There’s been a good deal of wild mushroom foraging recently at Chez Foti. Magnificent Parasol Mushrooms have been popping up literally all over our garden the last couple of weeks and I’ve been on a bit of a picking and eating frenzy. I wasn’t too sure what they were at first but after consultation with two sets of very knowledgeable neighbours and my trusty mushroom book I was pretty excited to find they were exceptionally good to eat!. And in fact some of the finest mushrooms I’ve ever tasted. We also have ceps and chanterelles growing in our garden, but there’s been very few this year (and neither in my opinion have been as good as the Parasols).
And so there’s been no end of wonderful freebie wild mushroom dinners lately at Chez Foti. Mushroom bruschetta, tarts, pizzas and risottos a plenty. Times like this make living here pretty special, when you really can eat off the land.
Parasol Mushroom
I make a lot of pizzas as at Chez Foti. Mainly because we have an original wood-fired bread oven in the lounge of our house which bakes amazing pizzas throughout the colder months (it’s too hot to light up most of the summer). But this pizza was actually baked in my new oven, testing out it’s pizza baking capabilities. And I wasn’t disappointed, it did the wonderful foraged mushrooms the justice they deserve.
I’ve been experimenting lately with tomato-less bases or ‘white’ pizzas, well since the tomatoes finished anyway (although it seems I have half a freezer of tomato sauce to use up!) . The ricotta, lemon zest, chili and parsley base on this pizza complements the heavenly rich roasted garlic and thyme wild mushrooms. Incidentally don’t skip on the pre-roasting of the mushrooms; roasting gives them a much stronger, richer and somehow more meaty texture and flavour. Truly divine.
If you can’t forage or buy your own wild mushrooms choose some interesting shop bought ones, big or small. Ideally anything but the boring and bland button mushies anyway!.
Jacques looking pretty happy with our find
I’m entering this blog to a couple of bloggie challenges. Firstly, as there’s a fair flavouring of herbs, to the lovely Herbs on Saturday challenge, the baby of Karen @ Lavender & Lovage, and this month hosted by Blue Kitchen Bakes.
And secondly to Simple and in Season, held by Ren Behan of the fabulous Fabulicious Food blog!
Roasted Wild Mushroom Pizza
Serves 1 – 2 (depending on your appetite for pizza!)
One quantity of pizza dough (I usually stick to a Jamie Oliver recipe, using part semolina flour when I can get it)
175g of wild or interesting shop bought mushrooms, wiped but not washed
2 tablespoons of olive oil
20g of butter
a few sprigs of thyme, leaves removed
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and cut in half
salt & freshly ground black pepper
120g of ricotta
zest of ½ a lemon, plus a little juice
½ a red chili (or a whole one if you prefer), seeds removed and finely sliced
a heaped tablespoon of finely chopped flat leaved parsley
a heaped tablespoon of finely grated parmesan
extra virgin olive oil or truffle oil to finish
Pre-heat your oven to 200ºC.
Start by roasting off your mushrooms. Tear or cut the mushrooms into large bite size pieces. Combine in a small baking dish with the olive oil, butter, thyme, garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper. Place in the oven for 10 minutes, giving everything a good move around half way through.
Meanwhile prepare the ricotta base. Mix together the ricotta, lemon zest, chili, parsley and a pinch of salt and pepper in a small bowl.
Once the mushrooms have roasted remove the garlic from the pan and finely slice. Add the garlic back to the mushrooms. Turn the oven temperature up to the hottest it will go and put your pizza stone or baking tray in to heat up.
Now for the pizza. Roll out your pizza dough to your desired size and thickness. I personally prefer mine very thin. Place on your hot pizza stone or baking tray.
Spread the ricotta evenly over the base. Scatter on the mushrooms and sliced garlic and sprinkle over the grated parmesan. Finally give the pizza a squeeze of lemon and a generous drizzling of some very good extra virgin olive oil OR if you’re lucky enough to have any (I’m not!) I’m pretty sure truffle oil would be sublime.
Place in your extremely hot oven and cook until crisp and golden. This could be anywhere between 5 and 15 minutes! Our woodfired bread/pizza oven usually takes less than 5 minutes.
Lots of lovely Parasols
- Master J having a good look through Mummy’s Mushroom Book!
Chez Foti 
November 18th, 2012 at 8:51 pm
Wow, looks yummy Louisa! I LOVE LOVE LOVE mushrooms on my pizzas!
November 20th, 2012 at 11:35 am
So do I Anne, particularly when they’ve a little flavour to them!
