Sunday, June 13, 2010

Mushroom Pizza with a Surprise

When I saw this recipe for Mushroom Pizza on the Food Network show, Ask Aida, I just knew I wanted to give it a try. I was really curious about the idea of putting a fried egg on top of the pizza. The verdict? Aida knows her pizza...because it was delicious. Here is the recipe below. I tweaked a couple of the ingredients in an attempt to make it a bit healthier and I will tell you what I did as I type.

Herb Roasted Mushrooms with Fried Egg

Ingredients:
1 1/4 lbs. button or cremini mushrooms (I used baby bellas cause I thought they would be tastier)
1/4 cup olive oil
4 sprigs rosemary
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 (1 lb.) store bought pizza crust (I bought a whole wheat one...yum!)
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
8 oz. ricotta (I used part skim)
1 large egg

Directions:
Heat oven to 450 degrees F and arrange rack in the middle.

Combine mushrooms, 3 tablespoons oil, and rosemary on a baking sheet. Season with salt and black pepper and toss to coat. Place in oven and roast until mushrooms are shrunken and browned. About 20 minutes. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and toss to coat. This smells great by the way and would probably be delicious all on it's own!




Scatter half the Parmesan on the pizza. Discard rosemary and arrange mushrooms on the top. Distribute the ricotta across the top and drizzle with the remaining Parmesan and a little extra olive oil. Bake until the crust is browned and the cheese is melted, about 20 minutes.



Meanwhile, heat a small frying pan over medium heat, and add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add egg and fry until set, bubbly, and brown on the edges. Carefully add remaining 3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and cook until the vinegar is reduced and syrupy. When I added the vinegar to the pan things got a little smoky. Make sure to turn the fan on above your stove. I didn't at first and my smoke detector got a bit angry!


Place egg on top of pizza, drizzle balsamic reduction over pizza and enjoy!