Oyster Mushroom Pizza with Spinach, Paprika, and Chives
Show your fungi love with this oyster mushroom pizza, which pairs the oyster's earthy flavor with baby spinach, sweet paprika, fresh chives, parmesan, and cream.
Makes: 1 (12- to 14-inch) pizza
Cost: $15
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 8 ounces oyster mushrooms, broken/chopped into 1 to 2-inch pieces
- 1 large garlic clove, minced or pressed
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 (14- to 16-ounce) ball pizza dough
- extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 handful baby spinach
- ½ cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese
- sweet paprika, for sprinkling
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives (or more as desired)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 500°F (if using a baking sheet) or as high as it will go (if using a baking stone/steel; place the stone in the top third or place the steel in the bottom third of the oven before you start preheating). Let the oven preheat for at least 30 minutes. Then, if you’re using a baking stone or steel, switch the oven to Broil on high.
- Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms are just tender. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and remove the pan from the heat.
- Stretch or roll out your dough to a 12- to 14-inch circle, then transfer it to a baking sheet / pizza pan or a lightly floured pizza peel (if using a baking stone/steel).
- Prick the dough all over with a fork (to prevent big bubbles from forming in the center as it bakes), then brush it lightly with olive oil, making sure to get all the way to the edges. Scatter the mushrooms evenly on top, followed by the spinach. Season with a pinch of salt and a grind or two of black pepper, then add the Parmesan cheese and sprinkle with paprika. (Make sure you don't add clumps of paprika; hold the jar about 6 inches above the pizza and sprinkle as evenly as you can in a zig-zag pattern.) Drizzle with half of the cream.
- Transfer the pizza to the oven and bake until the crust is golden and the cheese has browned in spots—8 to 10 minutes on the baking sheet, 5 to 8 minutes on the baking stone/steel.
- Remove the pizza from the oven, drizzle with the remaining cream, and sprinkle with the chives. Wait about 5 minutes before slicing and serving.