A few years ago when we lived in Colorado we had a favorite place in downtown Boulder called The Med that had a fantastic happy hour. Sure, the drinks were good (sangria anyone?) but our favorite part was the fantastic tapas menu. There was a margherita pizza that we would order multiples of, and we always left so stuffed that there was no dreaming up dinner by the time we got home.

About a year after our first Med happy hour, we were lucky enough to get actual pizza making lessons from the founder in a traveling brick pizza oven, and it was at that point that I started dreaming up a backyard pizza oven for our future dream house. Much like the lovely Zaza’s Pizza here in Little Rock, this pizza oven fired out the good stuff in seconds flat, as a good hot pizza oven should.

While we don’t have our dreamy Pinterest-worthy backyard patio complete with wood-burning oven, I have perfected the art of pizza in our electric range. It requires no fancy equipment, no fancy pizza dough recipe, and you can choose any toppings you like. I love this cozy version with breakfast sausage, butter-sauteed leeks and sliced mushrooms all on a bed of super simple bechamel sauce. It sounds complicated, but it’s really all about rustic ingredients that will bring people closer to the table.

As for the pizza dough, I hardly ever make my own – I’ve found that Whole Foods (or a local pizza place) can supply that need in much quicker fashion than I can. BUT if you have a favorite dough recipe far be it from me to keep you from using it!

As with all food, this pizza is best served with loved ones, a nice glass of wine (if you like) and a fresh salad. Enjoy!

Sausage, Leek and Mushroom Pizza

2014-11-12 14:27:10

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Ingredients

1. 1 large ball pizza dough (enough for one large pizza - about 20 inches)
2. 4 ounces breakfast sausage, browned and crumbled
3. 1 large leek, white and light green parts only, cut in half and then cut into ½-inch half moons
4. 4 large cremini mushrooms, sliced
5. 2 tablespoons butter, divided
6. 1 tablespoon flour
7. 1 cup milk (I highly recommend using cow’s milk of some kind for this)
8. ½ teaspoon salt
9. ½ teaspoon black pepper
10. ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
11. 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
12. ¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees and place a large cookie sheet OR pizza stone (whatever you have on hand) in the oven. You want it to be screaming hot.
2. In a small saute pan, melt one tablespoon of butter and add the leeks. Cook until the leeks are tender, stirring occasionally, about 5-7 minutes.
3. In a small saucepan over medium heat melt the remaining tablespoon of butter.
4. Add the flour and whisk together to create a roux, and cook for about 1 minute to let the flour flavor cook out.
5. Whisking constantly, pour in the milk and whisk until all lumps are removed.
6. Add the salt, pepper and nutmeg and whisk to combine.
7. Let the milk mixture come to a simmer, whisking occasionally, until very thick and then remove from the heat.
8. Roll the pizza dough out until it is large enough to completely cover the pan you’re preheating in the oven.
9. When the oven and pan are hot, carefully remove the pan and quickly (and carefully!) spread the dough on top.
10. Return the pan to the oven and bake for 5-6 minutes.
11. Remove the dough from the oven and spread the bechamel sauce evenly on top.
12. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
13. Sprinkle evenly with the crumbled sausage, leeks and sliced mushrooms.
14. Sprinkle the top with Parmesan cheese.
15. Return the pizza to the oven rack by sliding it gently off of the hot pan.
16. Bake for 8-10 minutes until the crust is slightly crisp and the cheese is bubbly and melted.
17. Remove from the oven and let cool for about 2-3 minutes before digging in.
18. Enjoy!

By Heather Disarro of Heather's Dish

Arkansas Women Bloggers https://arkansaswomenbloggers.com/

Heather Disarro is a food-centric lifestyle blogger who is passionate about embracing the beauty that surrounds us with in our everyday lives. She is a Texan living the expat life in central Arkansas with her husband, son and two massive dogs. Heather writes her blog, Heather’s Dish, from an office filled with dust, dog fur, toys and plenty of love, grace and music.  She specializes in creating delicious and creatively nourishing recipes.  Cooking seasonally and with as many local ingredients as possible is an important component to Heather’s style of food, and she revels in the opportunity to bring the love of cooking to the world as a way to love others well!