Mushroom Pesto Pizza

Ever since I was a little girl, Friday night has been pizza night. My mom used to make batches of homemade pizza dough, freeze them and have enough for a month's worth of "pizza Fridays". When I was younger, the pizzas were pretty traditional. Cheese, pepperoni or simple veggies with tomato sauce. Nowadays though, I like to shake it up. I've made countless different varieties of pizza. Sometimes I really think I should open a gourmet pizzeria. One day perhaps....
Anyway, I digress. Before I open up that pizzeria I would probably need to perfect a pizza dough recipe. Details!!
Currently, I buy the balls of pizza dough available in my local grocery store. All I have to do is let them rise for a few hours before baking so it makes the process of homemade pizza that much faster and easier. On top of that, the store-made dough makes a very good, crunchy tasty crust.

I always use the same technique for my pizzas. I grill the pizza dough over the grill. I start it out on a well-oiled jelly roll pan and then once it has been stretched thin and its shape has set I transfer it directly onto the grill grates. Once my dough has baked up to a nice, golden brown with beautiful grill marks, I remove it and place all my prepared toppings on. Then I put it under the broiler to melt the cheese and bring everything to an ooey gooey finish. I find this method ensures that I'll get a crunchy, crispy crust. I hate soggy or limp pizza crust so I crisp it up first and then place my toppings on. Works every time!

This past Friday I took my inspiration from a recent post on Annie's Eats for a Fontina Mushroom Pizza. A mushroom pesto is used as a base and topped with fontina, Parmesan and sliced mushrooms. I added a few twists for our pizza and it turned out delicious. The mushroom pesto really makes this pizza combo unique. The result is a hearty and savory pie. Here is my version. Enjoy!!

Mushroom Pesto Pizza
Adapted from Annie's Eats


1 recipe for pizza dough, or 1 ball of pizza dough

Bake or grill your dough in a well-oiled pan or hot oven. Once baked, set aside until your toppings are ready.

For the Pesto:
I package of baby bella mushrooms, sliced and sauteed till tender
1/3 cup dried porcini mushrooms, reconstituted in warm water
1-2 tb fresh thyme
2 tb fresh chopped Italian parsley
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tb grated pecorino romano
1/2 cup olive oil

Place all the ingredients, except for the olive oil, into the bowl of your food processor. Pulse to chop. Once slightly combined, stream in your olive oil to create a thick pate-like mixture. Once fully combined, remove the mixture to a bowl and set aside.

Pizza Toppings:
1 sweet onion, sliced thin
3 tb olive oil
1 tb balsamic vinegar
1 package of baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1 bag of fresh baby spinach
2 cups fontina cheese, grated
6 thin slices of prosciutto

Preheat oven to 350. Arrange your thinly sliced prosciutto on a baking sheet in a single layer. Place in your hot oven and cook until crispy, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, and when it is cool, crumble your prosciutto and set aside.
Over a medium flame, add your thinly sliced onion to a pan with 2 tb of your olive oil. Saute until the onions are caramelized, about 20 minutes. Once softened, add in your balsamic vinegar and cook another 3-5 minutes until the vinegar has thickened and coated the onions. Remove from the heat and set aside. Wipe our your pan, and you can add your sliced mushrooms and the rest of your olive oil. Saute until tender and remove from the pan. Be sure to drain any excess liquid that may result from sauteing the mushrooms. You don't want to add that to your pizza because it will make it soggy.
Finally, steam your spinach until wilted slightly. Once cooked, squeeze out the excess water over a colander and set aside. Now you are ready to top your prepared pizza crust.
Preheat your broiler.
Lay your crust on the original pan you used to cook it in (I use a jelly roll pan so my pizzas always come out rectangular).
First- spread a nice layer of your mushroom pesto down over your crust.
Next - top with your sauteed balsamic onions.
Then place your steamed spinach evenly over the onions.
Now top with your crumbled crispy prosciutto.
Then evenly top with your grated fontina cheese.
Finally, add your sauteed mushrooms to the very top of the pizza.
Place in your broiler to melt the cheese and bring all your toppings together - about 5 minutes, depending on how hot your broiler is. Keep an eye on it because you don't want your pizza to burn!! Remove and serve with crushed red pepper and your favorite grated Parmesan or Romano cheese.

Broccoli Rabe, Bacon and Scallop Pizza

"Oh baby!" Those were the exact words of my mother when she bit into this pizza. Do yourself a favor and go make this pizza now. It's so delicious. The flavors go together so well - tender scallops, garlicky broccoli rabe, sweet tomatoes, sauteed onions, crisp, salty bacon and gooey fontina cheese. I mean how can you go wrong? The inspiration for this pizza came from some leftover scallops. I had a craving for broccoli rabe and fortunately the grocery store was brimming with lush, full bouquets of this bitter, leafy green.

