Mushroom and Olive Pizza

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             FOOD FUNNY
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Here's a classic food funny from Rosemary Zwick:

A young couple had their first baby. When it was one year old, it hadn't
said a word; one and a half years, still not a word. The parents took
the baby to a pediatrician, who said, "Everything's perfectly normal. Just be patient."

And so it went until the child's 25th month. They were all having
breakfast and the child turned to his mother and said, "This oatmeal is too lumpy!"

The parents were amazed, and asked, "Why haven't you talked before?"

The child replied, "Up till now, things have gone very well."

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             TODAY'S RECIPE
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Few things are as gratifying to the home cook as a freshly baked
homemade pizza. Naturally, you can top your with whatever you like, but
I think you'll like the combination of ingredients in this recipe.

Mushroom and Olive Pizza

4 plum tomatoes, quartered
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 Tbs (15 ml) olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
2-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 lbs (675 g) mushrooms, sliced
1 recipe basic pizza dough (see below)
1 cup (250 ml) ricotta cheese
1/2 cup (125 ml) pitted kalamata olives, sliced

Place the quartered tomatoes on a baking sheet, season with salt and
pepper, and bake in a preheated 4ooF (200C) oven until the edges are
lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a skillet over moderate heat and saute
the onion and garlic until tender but not brown, about 5 minutes. Add
the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid
has evaporated, 15 to 20 minutes. Roll the pizza dough into a 12-inch
(30 cm) circle and transfer it to a lightly greased pizza tray or baking
sheet. Spread the ricotta on top and follow with the mushrooms, tomato
wedges, and olives. Bake in a preheated 400F (200C) oven until the crust
is golden brown, about 20 minutes.
Serves 3 to 4.

Basic Pizza Dough

1 1/4 cups (300 ml) all-purpose flour
1 package (1 Tbs, 15 ml) fast-rising yeast
1/2 tsp (2 ml) sugar
1/4 tsp (1 ml) salt
1/2 cup very hot water

Combine 1 cup (250 ml) of the flour along with the remaining ingredients
in a mixing bowl. Stir the ingredients together, adding enough
additional flour to make a soft dough. Knead the dough on a floured
surface until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Cover the dough with
the inverted mixing bowl and allow to stand for 15 to 20 minutes.
Makes one 12-inch (30 cm) pizza crust.
Received on Wed Nov 12 20:25:35 2008