Mushroom 🍄Madness!
It seems I start every new blog recipe with my ode to how much I love a particular ingredient. Well, I guess I must have a whole lotta love in my heart! Mushrooms make me weak in the knees! Whenever I saute mushrooms or roast them or whatever I may be doing with them, I have to hold myself back from eating all of them. When I use a mix of mushrooms, like in this recipe, I go bananas mushroom, crazy!
Mushrooms can be a little pricey. Especially if you like the more exotic varieties. A mix of various types of mushrooms is always delish! You can fill with the more standard Cremini or Button mushrooms and extend the flavors. That’s what this recipe does. A little of all kinds of mushrooms makes this even more fun and interesting to eat.
I ❤ Simon and Garfunkel
Nothing goes better with mushrooms than parsley, sage, some rosemary and thyme. Those are the herbs in this mix of mushrooms and flatbread and also, the title of famous song from one of my very favorite duos of all time, Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel. Their 🎼music is still one of my favorites to listen to. Ask Alexa to play Simon and Garfunkel while you’re making this recipe. And as usual, there’s a bit of wine in the recipe too. So, put on the tunes and pour a glass of wine and get to cookin’! Here’s how I made it!
Dough Ahead And Have A Ball
This actually is a pizza dough. I just believe, that when you make pizza, most people want to see a traditional pizza – the kind that’s oozing in some type of cheese. This recipe has zero cheese and seems like a flatbread, not so much a pizza. So, instead of a cheese-less mushroom pizza, we present, flatbread.
So……….Making pizza dough is easy and inexpensive. You can make it ahead of time and freeze it too. I take 3 cups of all-purpose flour, a few teaspoons of salt and put it into the bowl of my mixer with the dough hook attachment. Let the flour and salt mix well, then shut it off. In a small bowl add one whole envelope of active dry yeast to a 1/4 cup warm water and a pinch of sugar. Let is sit about 10 minutes. It will bubble up and show you it’s alive and well. If it doesn’t bubble, start over. If the yeast if very old or the water was too hot or very cold, that could be the problem.
Add the yeast mixture and 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the mixer and let her rip. Well, not rip, but about medium low. Then add 3/4 cup warm water. Let the mixture form a ball. If it’s too dry, add a bit more water. You want the mixture to be just a tiny bit sticky. You’ll know if’s right when you remove it from the hook and it does not stick. For this recipe, add 1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary. Let the dough hook kneed the dough for about 5 minutes. Remove the dough and kneed by hand on a lightly floured surface for about 1 minute.
If you’re not using the mixer to kneed, you’ll need to do so for 5-6 minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when the dough is soft and pliable. Lightly oil a medium size bowl and put the ball of dough in the bowl. Cover with a clean dish cloth and let it sit in a warm spot for 1 1/2-2 hours.
Funghi Fun
Meanwhile, saute your mushrooms. I use a mushroom brush to clean the dirt off my ‘shrooms.
You can use a cloth, but it’s best not to wash mushrooms in water. I’ve done it and if it’s easier for you and Martha Stewart is not coming for dinner, go ahead. Just don’t let them soak in water.
I used a variety of mushrooms – Shiitake, Oyster, Cremini and Portobello. Slice the portobellos in strips, about 1 inch thick. Keep them large because one of the great parts of this mix is the various sizes and textures of the mushroom ragout. Cut the cremini and the Shiitake mushrooms into quarters. I really roughly cut the Oyster mushrooms, leaving them in pretty large chunks. I love the taste and texture of the Oyster mushrooms, so I wanted them in big pieces.
In a large saute pan, I added 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon butter and then I sauted the Portobello mushrooms first. I let them saute on medium low for about 5 minutes with a little salt before adding the other ingredients. Next, I added the rest of the mushrooms. Then I added a few springs of fresh thyme, 1/2 cup chardonnay, 3 tablespoons freshly chopped sage, a large pinch of salt and some freshly ground pepper.
I let the mushrooms cook slowly for about 10 more minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside. Try not to eat to many of these delicious mushrooms before you make the flatbread!!!
Perfection Is Not Required
One of the greatest things about this recipe is it’s imperfection. I quarter the dough and roll out 4 separate flatbreads. If you don’t need that much, just freeze the rest of the dough. When you need it, all you need to do is defrost and roll.
Heat your oven to 425° I have a pizza stone and I put it on the bottom rack. If you don’t have one, that’s ok. But, a pizza stone does help the heat source to make the bottom of your pizza or flatbreads crunchy.
Put the dough onto a baking sheet and top with the mushrooms. At the last minute, just before baking I added a bit of lemon zest. Then bake for about 15 minutes until the edges are nicely brown. Cut into pieces and serve.
Mushroom Flatbread with Parsley, Sage and Thyme
Notes
This is a great recipe for appetizers. Just cut into desired bite size pieces.
Ingredients
For the Dough
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 envelope active dry yeast
- 1 pinch sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary
For the Mushroom Ragout
- 2 large fresh Portobello mushrooms
- 2 dozen fresh Shiitake musrooms
- 2 dozen Cremini mushrooms
- 4 large Oyster Mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tablespoons fresh sage leaves, chopped
- 1/2 cup white wine (chardonnay)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- freshly ground pepper
- zest of 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1-2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- In a mixer, fitted with the dough hook, add 3 cups of all-purpose flour and mix well. In a small bowl add one whole envelope of active dry yeast. Add 1/4 cup warm water and a pinch of sugar. Let it sit about 10 minutes.
- Add the yeast mixture and 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the mixer set a medium low. Then add 3/4 cup warm water. Let the mixture form a ball. If it's too dry, add a bit more water. You want the mixture to be just a tiny bit sticky. You can tell the dough is wet enough when it pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Add 1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary. Let the dough mixer kneed the dough for about 5 minutes. Remove the dough and kneed by hand on a lightly floured surface for about 1 minute.
- If you're not using the mixer to kneed, you'll need to do so for 5-6 minutes. You'll know it's ready when the dough is soft and pliable. Lightly oil a medium size bowl and put the ball of dough in the bowl. Cover with a clean dish cloth and let it sit in a warm spot for 1 1/2-2 hours.
- Slice the Portobellos into strips, about 1 inch thick. In this recipe, it's the various sizes and textures that is key, so do not cut all the mushrooms into equal sizes. Cut the cremini and the Shiitake mushrooms into quarters. Roughly cut the Oyster mushrooms, leaving them in pretty large chunks pieces, about 1/2 to 1/4 each mushroom.
- In a large saute pan, on medium low, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon butter and saute the Portobello mushrooms with a pinch of salt, for about 5 minutes. Next, add the rest of the mushrooms, thyme, 1/2 cup chardonnay, 3 tablespoons freshly chopped sage, a large pinch of salt and some freshly ground pepper. I let the mushrooms cook slowly for about 10 more minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside.
- Punch down the dough, then cut into quarters. Roll the dough out for 4 separate flatbreads. Note: If you don't need that much, just freeze the rest of the dough. When you need it, all you need to do is defrost and roll.)
- Heat your oven to 425° I have a pizza stone and I put it on the bottom rack. If you don't have one, that's ok. But, a pizza stone does help the heat source to make the bottom of your pizza or flatbreads crunchy. Put the dough onto a baking sheet and top with the mushrooms. At the last minute, just before baking top each flatbread with lemon zest. Then bake for about 15 minutes until the edges are nicely brown.