I thought about how I could combine all these flavors in a unique way. This pizza came to mind and I'm so glad it did. It was delicious! I'll definitely be putting this pizza in a monthly rotation of meals. It's great for summer, fall, winter and spring too!
It's a bit labor intensive - I mean we're not just slapping marinara, cheese and pepperoni on some dough here. You have to do a lot of prep work to get the toppings ready, but believe me it's worth all the work. It is so yummy with a nice, cold glass of Pinot Grigio. Grill it or bake it, whatever you prefer. Just make it. You'll be glad you did! Enjoy!

Broccoli Rabe, Bacon and Scallop Pizza

1 bunch of broccoli rabe
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil plus two tablespoons
8 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
2 cups fontina cheese, shredded
4 large scallops cooked
5 Campari tomatoes, sliced
1/2 vidalia onion
1 raw pizza dough

First, prepare your broccoli rabe. Trim the stalks from the broccoli rabe so that you just have the leafy tops. Rinse and drain and set aside. Fill a large pot with 1 inch of water and set to boil on the stove. Once boiling, throw in the broccoli rabe and reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Once done, drain the broccoli rabe and set aside.
In a small skillet, place your 1/4 cup olive oil along with your minced garlic. Saute until the garlic is softened and then add your cooked broccoli rabe. Saute for two more minutes and then remove from the pan and set aside.

In the same pan, heat two tablespoons of olive oil. Slice your onion thinly and then add to the pan. Saute until softened, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat.
Grill or bake your pizza dough according to directions. I buy the raw balls of dough at my grocery store and then grill it on a rimmed baking sheet or pizza pan on the hot grill. I stretch the dough out in the pan while it sits over a hot grill. As the dough starts to cook it takes on the shape of the pan. I close the lid, let it cook up on one side and then flip the dough onto the grill coals to parbake it on the other side. I remove the cooked pizza crust from the grill, return it to the baking sheet or pizza pan and start adding your toppings.
Drizzle the crust with olive oil and then ararnge your sliced tomatoes evenly over the crust. Next distribute your broccoli rabe and sauteed onions evenly over the dough. Next, slice your cooked scallops into discs and arrange evenly over the pizza. Finally top with your fontina cheese and then sprinkle over your crumbled bacon. Bake on 350 until the cheese is melted - or you can return it to the hot grill to melt the cheese.
Serve warm with grated cheese and crushed red pepper.

Fig and Prosciutto Flatbread

Figs seem to be very "en vogue" lately. They are popping up on blogs everywhere. Fig jam, fig tortes, fig cookies - the possibilities and blog entries are endless. I'm sure you've seen many versions of a fig and prosciutto pizza or flatbread before, but this is my take on the classic pairing. For one, I'm not a big fan of fresh figs. The slimy consistency of the center, along with the texture of the outside just doesn't sit well for me. I don't know if I just haven't had good fresh figs, or if I just really don't like them. To me, dried figs have more flavor, a nice, chewy texture and a no-fail ripe, sweet taste that I can depend on.

Fresh figs are more of a gamble. So for my pizza I combine dried figs, caramelized onions with balsamic and fresh rosemary, crisp prosciutto, crumbled gorgonzola and garlic oil. I've made this pizza for a few different crowds and, I don't mean to brag...but I've been told by several of them that it's THE BEST pizza they've EVER tasted. (Yes I know how obnoxious that statement sounds.)

Oh and I call it flatbread because its square. To me, flatbread is square, pizza is round. And flatbread sounds...hmmm sexier. Like something from a gourmet restaurant perhaps? I know, can I get anymore pretentious with this pizza or what? Anyway, hope you enjoy my version of this figgy favorite!

Fig and Prosciutto Flatbread


1 portion pizza dough, grilled or baked (I buy the pre-made bags of raw dough at my grocery store)
1/2 large sweet onion, sliced
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon rosemary
dash of salt
1/4 cup olive oil plus 2 tablespoons
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 thin slices of prosciutto
1 bag dried black mission figs, chopped (usually 6-8 oz bag)
1 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese

