Mushroom and Leek Pizza

June 11, 2012 by Susan

Looks as if I am on a cast iron skillet kick, doesn’t it? As it turns out this pizza and the cornbread (in my previous post) are the only two things I make in my cast iron skillet. And to be honest, I would’ve never thought to make either in a cast iron skillet – thank you Martha Stewart for opening my eyes! This technique for making a pizza is brilliant, you don’t have to deal with pizza stones or anything else, just a skillet.

This pizza is delicious. The mushroom and leek combination is wonderful, the fontina cheese melts beautifully and the prosciutto, which doesn’t even actually cook, takes it over the top with a slightly salty punch. Heaven. And you know what else is heaven? I bought the pizza dough. I could certainly make it myself, but why would I? I have an infant that ~~occupies~~ demands 98% of my time and the pizza place around the corner happily sells me the dough they have made to perfection.

This pizza is leagues above any frozen pizza out there and cooks in almost the same amount of time. Why wouldn’t you make this?

Here’s what you will need to make one small pizza…

Recipe

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 large leek, white and pale green parts only, sliced

1 package crimini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

2 cups fontina cheese, grated

3-4 thin slices prosciutto, chopped into 1 inch pieces

1 small pizza dough (I get it drizzled with olive oil)

*10 inch cast iron skillet

Method

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.

First get started on the leek. Using the white and pale green parts only, slice the leek down the center lengthwise, then slice crosswise into 1/2 moons. Place in a deep bowl and rinse under cold water once or twice, running your fingers through the leeks, breaking them apart. Fill up the bowl with cold water and let the leeks sit for a few minutes. Any remaining grit will sink to the bottom of the bowl.

Carefully scoop out the leeks, being sure to not disturb the water below. Lay on a kitchen towel to dry a bit.

While the leeks are sitting in the water, clean and slice your mushrooms.

In a medium skillet (not the cast iron skillet) melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Add the leeks and cook until softened, about 4 minutes. Add sliced mushrooms to the pan as well as the remaining tablespoon of butter. Saute until the mushrooms soften, 4-5 minutes. Allow to cool slightly. While the mushrooms are cooking, shred the fontina cheese. (It helps to put the cheese in the freezer for about 20 minutes before shredding).
I love mushrooms.

Pour 1 tablespoon of oil in the middle of the cast iron skillet and spread it all around, coating the entire bottom as well as a portion of the sides. (I use a pastry brush for this). Lay the pizza dough in the skillet and flatten and stretch out with your fingertips. The edges of the dough should cover the entire bottom of the skillet.

Turn the flame on to medium under the cast iron skillet. Lay about 1 cup of fontina cheese on the pizza dough. Then top the cheese with the mushroom mixture (I usually have some leftover, good for throwing into a frittata or for snacking). Finally, add the rest of the fontina on top of the mushrooms. Allow the pizza to cook on the stove top for approximately 4-5 minutes. You will notice the bottom starting to brown.

Now transfer the skillet into the oven. Allow to cook for about 10 minutes, being careful not to burn the pizza. Take the skillet out of the oven and scatter the prosciutto pieces over the top of the pizza. Slice and serve!

Mushroom Soup

January 18, 2011 by Susan

I have become slightly obsessed with soups this winter. Mainly because it has been absolutely freezing cold here in NYC over the past month. And let’s not forget about the 3 snowstorms we have already had. I am not a cold-weather-winter person. At all. Soups, however, make it all somewhat bearable.

In light of this obsession I have been scouring recipes for some interesting new soups to add to my repertoire. I could not find one specific recipe that knocked me over, so I decided to create my own. Ideally I like to pick a new soup each week and make a big pot of it. I think having 5 excellent soups in the rotation would be ideal. This mushroom soup is one of the five, for sure.

If you like mushrooms you will love this soup. It is luscious and complex. There is not one drop of cream in this soup so I hereby declare it healthy. And if I can impress one thought upon you right now it would be this…do not skip the sherry! And I wouldn’t skip the truffle oil either, come to think of it. Without them this soup is just ok. These two ingredients take this soup from average to outstanding.

Here’s what you will need to make a big pot that serves about 8-10…

Recipe

32 ounces of mushrooms, I use a mix of shiitake (sliced) and crimini (cut in half or quarters)

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp olive oil

1 large onion, diced

1 large leek, white and light green part only, washed and sliced

6 cloves garlic, smashed

12-15 sprigs thyme, tied in a bundle

1 large Idaho potato, peeled and cut into 3/4 inch cubes

8 cups chicken stock

4 oz dry sherry

2 tsp white truffle oil

palmful of parsley leaves

salt & pepper

chopped parsley, for garnish

Method

In a large soup pot heat the olive oil and butter. As the butter is melting add the bundle of thyme and stir it around in the butter and oil for a few seconds. Add the onion, leek (wash really well, these suckers are very dirty!) and a pinch of salt & pepper. Saute over medium heat for 5-6 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook for 8-10 minutes.

