Balsamic Portobello Mushroom Pizza

Tags

balsamic vinegar, Fontina, garlic, mushroom, pizza, portobello

Packing up for a move is quite a pain. It’s been a while since I last moved, and it’s amazing what all has accumulated over the years! At first, I was looking forward to packing as a chance to go through everything and toss what we no longer need. But after days of packing (and I only have a 2 bedroom apartment), I’m over it and I’m not having fun anymore! Hehe. A few more days and it will all be over… then it’ll just be time to unpack it all!

But once my pizza stone is unpacked, I have some pizza dough all ready and I can make this awesome pizza again! For those of you who have been fortunate enough to try a pizza from BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse, this pizza what inspired by one of their Chicago deep dish pizzas. Theirs consists of balsamic portobello mushrooms and carmelized onions. Not being a big onion fan, I omitted the onions and went straight for some mushrooms tossed with balsamic vinegar, parsley, and thyme for some tang and fresh herb flavor. Top it off with some nutty Fontina cheese, and you have yourself a delicious, and seemingly fancy, pizza!One Year Ago: Chicken-Fried Steak with Cream Gravy and Chicken Piccata

Balsamic Portobello Mushroom Pizza

2 tablespoons olive oil
¾ pound baby Portobello mushrooms, sliced
½ teaspoon salt
4 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon parsley
8 ounces Fontina cheese, shredded
Pizza dough, unbaked

Place a pizza stone on a rack in the lower third of the oven, if using. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F for at least 30 minutes.

While the oven is heating, heat olive oil until shimmering in a large skillet. Add mushrooms and salt, and toss mushrooms to completely coat them. Cover the skillet and let the mushrooms sweat until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and thyme and allow to cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add balsamic vinegar and cook another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the parsley.

Meanwhile, Let the dough relax for at room temperature for 10 to 30 minutes before beginning to work with it. Lightly sprinkle parchment paper or a pizza peel with cornmeal or semolina flour. For a little garlic flavor, add some granulated garlic to the cornmeal or flour. Transfer the dough to your prepared surface, and shape the dough until it has a 12-inch diameter. Brush the outer edge lightly with olive oil.

Spread the mushroom mixture over the pizza dough, leaving a ½-inch border uncovered, then sprinkle with Fontina cheese. Slide the dough onto the heated stone, or place your baking sheet or pizza pan into the oven. Bake until the crust is golden brown, and cheese is bubbling, 8-12 minutes. Remove from the oven, slice and serve.

Source: Inspired by BJ’s Restaurant and Brewhouse

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Guinness Beef Stew

Tags

beef, carrot, mushroom, potato, slow cooker, stew

This winter has had some very weird weather… it’s been getting up to 70 degrees during the day. That’s just wrong! A few weeks ago, the mornings were consistently in the low 20’s, but it would still warm up a bit during the day. At least then it still felt like winter. Now it just feels like spring, but it’s January! It’s definitely making it tough to make the soups and stews I want. They sound so good, and there are all these different recipes I want to try, but I don’t want to eat hot soup when it’s hot out! Guess I just need to suck it up, like I did when I made this stew, and pretend it feels like winter.

As soon as I saw the recipe on Blissfully Delicious, I knew I had to try it. And I even had some Guinness sitting in my frig, waiting to be used in a recipe. Personally, it’s too heavy of a beer to just drink so I only use it in baking or cooking. It’s perfect in this stew, though! I’ve only used wine in stew before, so beer was a nice change. It made a delicious broth, full of flavor. As with any stew, you can add vegetables of your choice, so I changed up the vegetables in the recipe to add my personal touch. 🙂 And of course, slow cooker recipes are always awesome and great to have in your repertoire!Guinness Beef Stew

4 pounds boneless beef chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 1½-inch chunks
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups onion, chopped (about 2 small onions)
4 cups beef or chicken broth
1 (11.2-ounce) bottle Guinness Draught (1½ cups)
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 ounce bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 pound mushrooms, quartered
2 pounds gold or red potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Season the beef with salt and pepper. Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Cook half of the beef until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer to the slow cooker and repeat with an additional 2 teaspoons oil and the remaining half of beef, adding to the slow cooker once browned.

Heat the remaining 2 teaspoons oil in the skillet. Add the onions and ¼ teaspoon salt to the skillet and cook until the onions are lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the broth, beer, sugar, thyme, chocolate, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, using a spoon to scrape up any browned bits; make sure chocolate is fully melted. Transfer to the slow cooker.

Add the carrots, mushrooms, and potatoes to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 9-10 hours, or cook on high for 6 to 7 hours, or until meat is tender. Remove and discard the bay leaves, stir in the parsley, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve while still hot.

Source: Adapted from Blissfully Delicious

Portobello Pesto Pizza

Tags

garlic, mushroom, pesto, pizza

So how about a recipe that uses my previously posted pizza dough! I love unique types of pizza toppings. Don’t get me wrong… I do love me some pepperoni pizza, especially after the really cool tip from Brown Eyed Baker about how to make your pepperoni pizza less greasy! Pesto on pizza has always been one of my favorites, though. As soon as I saw this recipe, I fell in love. Mushrooms and pesto! What an amazing combo! Since it seemed so simplistic, I felt a need to add a little something in, hence where the tomatoes come in. I think they add a nice fresh flavor, though they are by no means necessary. That’s the wonderful thing about making your own pizza. You can do whatever you want to create your own unique, fully customized toppings. No need to follow a recipe. Just do what you want!Portobello Pesto Pizza

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 pound baby Portobello or cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup pesto (homemade or store-bought)
8 ounces provolone cheese, shredded
2 tomatoes, sliced ¼-inch thick and deseeded
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Pizza dough, enough for one pizza, unbaked

Place a pizza stone on a rack in the lower third of the oven, if using. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F for at least 30 minutes.

While the oven is preheating, melt the butter over medium heat in a skillet. Add the sliced mushrooms and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms have released all of their liquid and are soft and browned, 10 to 15 minutes; set aside.

Let the dough relax for at room temperature for 10 to 30 minutes before beginning to work with it. Lightly sprinkle parchment paper or a pizza peel with cornmeal or semolina flour. For a little garlic flavor, add some granulated garlic to the cornmeal or flour. Transfer the dough to your prepared surface, and shape the dough until it has a 12-inch diameter. Brush the outer edge lightly with olive oil.

Spread the pesto over the pizza dough, leaving a ½-inch border uncovered. Spread the mushrooms evenly over the pesto, and then top with the provolone cheese. Top with sliced tomatoes, spacing them evenly around the pizza, then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Slide the dough onto the heated stone, or place your baking sheet or pizza pan into the oven. Bake until the crust is golden brown, and cheese is bubbling, 8-12 minutes. Remove from the oven, slice and serve.

Source: Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker