread evenly on dough ovals, leaving a 1/2-inch border around edge of each pizza.
• Bake pizzas in lower and middle thirds of oven 15 minutes, or until crusts are crisp and pale golden.