Friday, March 15, 2013

Mushroom Medley with Caramelized Onion and Gorgonzola on Boboli (Pizza Night!)

I've been sharing a lot of meat-heavy recipes this week, so I thought I'd change it up a bit and share a meatless pizza.  It's inspired by a pizza I had when we got invited out for pizza by some friends.

I will never turn down a chance to share a meal with others, even if it's at a local pizza place and I already make a great pizza, exactly the way I like it, in my own home, nearly every Friday night (sled hockey/wheelchair basketball seasons and marching band season notwithstanding).

Do I sound like a Pizza Snob?  I hope not.  I really love food, especially when someone else makes it for me.  I do think that I make each pizza for my family with more love and care than the machines at the frozen pizza factory or the under-appreciated minimum wage workers at the local delivery place.  You can see it in the finicky way I separate and space my toppings, if not from the farm fresh and wholesome ingredients.

I'm so glad my friend Rose Ann invited the kids and I to join her family out for pizza at Pie-tanza.  I got a chance to scope out some different pizza topping combinations.  My favorite was caramelized onion and gorgonzola.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2013/03/mushroom-medley-with-caramelized-onion.html


I was planning to make that pizza for this post--I had caramelized onion packages in the freezer and there was fresh gorgonzola marked down.  But we'd just come in from out of town, had no dough made, and were at the grocery store on a beer/milk/eggs/pizza crust run.

At the store, a box of marked down Gourmet Medley mushrooms caught my eye.  Why not?  To the best of my knowledge I've never had oyster, cremini, or shiiiiiiitake (say it like a penguin) mushrooms on a pizza.  First time for everything.  Glad I tried it--those mushrooms took an already awesome combination over the top!

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2013/03/mushroom-medley-with-caramelized-onion.html

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2013/03/mushroom-medley-with-caramelized-onion.html

Mushroom Medley with Caramelized Onion and Gorgonzola on Boboli®

1/4 pound (4 ounces) sliced mushrooms (I had a blend of oyster, cremini, and shiiiiitake)
1/2 cup caramelized onions
1/4 gorgonzola cheese
1 cup shredded fontina cheese
1 Boboli® pizza crust or any pre-baked crust of your choice (or see my Pizza Primer to make your own crust, if you have time--the Boboli® corporation has no clue who I am)
Penzey's Pasta Sprinkle or other Italian seasoning blend

Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.  Preheat a skillet over medium heat, melt half a teaspoon of bacon grease (if you got it, butter or olive oil if you don't), and sauté the mushrooms until they give up their juice, about 5 minutes.  Set aside.
On a plain old piece of parchment paper, top the Boboli with a layer of caramelized onions.  Scatter mushrooms on top.  Thoughtfully, with love and care, distribute the gorgonzola in dibs and dabs evenly across the pizza.  Scatter fontina over everything.  Sprinkle some Pasta Sprinkle on top.  Bake (parchment included) for 8-10 minutes until cheese is bubbly.  Cool on a rack briefly, slice, and serve.

Do you like the Penguins from Madagascar?

This post is shared with the Farm Girl Blog Fest at Let This Mind Be In You and the Clever Chicks Blog Hop at the Chicken Chick,  Taste and Tell Thursdays, and What's In The Box at In Her Chucks.

http://www.farmfreshfeasts.com/2013/03/mushroom-medley-with-caramelized-onion.html

26 comments:

  1. Okay-- THIS IS BEING MADE TONIGHT! The only change I will be making is a homemade whole wheat crust and maybe feta cheese!!! The pictures are making me hungry!!!! I found you through the Let This mind be in you blog hop and i am so glad that I did! I am hosting a linky party today and monday on my site http://www.frugalfitfamily.com and would love it if you stopped by! THANKS AGAIN!!!

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    Replies
    1. Heather,
      This combo would taste great with feta--good choice!
      I'll go check out your hop--thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  2. I just made my first cremini mushroom pizza recently too! It was delicious!

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    1. Casey,
      I've got my eyes peeled for other-than-white-button mushrooms being marked down, because they're pretty tasty!
      Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  3. Oh- My- Goodness! I love the combination of carmalized onions and gorgonzola, and the addition of those mushrooms, it a pair made in heaven!
    I want to make this one soon! Thanks for sharing Kirsten.

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    Replies
    1. Marlene,
      I'd never had gorgonzola before trying it at PieTanza, but after that, I've sought it out. I can get crumbles at Aldi, or at my cheesemonger, and I love making the combo.

      Thanks!

