Happiness can be to spend a day in the woods and arrive home again in the afternoon with baskets filled with wild mushrooms. I am a mushroom hunter and never ever have I seen so many different varieties in colors, shapes and sizes. Now I have more porcinis (penny buns), yellow chanterelles and shrimp mushrooms than I can possibly eat in a year.

So, what type of food did we have for dinner yesterday?

The answer is, of course, inevitable - it had to be mushroom pizza. Make and bake a large pizza with lots of sliced mushrooms on it is a pleasant thing.

PIZZA DOUGH RECIPE:

* 2 teaspoons dry yeast

* 2 pinches salt

* 280 ml warm water (40-45°C/104-113°F)

* 360 grams high-gluten flour

* 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

FOR THE PIZZA TOPPING:

* 1500 ml fresh wild mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

* 2 onions

* 1 green or red bell pepper

* 150 grams smoked ham

* 100 - 200 ml chopped parsley

* butter

* 1 teaspoon salt

* ½ teaspoon black pepper

* 100 ml Heinz chili sauce

* 2-3 teaspoons oregano

* 300 grams grated cheese

METHOD:

1. Sieve the flour into a large bowl

2. Add yeast, salt, olive oil and water.

3. Mix well with a wooden spoon to blend everything together.

5. Knead for about 5 minutes, until smooth.

6. Shape into a ball and cover with a towel.

7. Leave bowl in a warm place to rise for at least 30 minutes, or until the dough doubles in size.

WHILE THE DOUGH IS RISING:

1. Slowly boil the fresh mushrooms (without fat) to make them release their juices.

2. Cook until all liquid evaporates, about 10-15 minutes.

3. Peel and chop the onions.

4. Cut the bell pepper into small cubes.

5. In a sauce pan, fry onion and bell pepper in butter for a minute.

6. Add the mushrooms and fry for 3-4 minutes more.

7. Cut the ham into small cubes and add together with parsley.

8. Salt and pepper to taste.

PIZZA:

1. Heat oven to 225°C/425°F.

2. Brush a large baking tray with olive oil.

3. Place the dough on the baking tray.

4. Roll and stretch out the pizza dough, about 5 mm/0.2 inches thick.

5. Spread chili sauce over the dough to within 1½ cm/0.6″ from the edge.

6. Cover with the mushroom mixture.

7. Sprinkle with oregano and grated cheese. (I used both goat cheese and Feta cheese).

8. Drizzle with olive oil and bake in the middle of the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the pizza base is cooked through.

It does not matter what kind of mushrooms you can get your hands on for this pizza. Wild or “tame” will fit as long as they are edible. Most mushrooms are wine-friendly. Not common ink cap, of course. Although edible, it is poisonous when consumed with alcohol.

We were happy to be able to accompany this pizza with an inexpensive fruity Italian white wine called Mauro Chardonnay.

A piece of leftover pizza

Source: My Recipes