A Squared: What's For Dinner Wednesday: Mushroom & Pancetta Flatbread

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

What's For Dinner Wednesday: Mushroom & Pancetta Flatbread

As a self-proclaimed mushroom hater, I never thought I'd be sharing a pizza recipe with you where mushrooms are the main event. But that's where we are today. And actually, this pizza is really delicious. Food blogging makes strange bed fellows, that's for sure.


I recently told you a bit about my experience with Farmbox Direct, an organic produce subscription service. I was so excited to open my first Farmbox and see so much amazing local produce, but a bit perplexed on what to do with the huge container of button mushrooms that came as part of the delivery. I'm not a big fan of mushrooms and you'll notice that anytime I include them in a recipe, they usually show up in more of a supporting role than as the star of the show. In a cooking event like this, I know exactly what to do: lean on flavor building ingredients (like wine, fresh herbs, and onions) and tried and true complimentary flavors (like Swiss cheese) to make this ingredient shine. And thus, this French/Swiss/Alpine-inspired flatbread was born.


While I don't love mushrooms, I really like them as a part of this flavor and texture combination. Sauteing the mushrooms in white wine and adding thyme and onion to the mixture really brings out some amazing earthy flavor and a little sweetness. It also creates a nice base of moisture for this sauce-less flatbread. Combined with the savory quality of pancetta and Swiss cheese, this flatbread has several layers of flavor happening. I also divide the thyme so that half of it cooks with the mushrooms and those flavors start to meld together. The other half is reserved for sprinkling over the top after baking. It adds some nice freshness to this hearty flatbread.


My husband-- while a mushroom lover-- was skeptical when I told him it was pizza night and he saw that this was not a cheese and pepperoni situation. However, he was a believer once we sat down to eat and called dibs on the leftovers for lunch the next day too.


This flatbread would make an excellent appetizer, if sliced smaller. Or paired with a simple greens salad, this makes a lovely European-inspired dinner that feels fancy, but is actually pretty simple to make.


Ingredients:

  • 4 oz. pancetta, diced
  • 1 tsp. olive oil
  • 1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced
  • 6 oz. mushrooms, rough chopped
  • 1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves, divided
  • 1 cup white wine *I used a Sauvignon Blanc
  • 10 oz. prepared pizza dough
  • 1 1/2 cups grated Swiss cheese
  • Salt and pepper, to taste


Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add pancetta to the hot skillet and sauté for about 5 minutes or until crisp, stirring frequently. Remove pancetta with a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper towel lined plate.

Reduce the heat of the pan to medium and swirl in olive oil. Add onions and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in mushrooms, 1/2 tsp. thyme leaves, and salt and pepper. Carefully pour in the wine and sauté for an additional 8-10 minutes, stirring often until liquid in the pan has reduced and is almost completely evaporated.

Meanwhile, season the prepared crust with salt and pepper and sprinkle 1 cup cheese evenly over the top, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edges. Top evenly with the mushroom mixture, following with the pancetta. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup cheese over the top and bake for 10 minutes until crust is golden and cheese is browned and bubbly.

Remove the pizza from the oven and allow to cool for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining thyme leaves, slice, and serve.

7 comments:

  1. mmmm okay im not a mushroom fan but i LOVE homemade pizza! xo jillian - cornflake dreams

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm learning to like mushrooms... this pizza is the perfect way to start eating them!

      Delete
  2. My husband used to hate mushrooms - now he's a huge fan. Can't wait to make this for him!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know the feeling! I am just now starting to like them too!

      Delete
  3. loved to know about chicago resturants and amazing recipies, and thank you so much for the travel guidance, it makes me crazy to go for visit in chicago, keep posting with more.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Such a nice article. Its really helpful and useful article. I like your recipe and you shared a pictures look like tasty. Thank you sharing a recipe with us. Now it's time to get Long distance taxi for more information.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I enjoyed reading every single bit of this article. I am impressed. Thanks for sharing this informative article with us. This post is interesting. Now its time to avail Cheap 10 seat minibus hire in New Eltham for more information.

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...