Preheat oven to 350. Lay your prosciutto out in a single layer onto a baking sheet. Crisp in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Remove and set aside.
Grill or bake your pizza dough according to directions. I buy the raw balls of dough at my grocery store and then grill it on a rimmed baking sheet on the hot grill. I stretch the dough out in the pan while it sits over a hot grill. As the dough starts to cook it takes on the square shape of the pan. I close the lid, let it cook up on one side and then flip the dough onto the grill coals to parbake it on the other side. I remove the cooked pizza crust from the grill, return it to the my baking sheet and set it aside.
Meanwhile, I start preparing my other toppings. In a small skillet, I heat two tablespoons of olive oil. Add your sliced onions and cook over medium heat until slightly softened. Add your balsamic vinegar and rosemary and cook until the vinegar has thickened slightly. Season lightly with salt and once the onions are caramelized and cooked down. Remove the onions from the skillet to a plate and set aside.
Rinse and wipe out your skillet. Add your remaining 1/4 cup of olive and your minced garlic. Cook over low heat until the garlic is softened. You'll use this garlic oil as the sauce.
Now you're ready to assemble your pizza. First brush the crust with half of your garlic oil. Top evenly with your caramelized balsamic onions, then chopped figs, then crumble your prosciutto onto the pizza. Finally top with your crumbled gorgonzola. Return the pizza to a hot grill or put back into your preheated 350 degree oven and cook until the gorgonzola has melted.
Serve hot.

Clams "Casino" Pizza

Why can I not just make a simple pepperoni pizza? These homemade pizzas are certainly not "fast food" by any means - and I'm not even making homemade pizza dough!!! This idea came to me after seeing a Clams Casino Spaghetti on the menu of one of my favorite Italian restaurants in Bethany Beach, DE. I thought about it and said to myself, "Why can't we put those same toppings on a pizza?" So, I did. With a little twist of course.

The reason I have the word casino in quotes is because it has a few more elements than the traditional clams casino, but the name was catchy, succinct and, well, close enough to the original dish.
I steamed some clams, roasted some tomatoes, roasted some garlic, crisped up some prosciutto and grated some fontina and two hours later (haha) I had a pizza. I know it sounds labor intensive, but it was worth it.

This pizza is brimming with fresh, chopped clams, juicy, smoky tomatoes and topped with a roasted garlic cream sauce. You could easily just make a garlic oil too if you aren't into creamy sauces. Either way, if you like the flavors of clams casino, then I think you'll like this pizza. Enjoy!

Clams "Casino" Pizza


1 bag of pizza dough
2 dozen clams
1 pint of grape tomatoes
3 tb extra virgin olive oil
1 head of garlic
1/2 tsp garlic powder
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup grated romano cheese
5 slices of thinly sliced prosciutto
1 cup of grated Italian Fontina cheese
a handful of fresh basil, chopped
salt and pepper

To start, steam your clams until they open up. Once open, remove the clams from their shells, clean out any sand, and then chop. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350. You will be crisping up your prosciutto, roasting your tomatoes and roasting your garlic in the oven and can do it all on separate racks at the same time.
Place your prosciutto on a baking sheet and cook in the oven until crispy, 15-20 minutes. Remove and crunch up into pieces. Set aside.
In the same oven you can roast your grape tomatoes. Toss them with 2 tablespoons olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast until softened, about 25-30 minutes. Remove and set aside.
For the garlic, slice off the top of a whole bulb of garlic. Rub with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and place in a small baking dish. Pour water into the dish so it covers to about 1/4 way up the side of the bulb. Cover with foil. Roast in the oven for 45 minutes until the bulb is golden and soft. Once done, remove from the oven, let cool and then squeeze the pulp out from the bulb.

To make the cream sauce:
Mash your roasted garlic into a paste. In a small saucepan, whisk together your garlic paste, garlic powder and heavy cream until combined. Let the cream mixture come to a simmer and then reduce the heat. Mix in your grated romano cheese and season with salt and pepper. Once thickened, remove from the heat.

Prepare your pizza dough. You can either parbake it in a 350 oven or on a hot, oiled pan over the grill. Once the pizza dough has cooked up, remove from the heat and start to assemble your toppings. You want to cook the raw pizza dough first, then top it and then just heat and melt the cheese in a hot oven or over a hot grill.

First, spread half of your roasted garlic cream sauce over the crust of the pizza. Top evenly with your chopped clams, roasted tomatoes and crisped prosciutto. Finally, top with your grated fontina cheese. Drizzle with the rest of your cream sauce. Place the pizza back in the 350 oven and cook until your cheese has melted. Remove and top with chopped fresh basil. Slice and serve.

Pizza Gabriella

Ok so this name may be a bit cheesy, I know. Yes I've become that parent. I've already named something after my daughter. But I have good reason! I've made this pizza twice in the last week and a half, due to a request by my husband. It's his new favorite. Kind of like our daughter...seeing the connection?? I figured since it was so delicious and so loved by my husband, what else would I call it? It just seemed like a natural fit.

