Monday, July 30, 2012

Cremini Mushroom White Pizza


Do you have a garden? Is it overflowing? Ours is producing like crazy right now. I've pinched back the basil and made pesto. I've roasted, sauteed, and steamed zucchini and yellow squash.




All these lovely Roma tomatoes went into a simple sauce that went into the freezer for the winter.




Now a reasonable person might have used some of this fresh tomato sauce to make a pizza.




But if there's one thing I look forward to every summer, it's white pizza. I've blogged about it before, but this mushroom and onion pizza was so good that I had to share. I'll be making it again and again! It's very simple, but the mushroom flavor is so wonderful with the garlicky pesto. Oh, yum!

I use pesto as the base on my white pizza. I'll include my recipe here, but feel free to use a store brand. While I should have made my own pizza crust, I have to admit that I love the convenience of a ready made crust. (Shh, don't tell Natasha!)

Now, in the recipe, I'm going to say to follow the instructions on your crust, but I've discovered a little trick. My preferred brand says to prepare the pizza and bake it for 8 - 12 minutes. I've finally wised up. I put the pizza base in the oven plain (nothing on it at all) for about eight minutes. Then I put our toppings on it and bake it for another 10 minutes. What a difference! Such a nice crisp crust.

I used my favorite white goat Gouda, Cablanca, but our resident cheese expert, Avery Aames, tells me that Havarti or San Simon are great alternatives.


WALNUT PESTO

3 tablespoons walnuts
2 cups fresh basil leaves
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Chop the walnuts in a small food processor.  Add the basil leaves and garlic and pulse.  Slowly add the olive oil in a stream while pulsing or add in small amounts and pulse in between.  Add the parmesan cheese and pulse.  Add salt and pepper to taste and pulse one last time.


Cremini Mushroom White Pizza 

1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 medium onion
1 8-ounce package Cremini mushrooms
1 pizza crust
walnut pesto 
1 - 1 1/2 cups low-fat mozzarella, shredded
1 cup Cablanca or Havarti or San Simon, shredded

Preheat the oven to 425 (or follow the instructions for your pizza crust -- read above regarding pre-baking the crust).

Slice the onions into rings. Heat the oil and saute the onions. Meanwhile slice the mushrooms. Add them to the onions.

Spread pesto over the pizza crust. Top with mushroom and onions. Sprinkle mozzarella over the pizza, then add the Cablanca.

Bake 10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the pizza bubbles ever so slightly.

What's your favorite? White pizza or tomato sauce pizza? Deep dish or thin crust?




5 comments:

  1. Wow, Krista, everything in one dish that I cannot have. LOL! But I have friends who are going to ADORE THIS RECIPE. Love the addition of Havarti.
    Say cheese!

    ~Avery aka Daryl

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  2. Avery, I will make and eat some of this incredible-looking pizza in your honor. No need to thank me!

    This looks simply, incredibly, perfect. Where has it been all my life? I too vastly prefer white pizza...and cremini mushrooms... and pesto made with walnuts. My basils have been suffering from the heat, but there's enough to make one good batch of pesto, and I can think of no better use for it than this pizza!

    Wonderful, Krista. Thank you.

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  3. Now I know what we are having got dinner.Thanks, Krista
    Reid

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  4. Oh this sounds absolutely heavenly but I am with you Avery, I can't eat it unless I omit the onions and the garlic and I am sure that will greatly diminish the taste :-( I detest not being able to eat so many foods that I love thanks to developing GERD, especially this time of year when growers are selling garden fresh tomatoes (one of my favorites that I can no longer eat).

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  5. I love both red and white pizzas and eat whatever catches my fancy. I first discovered a white pizza in Texas-the way I had it then is how I like it now-white pizza with jalapenos dipped in ranch dressing. Yummmm. As for a red pizza-I prefer a plain cheese and pepperoni with a relatively thin crust (definitely not deep dish). I also don't like a lot of sauce. Growing up in WNY and living there now I've had lots of pizza and wings-while there are all sorts of varieties out there-I most prefer the standards although periodically I'll try something new.

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