Mushroom Crust Pizza – For Special Guests

Montreal’s Blue Metropolis international literary festival is in full swing now. You can find tickets to all kinds of fascinating events. I just finished Nigerian Chimamanda Adichie‘s third novel, Americanah, one of the most informative and well-crafted books I’ve read lately. The antithesis of Seinfeld, Adichie finds truth and significance in life’s little nothings.

Nigerian cuisine is entirely foreign to me, but if I were lucky enough to entertain Chimamanda, I’d serve her this delicious Mushroom Crust Pizza.

Mushroom Crust 

• 2 pints sliced mushrooms
• 3/4 c each grated pizza mozzarella, Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 c scallions, finely minced
• 1/2 t oregano
• freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 420F.

In a food processor, briefly mince mushrooms, then add cheese, scallions, oregano, eggs, salt and pepper, pulsing just until blended.

On a baking pan coated with parchment paper, form mushroom crust, pressing and spreading with both hands to make a thin even crust.

Bake for 10 minutes. Allow crust to cool for 5 minutes.

Mushroom Crust Pizza

• 1/2 c good quality tomato sauce
• 1/4 c grated pizza mozzarella
• 1 T grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 2 T each chopped parsley, scallions
• 2 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
• 1/2 red pepper, finely sliced
• 1 t olive oil

Layer sauce, cheese, peppers, tomatoes, scallions and parsley on cooled crust.

Bake at 420F for 10 minutes. Brush olive oil on tomatoes and peppers and broil for a minute or two, until bubbly hot and beginning to brown. Let cool for a couple of minutes before slicing. Serves 4. Delicious served with a green salad and a glass of chardonnay.

Mushroom Crust Pizza Print Ready Recipe

• While you can’t eat Mushroom Crust Pizza without utensils, you can have salad as a finger food.  Serve romaine lettuce torpedo style in full length spears, drizzled with the tastiest white balsamic vinegar and some black pepper and Herbamare sea salt. 
• Mushroom Crust Pizza was wonderful reheated and served alongside lightly breaded oven-baked cod.
• Read Americanah for the pleasure of enjoying brilliant writing and gaining insight into race relations in the US and the UK. And watch the eloquent, lovely Chimamanda Adichie  in her Ted Talks — “The danger of a single story” and “We should all be feminists.”