Homemade Caramelized Mushroom and Arugula Pizza Bianca
Make the dough and let it rise 8 hours the fridge. Or make the dough and sauté the mushrooms, chop the fresh thyme, toast and chop the walnuts, and season the arugula while the dough is rising. Makes 2 (11-inch) pizzas. Cut each pizza in 8 to 10 wedges.
Servings: 16 servings.
Calories: 114kcal
Ingredients
- Whole Wheat Pizza Dough or your choice of pizza crust.
- ¼ cup Garlic Oil recipe below
- 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound sliced button or cremini mushrooms see note
- 2 teaspoons plus ½ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 2 heaping cups arugula leaves
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- 5 or 6 ounces goat cheese
- ½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or walnut oil if you have some
- Fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- Cornmeal as needed.
For the garlic oil:
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. If you have a baking stone, place it on the middle oven rack.
- For the garlic oil, stir the minced garlic into the olive oil. Set aside.
- Cook the mushrooms: Heat a large skillet (ideally 12-inch cast iron) on medium-high flame. Add the first 2 tablespoons olive oil and swirl it around the hot pan. Add the sliced mushrooms and sauté, stirring often. As the mushrooms cook, they will release liquid and the liquid will evaporate. Sauté until the mushrooms have shrunk in volume and take on a rich golden-brown color, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the first 2 teaspoons of thyme leaves and season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Set aside.
- While the mushrooms cook, toss the arugula with the vinegar, the remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil, and pinches of salt and pepper. Set aside.
Assemble and bake the pizzas:
- Sprinkle a wooden pizza peel or rimless baking sheet with cornmeal. The cornmeal acts as ball-bearings so the crust slides easily onto the stone. If you don’t have a pizza stone, sprinkle the cornmeal on the bottom side of a baking sheet.
- Divide the dough in 2 portions. On a lightly floured surface, roll the first portion into a 13-inch round. Transfer the dough to the wooden peel or the upside-down baking sheet, or if you don’t have a pizza peel or stone, place the rolled dough on a cornmeal dusted pizza pan or baking sheet.
- Brush the dough generously with half of the garlic oil. Scatter half of the cooked mushrooms over the top, leaving a 1-inch border. Distribute half of the goat cheese followed by half of the walnuts. Grind a couple turns of black pepper, sprinkle lightly with salt, and sprinkle with half of the remaining thyme leaves.
- If you are using the wooden peel or upside-down baking sheet, slide the pizza onto the preheated baking stone. Lacking a wooden peel or stone, use a pizza pan or baking sheet and put the pizza directly in the oven.
- Bake 7 to 10 minutes, until the crust is light brown and cooked on the bottom side. (see note) Scatter half of the dressed arugula over the pizza and return to the oven another minute to wilt the arugula. Use the pizza peel to slide the pizza from the stone and onto a serving platter.
- Repeat with the 2nd portion of dough, using the remaining ingredients.
Notes
- One pound mushrooms seems like a huge amount, but they shrink dramatically as they cook.
- Pizza baked on a metal pan will take longer to bake than a pizza baked on a hot ceramic pizza stone.
Nutrition
Calories: 114kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 3mg | Potassium: 106mg | Vitamin A: 10IU | Vitamin C: 0.7mg | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 0.3mg