Oyster or Shiitake Mushroom & Caramelized Onion Pizza

If you enjoy being creative, customizing your own pizza is a fun way to use your foodie imagination. Like mushrooms, pizza is incredibly versatile and opens the door to so many different varieties!

Here’s one of our favorite pizza recipes using our oyster or shiitake mushrooms with caramelized onions –because savory, sweet and a little salty are the best combination. Can we get an Amen??

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. of shiitake or oyster mushrooms
• Pizza dough or already made pizza crust
• ½ cup pizza sauce or marinara
• 1 T olive oil
• 2 T butter
• ½ teaspoon salt and pepper
• 1 sweet Vidalia onion, in very thin slices
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1½ – 2 cups blend of mozzarella and parmesan cheese
• A handful of Arugula (mix olive oil in Arugula)
• Garnishes – fresh thyme, basil, red pepper flakes
• Figs – if desired

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• First, prepare the onions:
  • Slice onion into thin strips.
  • Heat olive oil and butter in bottom of a pan, and add the onion strips.
  • Make sure the onions are coated with olive oil and butter.
  • Spread the onions out evenly over the pan and let cook, stirring occasionally.
  • Sprinkle salt over the onions and a little sugar to help with the caramelization process.
  • Reduce heat to medium to medium low.
  • Let them cook for approx. 30 min to 1 hour, stirring every few minutes to make sure they do not burn.
  • When the onions begin to stick to the pan, let them brown a little then stir before they burn. Add more olive oil if necessary – you don’t want the onions to become too dry.
  • Continue to cook and scrape until the onions are a browned color.
  • Add a little balsamic vinegar or wine to help deglaze the pan and add some additional flavor.
  • Set aside.
• Then sauté olive oil, butter, garlic and mushrooms. Stir until they reach the desired texture. Set aside.
• Top pizza crust lightly with pizza sauce or marinara.
• Add garlic and mushroom mixture next.
• Add caramelized onions, figs (if desired), then top with cheese.
• Bake in oven for approx. 20 minutes or until cheese is melted. (Be sure to follow the directions for your pizza crust on baking time; cooking time is based on a premade crust that simply needs to be reheated to obtain crispiness).
• When pizza is almost finished cooking, top with arugula then place back in oven for a few minutes to barely cook arugula.
• Take out of oven, top with any additional fresh herbs.
• Serve and enjoy!