November 18th, 2012 at 9:53 pm
Your pizza is just how I like mine, beautifully thin. Must try a white pizza, although I have no hope of collecting such wonderful mushrooms sadly.
Have pizza oven envy too!
November 20th, 2012 at 11:39 am
I’m never too keen on thick crusted pizzas, I prefer a pizza to be all about the topping. Tomato-less pizzas make a nice change from the norm.
November 18th, 2012 at 9:55 pm
Looks delicious Louisa. Very keen to build pizza oven in our garden. How fantastic having an original one in your house!
November 20th, 2012 at 11:41 am
Go for it! I’d really like an outdoor one too, for the Summer. Along with an outdoor kitchen. Though with a whole house still to renovate then a cottage to re-construct….it’s sadly not in the 5 year plan, maybe not even the 10!.
November 18th, 2012 at 10:03 pm
I am so envious of your garden. Ceps and chanterelles! Mushroom pizza is my favourite pizza and I love the idea of roasting the mushrooms. Lovely post
November 20th, 2012 at 11:44 am
Thanks Urvashi, we’re very lucky to have a veritable feast on our doorstep!. Roasting the mushrooms seems to skyrocket their glorious flavour, and stops them from being the remotest bit mushy. Amazing in a risotto like this too (a Jamie Oliver tip actually!).
November 18th, 2012 at 11:35 pm
This sounds so good – I love mushrooms but we don’t often have them – daughter doesn’t like them… Next time she’s out at a friend’s for tea, your pizza is on the menu!
November 20th, 2012 at 11:46 am
My two are none too keen on mushrooms either, unless they’re chopped so small they can’t identify…which kind of defeats the point!. I tend to make them their own pizza with whatever they fancy and do our own more grown up ones with all the things they’ll complain at.
November 19th, 2012 at 5:15 pm
That looks like seriously good pizza! I am so jealous of your pizza oven…that sounds like a lot of fun to have. My garden is severely lacking in wild mushrooms …:( Lucky lucky you!
November 20th, 2012 at 11:53 am
Most of our garden is woodland so we’re pretty lucky on the mushroom front. Bet you have some mushrooms nearby though?. Everywhere I look at the minute seems to be carpeted in them, mainly inedible now though I think?!. I don’t suppose you know of any local general foraging or mushroom courses do you?
November 20th, 2012 at 12:15 pm
My father in law has a small wood so sometimes he gives us some mushrooms….often huge ones, puffballs I think they are called. You can literally slice them up like bread!
I don’t know of any courses but I will ask around. x
November 20th, 2012 at 1:17 pm
I haven’t seen any puffballs here, but they grow near my mum and dads house in Herefordshire. They’re amazing. Thanks for offering to ask around. I’ve not heard of anything our way.
November 20th, 2012 at 3:58 am
I’d make lots of pizza if we had a pizza oven too! Master J is quite an advanced reader for his age. Can he come tutor the ponytails?
November 20th, 2012 at 1:15 pm
Ha ha, he is rather clever isn’t he! He really loves my mushroom book, screaming incessantly at every page, ‘Look Mummy, more more Mushrooms!’.
November 20th, 2012 at 3:01 pm
I had no idea Parasol mushrooms were so big. What an idyllic life to be able to forage the ingredients so close to home.
November 22nd, 2012 at 3:25 pm
They can grow much bigger than these even apparently! Pretty impressive sights around the garden, though sadly they’ve all now finished 😦
December 1st, 2012 at 9:54 pm
I love mushrooms sadly my boyfriend doesn’t so I don’t have them very often, might have to make a version of this for myself one night though. Thanks for entering Herbs on Saturday.
December 3rd, 2012 at 11:41 am
Thanks Jen, oh make it for yourself! Love a mushroom pizza!
December 3rd, 2012 at 5:41 pm
Your pizza look mouth wateringly delicious, love wild mushrooms!
December 3rd, 2012 at 7:49 pm
Thanks Camilla. Wild mushrooms certainly knock the socks off the boring wee buttons any day!
December 3rd, 2012 at 6:09 pm
[…] BIG congratulations to last month’s winner Louisa at Chez Foti for her Roasted Wild Mushroom Pizza […]
December 15th, 2012 at 10:26 am
Really stunning recipe and photos, I love the one of your son holding the basket and of the roasted mushrooms. Thank you for entering Simple and in Season the round up is now live. I sent you a message too, can you host in March as we have a back-up now due to a longer January round? Ren x
April 10th, 2014 at 1:44 am
[…] been going on homemade pizzas along with our courgettes and tomatoes, and I recommend this lovely roast mushroom version from Louisa of Eat Your […]