Wild Mushroom & Onion Jam Stuffed Pizza

Things have seemed a little quiet in SoupAddict land lately, haven’t they? I’ve been working on another project that I’m really excited about*, and during the initial building-it-up phase, it has swallowed most of my free time. But, now it’s up and running, and I can get back to regularly scheduled programming.

Like this pizza. Believe you me, it’s regularly scheduled. This is pizza pie: a savory top and bottom crust stuffed with anything your heart desires, schmeared on top with sauce and cheese. I love pizza in all its forms, but this, by far, is my favorite.

*Over the last year or so, my love of cooking and gardening has expanded to include all matters of food – where it comes from, who controls the distribution chain, how we make choices when we purchase, where we buy. From farm to plate, with an emphasis on whole, unprocessed foods. Plus, of course, recipes.

I didn’t feel like SoupAddict.com was a good or sensible fit for that conversation and thought it best to start something new. SoupAddict is not going away, and I do hope you’ll check out LeafandGrain.com. If it’s not your thang, that’s okay. But if it is, I’d love to have ya’ll there, too. It’s only a baby, but there are plenty of plans to grow.

Web site: LeafandGrain.com
Facebook: Leaf & Grain on Facebook
Twitter: Leaf & Grain’s Twitter feed

Let’s start with the onion jam.

Never had onion jam? G’uhness. The things you’re missing. Sweet and rich and oniony (but not in a pass-the-altoids way), onion jam goes on just about everything.

Fabulous dried mushrooms — porcinis, matsutakes and chanterelles. Plus a heapin’ bowlful of fresh baby bellas and shiitakes.

The onion jam gets the party started, to be topped with a little blanched Swiss chard. It’s good. And good for you. Word.

Pile in the mushrooms and finish off with more chard and some shredded cheese.

Good golly, Miss Molly, that is some pizza!

Pizza Stuffed with Mushrooms and Onion Jam

adapted from KingArthurFlour.com (directions for the crust is theirs, the filling is mine)

The crust dough is best started the night before, although I’ve made it the same day by starting the dough in the morning.

Crust*:
3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
3/8 cup semolina
1 3/4 teaspoons instant yeast
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon pizza dough flavoring (optional)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoons melted butter
3/4 to 1 cup lukewarm water (use enough to make a smooth dough. You’ll use less in the summer, or if you substitute all-purpose flour for the semolina; and more in the winter, or if you’re in a dry climate.)

Filling:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1-2 large onions (if they look more “medium,” get two), sliced thinly into half moons
1 tablespoon butter
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

8 oz fresh cremini mushrooms, sliced
1/2 oz dried mushrooms (porcinis are nice, as are chanterelles and matsutakes)
1 tablespoon tomato paste
salt and pepper

1-2 leaves Swiss Chard, center stem removed and discarded, leaves chopped or chiffonade
1 cup Gruyere cheese, shredded

Topping:
1-2 cups your favorite pizza sauce
1 cup Asiago cheese, shredded

To make the crust: Combine the dry ingredients and the oils and butter, mixing till crumbs form. Then add the water, and mix and knead — by hand, stand mixer, or bread machine set on the dough cycle — to make an elastic, fairly stiff dough.

Place in a large, greased bowl; cover, and let rise at room temperature for 1 hour. For best flavor, after its initial 1-hour rise, refrigerate the dough for several hours, or for up to 24 hours. You can use the crust after its first 1-hour rise, but its flavor will improve with the longer, slower rise offered by refrigeration.

To make the fillings: Rehydrate dried mushrooms according to package directions. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, butter, salt and pepper. Saute onions until translucent, about 10 minutes, then reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking onions for as long as you can stand it, up to an hour. The longer you cook the onions, the more caramelization will occur. When the onions turn golden brown, you’ve achieved caramelization nirvana. This could be anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the efficiency of your cookware. At the end of cooking, add the red wine vinegar.

When the mushrooms have rehydrated, strain through a coffee filter (to remove any residual dirt) and set aside (discard liquid, or freeze to use for soup stock). Place a 3 qt quart pot over medium heat. Add all mushrooms to the pot and cover. Let the mushrooms cook for a good 15 minutes, stirring often, until they’ve released their moisture and have cooked down by at least a half. Add tomato paste and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste

To assemble the pizza: Butter the bottom and sides of a 9″ x 2″-deep round cake pan or springform pan, then drizzle olive oil lightly in the bottom of each.

Divide the dough into two pieces. One should be about three-quarters of the dough; the other, one-quarter. Stretch, then roll the larger piece of dough into a round large enough (about 15″ to 16″) to line the bottom and sides of one pan, with some overhang. Do the same with one of the smaller pieces of dough, rolling it to about 9″ to 10″. Cover the pieces of dough, and go away for 15 minutes. This will relax the dough’s gluten, allowing you to handle it without it shrinking.

After 15 minutes, place one of the larger pieces of dough in the pan, pressing it gently into the corners; you’ll have some overhang.

Spread the cooked onions evenly over the crust. Add half of the chard over the onions, then layer on the mushrooms, topping with the remaining chard. Sprinkle the Gruyere cheese on top.

Place the smaller piece of dough atop the filling. Fold over the overhanging edges of dough, and squeeze/crimp to seal. Poke holes all over the top crust, to allow steam to escape.

Preheat the oven to 425°F (with your pizza stone on a lower shelf, if you’re using a stone). While the oven preheats, allow the pizza(s) to rest/rise, covered, for about 30 minutes.

Just before baking, spread the top layer of dough with pizza sauce, and sprinkle with the asiago cheese.

Bake the pizza till the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly, 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove the pizza from the oven, and allow it to set for about 15 minutes. Loosen the edges, and gently turn out of the pan onto a rack to cool. To do this, place a round cooling rack atop one pan, and turn the whole thing over. Lift off the pan, place a rack on the bottom of the pizza, and turn the whole thing over again, so the pizza is now right side up.

Serve warm, with a fork. Use a pair of scissors or baker’s bench knife to cut wedges.