Japanese Mushroom Thin Crust Pizza

Last month my friend from China took me to explore Houston's China Town! I have always wanted to check it out ever since we moved here but I was scared I was gonna be that awkward American, stumbling around, and ordering all the wrong things so it was nice to have a guide. The Market was unlike anything I've ever seen, I suddenly felt like I was transported into one of those Andrew Zimmern shows and I was wandering through the market in Xian. I have never seen any place that takes the word fresh so literally, the seafood section was full of live fish, turtles, crawfish, frogs, you name it! Plus the produce section was a thing of beauty. I decided to play it pretty safe my first go-round (plus I had to choose things that would keep for some time in the car) so I chose some colorful greens called Amaranth, seasoned extra firm tofu, matcha candy, and these beautiful Brown Beech Mushrooms.

Since cheese (and pizzas for that matter) are pretty obsolete in Asian cooking this recipe is a bit of a stretch but I wanted to make something that was summery and light (also I was just realllyyy craving some pizza ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ . I used Parmesan and crumbled queso fresco (baaaad choice Annie) since I was trying to use up what I had in the fridge but of course it turned slightly rubbery because these cheeses aren't really known for there melting qualities. I made it again and I used a mix of goat and mozzarella and it was cheesy melty perfection.

I actually went all out and made my thin crust pizza dough but I wasn't really happy with the results (it turned out kind of sad and doughy) do I won't be sharing that recipe with you. I would recommend going to your local grocery and/or pizza store and buying some raw dough OR get this brand from World Market that is one of my faves OR if you have a really good thin crust recipe you could use that too...and uhhh tell me that recipe while you're at it.


Japanese Mushroom Thin Crust Pizza

makes on 12 inch pizza

3 garlic cloves, minced
1 (bunch) package Japanese Mushrooms, cleaned and cut lengthwise
1 TBS olive oil
1 tsp sesame oil
2 shallots, thinly sliced
1/4 cup high quality olive oil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried parsley
1 TBS fresh chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup goat cheese (or all mozzarella of that's more your thing)
1/2 cup mozzarella
more cilantro for garnish

1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a saute pan add olive oil and sesame oil and heat on medium low setting. Add shallots, garlic, and mushrooms and saute until soft.
2.In a mixing bowl whisk 1/4 oil with oregano, parsley, and cilantro.
3.To assemble, place dough on a pizza pan or stone, brush olive and herb mix over the surface. Sprinkle goat cheese and then mushroom mixture evenly on top.
4.Place in oven and bake until crispy on bottom and slightly brown around edges. Serve hot alone or paired with a salad.