Receta Portobello Mushroom and Sausage Pizzas...
The rains have returned. But that's life in Seattle - one day it's sunny and 70 and everyone runs around in skimpy clothes thinking it's summer and the next it's 48 and rainy - then everyone puts on socks with sandals and flannel shirts over their wife beaters and shorts. Well, not everyone. Just the loggers. And the Microsofties. Most everyone. Which is why Seattle has a coffee shop on every corner - bipolar weather makes people want to drink something hot - and eat something hot...and that is why, my friends, we had pizza for dinner. But not just ordinary pizza...as the mister said, "Why can't a guy just get a pizza from Dominoes instead of designer pizza?!" Why indeed? Well, I'll tell you why...one simple reason, this pizza is downright better. End of discussion.
No crust to deal with...for some people pizza is all about the crust but if you're from "Southbeach" or diabetic, this is the perfect pizza. Portobello mushrooms, so perfectly round - just the right size to hold cooked Italian sausage and onions (and you could add green peppers and garlic, too!), topped with purchased marinara sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese and fresh basil...oh...to have a computer "smell" key right now! One was filling enough for me but the mister downed two! That's his standard operating procedure...complain loudly then lick the plate clean.
- Portobello Mushroom and Sausage Pizzas - Adapted from Bon Appetite, August 1997
- 4 (4-inch-diameter) portobello mushrooms, stemmed, dark gills scraped away
- olive oil
- 2 sweet Italian sausages (about 10 oz.), casings removed
- 1/2 white onion, finely chopped
- dried crush red pepper to taste (I used about 1/2 teaspoon)
- 1/2 cup purchased marinara sauce
- 1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
- fresh basil, chopped, for topping
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush mushrooms with oil, on the smooth outside of the mushroom; arrange oil-side down on a baking sheet. Bake mushrooms until almost tender, about 8 minutes. Maintain oven temperature.
Saute sausage and onions in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until brown and cooked through; breaking up sausage with the back of a spoon into small pieces, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove sausage and onions from skillet. Divide sausage/onion mixture evenly between the mushrooms. Top each with crushed red pepper then about 2 tablespoons marinara sauce (or more if the mushrooms can hold it) and about 2 tablespoons mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle fresh basil over tops.
Bake mushroom pizzas until heated through, about 10 minutes. Makes 4 pizzas. Serves 2.