This pie marries grilled eggplant with fresh tomatoes, shredded fontina cheese, crispy prosciutto and fresh basil. The inspiration for this pizza came from two perfect eggplants I bought at the market last week. I knew I wanted to grill the eggplant and figured building a pizza around it was a pretty good start. I had some fontina in the fridge along with a container of sweet little cherry tomatoes. And because my husband has a hard time swallowing meatless meals (I know, I know) I had to add some crispy prosciutto to the mix.

What you're left with is a hearty pizza pie with tons of fresh flavor. If it's nice outside you can practically cook this whole meal on the grill! Just cook the prosciutto on low flame because it will burn easily. Hope you enjoy our Pizza Gabriella - oh and feel free to rename it after your favorite person :) Enjoy!

Pizza Gabriella


3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup olive oil plus 5 tablespoons
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 eggplant, sliced into rounds that are 1/4 to 1/2 in thick
1 pint of cherry tomatoes or Campari tomatoes, sliced
5 thin slices of prosciutto
1 1/2 cups fontina cheese, grated
1 Boboli pizza crust, or your favorite pizza crust or dough
8 basil leaves, chiffonaded
grated Romano cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a sheet pan, lay out your prosciutto slices and crisp up in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes. Once crisp, remove from oven. When they are cool you can chop or crumble the slices up so you can sprinkle them over your pizza when assembling.
In a small saute pan, heat up the 1/4 cup of olive oil and add in your chopped garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook over medium to medium low heat until the garlic has softened. Once the garlic is tender, remove from the heat and set aside.
Spread your eggplant rounds out and brush each side with olive oil and then sprinkle with salt and pepper. In a grill pan or over a hot grill, place your eggplant rounds and cook about 3 minutes on each side until slightly softened and singed with grill marks. Remove from grill and set aside.
Preheat oven to 425 if using Boboli.
Now you're ready to assemble your pie. Place your crust on a pizza pan (if you're using a raw pizza dough I would suggest cooking it first, either over a hot grill or in the oven, then assembling your pizza toppings and then cook it on 350 degrees). Take your garlic pepper oil and brush it generously all over the crust, making sure to get lots of garlic and pepper bits on the crust. Next top evenly with your slices of tomatoes. Next top with your slices of grilled eggplant, spreading them evenly over the tomatoes. Next sprinkle your crumbled prosciutto over the pizza and then top with your grated fontina cheese. Bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Remove from the oven and top with shredded basil and a sprinkle of Romano cheese.

Rustic Pizza Bianca

Ok I might have added the "rustic" bit - only because I needed some reason to make my misshapen pizza sound more legit. Therefore, it's not oddly shaped, it's...wait for it...rustic. I'm just not very good at getting the dough to make a perfect circle, what can I say? Oh well. Anyway, I made this yummy pizzeria-style pizza for dinner one night this week and it was simple, full of garlic flavor and hit the spot just right. The baking method outlined in this recipe really ensures a crisp crust without burning the fresh cheese topping. It has you preheat the pizza pan and then bake the crust first without the cheese and then add the cheese and place it back in the oven to melt the cheese. I found this genius because I have burnt fresh mozzarella on the top of a pizza many a time, trying to get the crust underneath crispier. I'll remember this method next time I'm using fresh mozzarella.
By the way, please excuse my awful photos. One of the bulbs for my lightbox lights has burnt out and it gets dark out way before we eat dinner in these parts so I'm left with poor lighting situations on a cold winter's night. Very annoying.
But back to the pizza! I found the recipe in an old (we're talking January 2009) issue of Gourmet Magazine. I have made white pizzas before from my own recipe, but I just thought I'd try theirs and see how it measured up. This white pizza gets it's flavor from a garlic and olive oil base that is topped with fresh mozzarella and chopped rosemary. It really thrives on the simple pairing of flavors.
I served it with a Caesar Salad recipe from Annie's Eats .

This was a creamy Caesar dressing, whereas I think I prefer the oil-based Caesars. I topped my salad with pecan-raisin bread croutons, which added a nice, sweet note to the savory dressing. I had this in a restaurant once and really liked the contrast of tastes. Overall, the dressing was pretty good, but I think in the future I'll stick with the traditional Caesar salad dressings without mayonnaise. I always seem to like them better.

Pizza Bianca
Gourmet Magazine


1 large garlic clove (I used 3)
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (I might have used 2 tbsp)
1 lb store-bought pizza dough or make your own
1/2 lb cold fresh mozzarella
1 tbsp rosemary leaves (I used 2-3 tbsp)

Put a large heavy baking sheet on the lowest rack of oven then preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Mince and mash garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt and then stir together with the oil. Roll out dough onto a floured surface with a floured rolling pin. Transfer to a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Lightly prick the dough all over with a fork. Stir garlic mixture and brush evenly over dough. Slide dough from parchment onto hot baking sheet. Bake until the top is puffed and pale golden in patches, 6 to 10 minutes. Prick any large bubbles with a form and flatten. Meanwhile, thinly slice mozzarella and pat dry. Remove crust from oven and arrange the mozzarella on it in 1 layer. Sprinkle the rosemary on the top. Bake until the edge of crust is deep golden and cheese is bubbling and golden in patches, 8 to 10 minutes. Serve with crushed red pepper and grated Parmesan if desired.

BB: White Pizza

I'm actually on time with a Barefoot Bloggers for once!! This has been a rare occurrence lately. I haven't had time to do much cooking this summer. My parents have a beach house so we've been trekking off to it every weekend and have made a lot of quick grilling meals and dinners out. On top of that, I've been doing some freelance work while in town so my evenings are pretty busy after work as well. I'm glad that I got to make this pizza though.

I made a lot of changes however. For one, I used store-bought pizza dough. I just didn't feel like making dough from scratch and the premade doughs in the grocery store now a days are pretty good. I bought a whole wheat dough and rolled it out onto a square pan.
Secondly, I was making this for a small crowd down at our beach house. I didn't think everyone would be a big fan of the whole salad on top of a pizza idea. To be honest, it's not really my thing either. I've had it before in restaurants and I think I prefer to eat my salad in a bowl alongside my pizza.

So I topped it with chopped fresh garden tomatoes, sauteed baby bella mushrooms and sliced soy-sage. Yes you read that right - tofu meat product. One of my friends eating with us was a vegetarian so I figured I'd whip out the fake meat products for her. It was actually pretty good. If sliced thinly, soy-sage crisps up on a pizza similar to pepperoni. Well, maybe not THAT similar, but a good enough substitute.
I also used a handful of fresh oregano instead of thyme in the garlic oil because I have tons of oregano on hand. I think I remember Ina saying in a show once that she doesn't like fresh oregano, but I absolutely love it and it was a great compliment for this pizza. That garlic oil and cheese combo made this pizza out of this world. It was so good! Between the five of us we finished the entire pizza. It was hard to stop eating! Ina hits a home run again and in turn, so did I. Enjoy!

White Pizza with Chopped Tomatoes, Sauteed Mushrooms and Soy-sage
source: adapted from Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa


1 1/4 cups warm (100 to 110) water
2 packages dry yeast
1 tablespoon honey
Good olive oil
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading
Kosher salt
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1/2 cup chopped fresh oregano
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
(Or buy pre-made pizza dough from the refrigerated section of your grocery store. Mine comes in a plastic bag and can easily be grilled or baked.)
For the topping:
3 cups grated Italian fontina cheese (8 ounces)
1 1/2 cups grated fresh mozzarella cheese (7 ounces)
11 ounces creamy goat cheese, such as montrachet, crumbled (I omitted this and substituted freshly grated parmesan cheese)
2 large garden tomatoes, chopped
1 pint of baby bella mushrooms, sauteed
1 to 2 links of soysage, sliced thin
Directions
Mix the dough.

Combine the water, yeast, honey and 3 tablespoons of olive oil in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. When the yeast is dissolved, add 3 cups of flour, then 2 teaspoons salt, and mix on medium-low speed. While mixing, add up to 1 more cup of flour, or just enough to make a soft dough. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes until smooth, sprinkling it with the flour as necessary to keep it from sticking to the bowl.

Knead by hand.

When the dough is ready, turn it out onto a floured board and knead it by hand a dozen times. It should be smooth and elastic.

Let it rise.

Place the dough in a well-oiled bowl and turn it to cover it lightly with oil. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Make garlic oil.

Place 1/2 cup of olive oil, the garlic, a handful of oregano and red pepper flakes in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over low heat. Cook for 10 minutes, making sure the garlic doesn't burn. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. (Be sure your oven is clean!)

Portion the dough.

Dump the dough onto a board and divide it into 6 equal pieces. Place the doughs on sheet pans lined with parchment paper and cover them with a damp towel. Allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes. Use immediately, or refrigerate for up to 4 hours.

Stretch the dough.

Press and stretch each ball into an 8-inch circle and place 2 circles on each sheet pan lined with parchment paper. (If you've chilled the dough, take it out of the refrigerator approximately 30 minutes ahead to let it come to room temperature.)

