Palak Khumb Pizza: Spinach Mushroom Pizza

Palak Khumb Pizza/ Spinach Mushroom Pizza

This recipe goes Global Kadai-Indian Flavoured Pizzas event, hosted by Lavanya of Home Cook's Recipes. Used the traditional Palak recipe but omitted ginger and green chillies and used just the flavours of cummin and garlic. The flavours went surprisingly well together with the spinach puree, mushrooms and the light sprinkling of cheese.

Palak Khumb Pizza/Spinach Mushroom Pizza

Pizza Dough: Used the Willliams  and Sonoma Pizza Dough recipe; however they do not give the baking time or temperature. Pre heated the oven to 450 F and baked the pizza for 15-20 minutes.

Pizza Sauce/ Home-made Tomato Base: 1/2 Cup of Tomato Sauce: The base was a tomato, red chilli, salt, black pepper base: chopped, skinless roma tomatoes  seasoned with salt, black pepper, red chilli flakes and reduced on medium-high heat; then pureed to a thick sauce consistency.

Cheese: 1 Cup grated parmesan for the Spinach Mushroom half.
Garnish: 1tbsp of finely chopped fresh green coriander.

Ingredients

Palak/Spinach layer

4 cups tightly packed, roughly chopped spinach leaves

1/4 tsp turmeric

2 tbsps finely chopped onions

3 cloves of garlic, lightly crushed

1/4 tsp cummin seeds

1/4 tsp red chilli powder

salt

1/2 tbsp vegetable oil/ 1/2 tbsp butter

Khumb/Mushroom layer

3 large baby bella mushrooms, sliced thick

1/8th tsp turmeric powder

1/4 tsp red chilli powder

1 pinch of asafoetida

salt

1 tsp vegetable oil

Method for cooking the Palak/ Spinach layer

Heat the oil/butter,

Temper the cummin seeds,

Turn the heat down to medium,

Add the onions, garlic cloves and saute until soft,

Add the turmeric  and red chilli powder and saute for a couple of minutes,

Add the chopped spinach leaves and saute until soft- for 3-4 minutes

Season with salt,

Grind to a smooth paste without any water,

Keep aside.

Method for cooking the Khumb/ Mushrooms layer

Heat the oil a nd add the mushroom slices alongwith the red chilli powder and  turmeric powder,

Fry for 2 minutes,

Add the  pinch of asafoetida and stir well.
Keep aside and let cool.

1. Layer one half of the pizza base with 1/2 Cup- 3/4 Cup [depending on preference; I would prefer a lighter touch with the sauce]

2. Layer the pureed spinach/palak over one half of the pizza base in the  cookie sheet. Next time I will use  a couple of tablespoons less. Here again, a lighter touch works much better than a thick gooey layer!

3. Sprinkle just 1/3 cup of grated parmesan cheese over the spinach layer,

4. Layer the mushrooms over the cheese [single layer],

5. Sprinkle 2/3 Cups of grated parmesan over the mushroom layer.

6. [Alongwith the completed/layered other half, bake the pizza in a 450 F pre-heated oven for 15-20 minutes until the top is melted  and sides are starting to turn a golden colour.]

Regular Mushroom Pizza

Half of the pizza catered to our 10 year old's traditional palatte: organic store-bought pasta sauce, topped with mushrooms, sprinkled with with dried and fresh basil and topped with extra mozzarella and parmesan cheese.

Ingredients

1/2 Cup Organic Pasta sauce

1tsp dried basil

3 large baby bella mushrooms, sliced

1 cup grated parmesan

1/3 cup grated mozzarella cheese

5, fresh basil leaves, torn

Method

Spread the sauce evenly over the pizza base,

Sprinkle with 1 tsp of dried basil,

Layer 1/3 Cup of grated parmesan,

Layer the mushroom slices,

Spread 2/3 Cup of grated parmesan evenly over the mushroom,

Sprinkle 1/2 cup of grated parmesan,

Add half of  roughly chopped fresh basil leaves,

Bake at 450 oven for 15- 20 minutes

Garnish with fresh basil leaves and serve.

Notes:

The pizza dough recipe, from the WS website is a keeper!

Pizza Pan: Half sheet Cookie Sheet Pan from WS.

The second step in the instructions for pulling and shaping the pizza was not successful. So I had to refold it and shape into a ball and then work again from there into a rectangular shape.

Did not use the rolling pin and used my hands to shape it/press it into the pan.

The edges were made a little thicker and final product was about 3/4 of an inch thick.

The asafoetida flavour did not come through and I would omit it next time and probably use  cummin.

Would also take about 2 tbsps less of the Spinach puree and spread it a little  more thinly on the base.