Next add the potato and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for one hour. After 45 minutes of cooking add the parsley leaves, then allow to continue cooking for the remaining 15 minutes. Remove thyme bundle.

Puree the mixture with an immersion blender (love this tool!) or in a blender or food processor until smooth. As you can see from the photo above, I do not puree this soup into oblivion, I like the rusticity of a few small pieces of mushroom every now and again. Those types of things don’t get me upset.

Once the mixture is pureed (to the consistency of your choosing) add the sherry and truffle oil and stir with a spoon to combine. As I mentioned above, please don’t skip these last two ingredients. Trust me.

Recipe inspired by various sources.

Mushroom Soup

Author: Feasts And Fotos

Ingredients

32 ounces of mushrooms, I use a mix of shiitake (sliced) and crimini (cut in half or quarters)
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 large leek, white and light green part only, washed and sliced
6 cloves garlic, smashed
12-15 sprigs thyme, tied in a bundle
1 large Idaho potato, peeled and cut into ¾ inch cubes
8 cups chicken stock
4 oz dry sherry
2 tsp white truffle oil
palmful of parsley leaves
salt & pepper
chopped parsley, for garnish

Method

In a large soup pot heat the olive oil and butter. As the butter is melting add the bundle of thyme and stir it around in the butter and oil for a few seconds. Add the onion, leek (wash really well, these suckers are very dirty!) and a pinch of salt & pepper. Saute over medium heat for 5-6 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook for 8-10 minutes.
Next add the potato and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for one hour. After 45 minutes of cooking add the parsley leaves, then allow to continue cooking for the remaining 15 minutes. Remove thyme bundle.
Puree the mixture with an immersion blender (love this tool!) or in a blender or food processor until smooth. As you can see from the photo above, I do not puree this soup into oblivion, I like the rusticity of a few small pieces of mushroom every now and again. Those types of things don't get me upset.
Once the mixture is pureed (to the consistency of your choosing) add the sherry and truffle oil and stir with a spoon to combine. As I mentioned above, please don't skip these last two ingredients. Trust me.

Broccoli, Mushroom and Cheese Breakfast Strata

February 5, 2009 by Susan

I have to be honest, for a long time I wasn’t exactly sure what a ‘strata’ was. I’ve heard about it, read recipes for it, but just never delved in to find out what it was or actually try to make it, for that matter. What a mistake that was! Simply put, it’s a breakfast pie.

This vegetable strata was delicious. But the best part is….you make make the entire dish ahead of time, like the day before, then just pop it into the oven in the morning. How easy is that?! I must admit I was quite proud of myself as I pulled this baby out of the oven, it looks gorgeous! You will look like a superstar serving it.

It’s substantial and satisfying, hearty and savory. It’s somewhat healthy, filled with veggies. I decided to try a recipe from Ellie Krieger as my first foray into strata-land. I didn’t want to clog every artery I have and push my cholesterol level off the charts. I felt this version was a nice balance. This would also be delicious with an addition of bacon or sausage, I might try that version next.

Here’s what you will need to serve 4 people….

Recipe

2 teaspoons olive oil

1/2 large onion, diced (about 1 cup)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms

Cooking spray

1/2 whole wheat baguette, crusts removed, cubed (about 2 cups)

4 eggs plus 4 additional egg whites

1 cup lowfat milk

1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 medium head of broccoli, steamed, cooled and chopped

3 tablespoons grated Parmesan

1/2 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese

7.5 oz jar sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil, drained, thinly sliced

1/2 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Method

Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until translucent and beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook for another 1 minute. Transfer the onion mixture to a medium bowl and allow to cool. Heat remaining teaspoon of oil in the skillet and saute the mushrooms until they release all of their water, about 6 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and cool completely.

Spray an 8×8 baking dish with cooking spray. Arrange the bread cubes in a single layer in the bottom of the dish. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, egg whites, milk and mustard until incorporated. Add mushrooms, onion-garlic mixture, broccoli, Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses, sun-dried tomatoes, thyme, and salt and pepper and stir to incorporate. Pour mixture over bread, making sure liquid saturates bread. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, or at least 8 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Remove the plastic wrap from strata and bake for 60 to 75 minutes, or until the top forms a light brown crust.

Original recipe can be found here…

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ellie-krieger/broccoli-mushroom-and-cheese-breakfast-strata-recipe/index.html