Top the dough.

Brush the pizzas with the garlic oil, and sprinkle each one liberally with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the pizzas evenly with fontina, mozzarella and other toppings. Drizzle each pizza with 1 tablespoon more of the garlic oil and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until the crusts are crisp and the cheeses begin to brown.

Mushroom Pesto Flatbread with Crumbled Sausage and Grilled Onions

Sorry for the delay in posts - to anyone who is reading this! I just got back from a week vacation in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It's so beautiful there! We had some great food, saw some gorgeous scenery, did some snorkeling, laid on the beach and drank one too many pina coladas! But it was fabulous. Go to Puerto Rico - it's easy to get to, you don't need a passport and they have some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Like seriously, they have the 1st and 3rd ranked "Most Beautiful Beaches" in the world. I'll be sharing pics and reviews soon. Today's post however, is about the delicious flatbread pizza I made the week before we left.
I got the idea for mushroom pesto pizza from Bobby Flay and then added my own twist. Here's what I did...make this! It was so good and filling. And you could obviously use your favorite ready made pizza crust or dough. Whatever floats your boat!
Enjoy!

Mushroom Pesto Flatbread Pizza
Source: Bobby Flay and me

For the Pesto:
1 container of baby bella mushroom caps
1 onion
fresh thyme (about 8 sprigs)
teaspoon of minced garlic
handful of dried porcini mushrooms, reconstituted in warm water, drained and rinsed thoroughly (Make sure to rinse these well as they can harbor a lot of grit)
1/4 cup of toasted pine nuts (I toast them in a small pan over the stove on medium heat. Keep an eye on them cause they burn easily!)
Olive oil (about 1/2 cup)
salt and pepper to taste

Fire up your grill. Spray it with cooking spray and lay the baby bella mushroom caps on the grill. Cook until softened and remove. At the same time you can grill your onions for the pizza topping - just slice one whole onion in rings, rub with olive oil and season with salt and pepper and place them on the grill. Cook until softened and slightly charred and remove. Set aside while you make the pesto.
Once your mushrooms have grilled up nicely, remove them and let them cool.
Meanwhile, in a food processor combine all your other ingredients except the olive oil. Once the mushroom caps are cool throw them in as well.

Pulse gently in the food processor and then while the processor is running slowly drizzle in the olive oil to form a paste. Once you have it to the desired consistency, thick but spreadable - don't add too much oil or it gets runny - remove and set aside in a bowl.

For the pizza:
Mushroom pesto
1 grilled onion (which you prepared above)
1 cup of grated Fosiago cheese (I found this in the grocery store and I'm in love! It's a combo of fontina and asiago so it's creamy and melty with a sharp bite. Delish!)
2 sausage links, removed from casing (I used two chicken sausages)
2 flatbreads or 1 pizza crust

Preheat oven to 375. In a small skillet, brown up your sausage meat. Once done, drain and set aside. If you choose to, you can grill your pizza crust or flatbread to impart a smoky flavor. That's what I did. I just grilled them till crisp, then topping them with the pesto first.

Then laid on the grilled onion rings. Then sprinkled on the sausage crumbles. And finally topped it with a layer of the cheese.

I then threw it in the oven for about 8 to 10 minutes to melt the cheese. Serve and enjoy!
*If you don't want to go through the extra step of grilling your flatbread or pizza crust, then you can just cook it the entire way in the oven. Probably give it about 15 to 20 minutes in the oven, or until desired doneness.*

Chicken Divan Pizza

Yes - that's right, pizza. See...

