::vegetarian:zaaah::

Not everyone is a meat-eater so here is a recipe that doesn't include any meat and it looks mouthwateringly delicious! 

Bon Appetit!

Shiitake Mushroom Pizza

Try this shittake mushroom pizza for a family-friendly meal any night of the week. 

Yield: Makes one 12-inch pizza

Ingredients

2 tablespoons grapeseed oil

1-1/2 cups shiitake mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

1/4 recipe Pizza Dough {or get the ready-made ones at your grocery store}

Semolina flour, for dusting {I will pass on this one}

Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

1/4 cup fresh ricotta cheese

3 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese

2 teaspoons chopped thyme leaves

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions

Heat grapeseed oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring, until softened, about five minutes. Remove from heat. 

Place a pizza stone {available at most kitchen-supply stores} on floor of a gas oven {remove racks} or bottom rack of electric oven. Preheat oven to at least 500 degrees for 1 hour. 

Shape dough into a round. Holding top edge of dough rough in both hands, let bottom edge touch work surface. Carefully move hands around edge to form a circle, as if turning a wheel. Hold dough on back of your hand, letting its weight stretch it into a 12-inch round. Transfer dough to a pizza peel {or an inverted baking sheet} lightly dusted with semolina flour. Press out edges using your fingers. Jerk peel; if dough sticks, lift, and dust more flour underneath. 

Drizzle olive oil over dough, leaving a 1-inch border. Arrange cheeses evenly over olive oil. Top with cooked mushrooms and thyme leaves; season with salt and pepper. 

Heat oven to broil. Align edge of peel with edge of stone. Tilt peel, jerking it gently to move pizza. When edge of pizza touches stone, quickly pull back peel to transfer pizza to stone. {Do not move pizza}. Broil until crust begins to bubble, 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce temperature to 500 degrees, and bake until crust is crisp and golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes more. {If not using broiler, bake pizza for 10 to 15 minutes total.} Remove pizza from oven using peel; drizzle with additional olive oil, if desired. Slice and serve. 

I didn't really read through the directions when I chose this recipe and it's just a lot of rambling about the "peel" and transferring the dough and whatnot. I think I would have liked it much better if they explained how they cooked up the shiitake mushrooms. Either way, the idea is still there and you can use your imagination. The picture still looks delicious and I will be giving this recipe a try regardless but won't follow this recipe to a T. 

Will let you know how it turns out. :)

-S.*

[Source: Martha Stewart Living Website}