Mushroom and Leek Pizza

Tonight we had mushroom and leek pizza. It's pretty darn good, if I do say so myself.



1 store bought pizza crust (we used a President's Choice thin crust, but you could certainly use a homemade crust, or even a pita bread)
Olive oil
1 Tblsp butter
6oz mushrooms (whatever kind you like, we used crimini)
1 leek, green tops removed
2 sprigs of thyme
Tomato pesto (I used PC Tomato Pesto)
Fresh mozzerella
1 plum tomato
Salt and pepper

You can attack this pizza a number of different ways: do it on the grill...do it in the oven (on a pizza stone, the back of a cookie sheet, a pizza pan, or right on the rack). I prefer the oven method for this pizza, and our pizza stone rules my world...so I will explain what I did using that cooking method, but whichever style you choose, the order is the same: heat up the crust (or prebake if you're making it from a dough), put the stuff on, cook it, eat it, lick the plate.

Crank the oven to 350, put in the stone. Heat a skillet on the stove, adding a tblsp of both olive oil and butter when the pan is hot. Add sliced mushrooms (we like them sliced thinly) and sliced leeks to soften and brown.

Let me divert your attention to something you may or may not know...leeks can be dirty veggies, and just rinsing them under the tap isn't going to get all the sand out. Get a bowl of cold water and, as you chop the leeks, place them in the bowl to float. You might need to give them a swish to break up the rings because that's where the dirt and grit will be hiding. The leek slices will float on the top, and the grit will sink to the bottom. Scoop the ones off the top and throw them into the pan. Add a bit of salt, pepper, and the thyme leaves.

Ok, back to this pizza. While the mushrooms and leeks are browning, I pulled the hot pizza stone out of the oven, oiled the bottom of the prepared pizza crust, put it on the stone, and put it in the oven to warm.

Once the crust is warmed, pull it out of the oven and smear on some tomato pesto. Distribute the mushroom/leek mess over the pesto, add slices of roma tomato, cover with rounds of fresh mozzarella. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil (optional), salt and pepper, and slide back in the oven to melt the cheese.

I really like this pizza because it's not too heavy, and I'm not a huge fan of saucy pizzas, so the pesto element of this is just perfect. Pizza is a great dinner because it's so versatile.

I also make one that has refried beans as the "sauce" and is topped with shredded cheddar and cilantro. I'll have to make that again soon. Stay tuned!