I'm always wary of saying I came up with this recipe on my own since it seems everything is just a variation of something else. I mean I obviously didn't come up with the Chicken Divan part on my own - I've been eating Chicken Divan ever since my baby brother was born. In fact, I remember the very first time I ever had Chicken Divan. My mother had just given birth to my baby brother via c-section and had to stay over at the hospital for an extra couple of days. Therefore, my father and I were on our own at home, which was probably pretty stressful for my dad since my mom was a homemaker and he worked all the time. He wasn't used to taking care of the daily minutia of a five-year-old ie me, so even small tasks like brushing my hair were difficult. And it didn't help that I was quick to tell him that almost everything he did, including brushing my hair, was done wrong. To me if it wasn't done "mom's way" it was the wrong way. When it came to cooking, the only thing he really knew how to make was pasta and eggs, which seems to be every man's mantra in the kitchen.
Fortunately for us, our very generous neighbors came over armed with numerous casseroles to get my dad and I through those couple of days - and to help my mom out for the first week when she got home with my baby brother. One of those such casseroles was Chicken Divan. It was, in my opinion, the best of the lot. I thought the hamburger casserole was going to be my favorite, but chicken divan easily trumped it. My dad enjoyed it as well so my mom quickly learned how to make it and it became part of her monthly rotation of weeknight classics.
It's a simple dish - baked chicken and broccoli smothered with a creamy curry-scented mushroom sauce. The traditional version uses mayonnaise, cream of mushroom soup, curry powder, lemon juice and cheddar cheese. It's not low-cal by any means, but it sure is tasty.
So while I was trying to decide what to make for dinner the other night, I realized I had all the trappings for the perfect chicken divan. Except for the mushroom soup. Then I thought - what if I put chicken divan on top of a pizza and smothered it with tons of shredded cheddar?? Let me tell you, it was one of the best "lightbulb moments" I've ever had. I lightened up the sauce and went to town. This was literally one of the best specialty pizzas I've ever had.

Not to mention, that it brought me back to my childhood and that particular moment when I was introduced to my baby brother and chicken divan. Enjoy!

Chicken Divan Pizza
source: various Chicken Divan sauce recipes and me

1 Boboli thin crust pizza shell
1 large chicken breast
2 cups of broccoli florets
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese

For the Divan sauce:
3 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup of skim milk
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
juice of half a lemon
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place your chicken breast on a baking sheet, coat with 1 tablespoon of your olive oil, season with salt and pepper and then sprinkle 1 clove of minced garlic down on top of the chicken.
In a separate baking dish, place your broccoli florets. Toss with the remaining olive oil and the other 2 cloves of minced garlic. Season with salt and pepper and place in the oven with your chicken.
Allow the chicken and broccoli to cook for about 35 to 40 minutes until the chicken is cooked through, but not dry.
Remove from the oven and let cool. Once cool, you can slice or shred up your chicken into bite size pieces.
Meanwhile in a small saucepan, melt your butter and then whisk in your flour to form a roux. Allow the butter and flour to cook for about 1 minutes, with constant whisking, over medium low heat. Whisk in your skim milk. Once the mixture begins to thicken, whisk in your curry powder, mustard and lemon juice. Once combined, season with salt and pepper to taste (don't make it too salty because you will get a lot of salt from the cheese and then any Parmesan you top your pizza with). When you have a thick sauce, remove from the heat.
Time to arrange your pizza!
Place your pizza shell on a pizza pan. Pour down the divan sauce to cover the shell, put as little or as much as you want. I like a saucy pizza so I laid it on pretty thick. Next top the sauce with your chicken and broccoli. Finally sprinkle down your shredded cheddar cheese and throw that baby into your still hot 350 degree oven. I like to cook it at 350 for 10 minutes and then bump up the heat to 425 for the last 5to 10 minutes to get a crispness on the cheese and crust. That's just my personal preference though. If you like a softer pizza then cook it on 350 for 15 minutes. Remove, slice and enjoy with crushed red peppers and Parmesan cheese.

My first psuedo Barefoot Bloggers challenge!

I just joined Barefoot Bloggers about a week ago and while I was told I could start with the September recipes, I figured I'd give the optional August recipe a shot. Especially since it was grilled pizzas and I was looking for a casual dinner for me and my friends on our first night at the beach. I figured this would be a perfect fit - that was until I encountered rain on my drive down to the beach. I was afraid these "grilled" pizzas would end up being the regular old oven baked variety. Fortunately though when I arrived in Bethany Beach, the rain miraculously stopped. God must love the smell of grilled pizza too :) hee. So before everyone arrived at the beach house that afternoon, I set to work on Ina's pizza dough.
Now I've had my share of failures with making my own dough. Either my water is too hot and kills the yeast or I don't let it rise in a warm enough spot or I let it rise in too warm of a spot or I knead it too much or not enough. I can't ever seem to get it just right. This time however, either I'm Goldilocks or Ina Garten knows what she's doing. I'm thinking it's the latter.
Despite the ease of the recipe, I still had trouble and made a mess.