      Delete
  4. I'm pretty sure anytime you combine Caramelized onions and gorgonzola, you've got a winner. The mushrooms just put it over the top.

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    Replies
    1. Meghan,
      I think you're right. And now I've got a hankering for this again!
      Thanks!

      Delete
  5. Lately I've been making big batches of caramelized onions in the slow cooker, and packing them into small bags for the freezer. They'd be perfect on this pizza!

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    Replies
    1. Lydia,
      I do that, too! Even when my daughter tries to sabotage my efforts by unplugging the fruit and veg freezer to plug in her glue gun!
      I got the idea from ShockinglyDelicious and ran with it.
      Reminds me, next time onions are on sale cheap I'm going to pick up an extra bag just to caramelize.

      Thanks!

      Delete
  6. So,......I made a variation of this. It was inspired by your pizza and the holy shittake at Mellow Mushroom. I would like to post my recipe on my site http://www.frugalfitfamily.com with a nod to your original inspiration...would that be okay with you....? Let me know! Thanks for the idea.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Heather,
      I'm so glad it worked out for you and look forward to seeing your post!
      I've never been to the Mellow Mushroom--I guess I've never lived near one?--but my friend has been describing her favorite pies there so I've been playing around . . . those will be up during pepper-pickling season.
      Thanks!

      Delete
  7. I love that combo of mushrooms and I bet it was fantastic on this pizza!

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    Replies
    1. Alyssa,
      It sure was. I picked up another container a couple of days ago and had it on a whole wheat focaccia, so I'm starting to think you really can't go wrong no matter what you put them on.

      Thanks!

      Delete
  8. Love this combination! Definitely gets the wheels turning for our next pizza adventure...

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    Replies
    1. Lauren,
      It's a really good combination--would be good with pesto, too. I've got one coming later in the summer with pickled peppers as well. Too many pizzas, not enough Fridays . . .

      Thanks!

      Delete
  9. This combo sounds amazing!! My family is so stuck on pepperoni or cheese pizza I have to make my own personal pizzas constantly to get what I like :)
    We are heading to a cabin for spring break & I'm trying to keep things on the simple side for meals, was thinking of picking up some boboli! Glad I saw yours turn out so good :)

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    Replies
    1. Aggie,
      I love trying to figure out how to eat well while in another kitchen. I think a boboli or other pizza crust is a great idea!
      Thanks!

      Delete
  10. Ok, this looks awesome! I love caramelized onions they have such a great flavor. The fact that this doesn't need a sauce speaks to the flavors you are pulling in from your other ingredients. I am pinning this! Thanks so much for sharing a great recipe :)

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    Replies
    1. Krista,
      As soon as I discovered Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious' easy crock pot caramelized onions I resolved never to be without a packet in the freezer--they are so tasty!
      Thanks!

      Delete
  11. Ok, so you had me at mushrooms, but then you go and add caramelized onions AND fontina (not a huge fan of bleu cheeses)?!?! Amazing!!! Umm, just let me know if you ever feel like adopting a 28 year old child! ;) I promise to earn my keep in the form of as many pancakes as it takes! :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Heather,
      We could work something out . . . especially for pancakes!
      Thanks!

      Delete
  12. Boboli always takes me back to my childhood and our annual ski trips. it was always a treat to make homemade pizzas after a long day of being out on the slopes. Of course, our creations were never as awesome as yours. If only we had your creativity.

    Thanks for sharing and linking up!

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    Replies
    1. Heather, your ski trips with Boboli sound much better than our epic family car trips to the midwest eating crackers and Underwood chicken spread, though to this day I adore Underwood chicken spread, it's my secret . . . well I guess not any more LOL . . . sandwich pleasure. Now I'm craving that.
      It's much easier to have a creative pizza if you're at home, with a freezer full of goodies, than to do on the road. I never seem to have oven mitts when I'm cooking on vacation!

      Thanks for hosting!

      Delete
  13. Holy Crap. Just made this. We added a very light coating of pizza sauce to make it more acceptable to my meat and potatoes hubby. I was scared the Gorgonzola would be a miss for him. NOPE! HE IS IN LOVE. The BEST pizza ever, and we both agree! My brother-in-law has land here in Iowa, and the Oyster mushrooms are abundant...I'm now hoarding them.

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    Replies
    1. Susan,
      I'm delighted to hear you and your husband had a winner with this pizza. Thanks for letting me know! I'm hoping my local farmer's market has the mushroom vendor back this year--they are so good!

      Delete