First of all for some reason I feel like once I put the warm water in the mixing bowl I need to work fast. Don't want the water to get cold while it waits for the yeast! So I pour the warm water in the bowl and reach for the yeast packets. I figured they would be an easy open - not so. I pulled and twisted, obviously missing the little scissors symbol on the packets. I finally ripped them opening sending little grains of yeast flying across the kitchen. Oops...I'll get to those later.
Once I activate the yeast with water, I still feel like the race is on to the finish. I don't know why, but I feel like there is some scientific reason out there why I can't dilly dally at this point.
So there I was. In the kitchen, feverishly measuring out the flour. Then I went to grab the mixer and DAMN IT! It was still in the frigging box. This was not good! This was going to take time to unwrap and put together. Please yeast - stay active, don't die on me!! Momma's gotta get the mixer ready! I was frantically pulling plastic bags off the beaters throwing the box here and there. It was a bit ridiculous. I finally got the thing out of the box, plugged it in and plunged it into the flour, water, yeast mixture. Once the water and flour was completely mixed, the mixer went commando on me and got completely jammed up with dough. Then it started spitting doughballs all over the place like it was possessed - Exorcist Mixer!
The salt shaker got it:

The knife block took a hit:

Even the innocent little honey bear got caught in the line of fire:
.

At this point, I took control. The mixer got the boot and my hands took over. Your best line of defense in a kitchen crisis. Finally my dough was mixed and kneaded and set to rise. Look at that lovely, yeasty dome:


From this point on it was smooth sailing. I divided the dough into four dough balls, instead of six like Ina tells you to. Why? Because there were four of us so I figured we'd each have an individual pizza. Little did I know how large each of these would be.

Oh well, leftover pizza is always welcome.

We gathered our chosen toppings:

Yes that's turkey pepperoni. Please don't judge. Also, we had sauteed green peppers, mushrooms and onions, fresh mozzarella, shredded Parmesan, Romano and Fontina blend, homemade pizza sauce (here's the recipe - Tomato Coulis . I used this but added about a 1/2 cup of water to expand and thin it out), and quartered artichoke hearts.
Then we went to work making our creations.


Two of the pizzas came out round and two came out square. I really am not sure what happened there. I thought I was making four circles. Obviously, I need to work on my shapes.


Both varieties tasted great though and the crusts came out crunchy and smoky. Overall, a pretty good experience - hopefully this is a sign of things to come with Barefoot Bloggers. I have to say though, it wasn't the tastiest of pizza crusts. Next time I think I will add some parm cheese and dried spices to the dough. It needed a little spice to it. I thought it was pretty bland. Also, and this may be my fault, but I thought it was a little too thick. I am a thin, crunchy pizza crust eater. These were a little more doughy than I prefer. I love pizza though and the idea of grilling it is great. I will definitely make this crust again, just try some small variations on it perhaps.

Here's the recipe if you're interested:
Grilled California Pizzas
www.foodnetwork.com, Barefoot Contessa

For the dough:
1 1/4 cups warm (100 to 110 degrees F) water
2 packages dry yeast
1 tablespoon honey
3 tablespoons good olive oil
4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for kneading
2 teaspoons kosher salt
For the toppings (select 8):
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 pound fresh mozzarella, grated
1/2 pound Italian Fontina, grated
1/2 pound mild goat cheese, such as Montrachet, sliced
1 red or yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, and julienned
1/4 pound prosciutto, thinly sliced and julienned
1 bunch arugula, cleaned and dried
6 plum tomatoes, sliced 1/4-inch thick
4 pork or turkey sausages, cooked and sliced
1 bunch basil leaves, cleaned and dried
4 garlic cloves, roasted
Crushed red pepper flakes

For prep:
1/2 cup good olive oil
Cornmeal


For the dough, combine the water, yeast, honey, and olive oil in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add 3 cups flour, then the salt, and mix. While mixing, add 1 more cup of flour, or enough to make a soft dough. Knead the dough on low to medium speed for about 10 minutes until smooth, sprinkling it with flour, if necessary, to keep it from sticking to the bowl.
When the dough is ready, turn it out onto a floured board and knead by hand a dozen times. It should be smooth and elastic. Place the dough in a well-oiled bowl and turn it several times to cover it lightly with oil. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Divide the dough into 6 equal parts and roll each one into a smooth ball. Place the balls on a baking sheet and cover them with a damp towel. Allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes. Use immediately, or refrigerate for up to 4 hours.

If you've chilled the dough, take it out of the refrigerator approximately 30 minutes ahead to let it come to room temperature. Roll and stretch each ball into a rough 8-inch circle and place them all on baking sheets sprinkled with cornmeal. (You will be able to fit 2 pizzas on each 18 by 13-inch baking sheet.)

Light your grill and wait until it's hot.

Place the pizzas directly onto the grill and cook on 1 side for 1 minute. Turn the pizzas over and brush with olive oil or garlic oil.

Top the pizzas with any toppings you wish, piling them high. Drizzle each pizza with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Put the lid on your grill and cook for 5 minutes more, until the crust is crisp and the toppings are cooked.