The Hunt

We look forward to hunting season each fall. When the morning fog comes, we know it’s time to head for the forest. We stalk our prey armed with a pocket knife, a pastry brush, and lots of brown paper bags. We are in pursuit of the wild and elusive chanterelle mushroom.


And the extremely rare lobster mushroom.


They hide under clods of soil, they’re camouflaged as fallen leaves, but they cannot evade capture for long. We’re on their trail.

We had a good hunt.


We’ve been feasting ever since. This week I made chanterelle soup, herbed polenta with creamy chanterelle sauce, and some fantastic wild mushroom pizzas, and we’ve only eaten our way through half of the mushrooms so far. We’d better start planning our next hunting trip.


Wild Mushroom Pizza
Printable Recipe

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
¾ pound wild mushrooms, sliced or torn into bite-size pieces
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 recipe Simple Pizza Dough
1 recipe Alfredo Sauce, at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 500˚F with a baking stone on the center rack.

Heat a large, heavy sauté pan over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the mushrooms and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes, or until tender.


Season to taste with salt and pepper and let cool.

Gently deflate the dough, cut it in half, and form each half into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for about 15 minutes.

Keeping the remaining dough covered as you work, gently stretch 1 half into a circle, about 12 inches across and slightly thicker around the edges. Place the crust onto a 14-inch parchment paper circle on a baker’s peel. Spread with half of the sauce, leaving a 1-inch border at the edge, and top with half of the mushrooms. Carefully slide the pizza with the parchment onto the baking stone in the oven and bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until golden brown. Meanwhile, assemble the second pizza with the remaining dough, sauce, and mushrooms in the same manner. Bake the second pizza after the first one is done. Cut the pizzas into wedges and serve.

Makes 2 12-inch pizzas. The oven needs to be good and hot for pizza, so preheat it for at least an hour while the dough rises. Don’t be tempted to skip sautéing the mushrooms, all the moisture that raw mushrooms exude will make for a soggy pizza crust. I like to use parchment paper rather than semolina for sliding the crust off the peel into the oven. It’s less messy and absolutely foolproof, eliminating any chance that the pizza will stick to the peel.

Pizza Dough

Back away from the phone. You don’t need delivery tonight. You can make homemade pizza, it’s easier than you might think.

Simple Pizza Dough
Printable Recipe

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing the bowl
1 1/3 cups warm (about 110˚) water
2 ¼ teaspoons (1 envelope) active dry yeast
½ teaspoon sugar
3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon kosher salt

Oil a large bowl. Combine the water, yeast, and sugar in a small bowl and stir to dissolve. Whisk together the flour and salt in another large bowl. Add the yeast mixture and oil and mix until a rough dough forms. Transfer to a work surface and knead for 8 to 10 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Form into a ball, place into the oiled bowl, and turn to coat with the oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise for about 1 ½ hours, or until doubled in volume.

Enough for 2 12-inch crusts. This dough is also great for making calzones and breadsticks.

No Fear

I’m not afraid of either.

Alfredo Sauce
Printable Recipe

1 cup heavy cream
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 clove garlic, grated
Generous pinch freshly grated nutmeg
1 cup grated Parmegiano-Reggiano
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Combine the cream, butter, garlic, and nutmeg in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer, stirring frequently, for about 15 minutes, or until thickened and saucy. Remove from the heat, stir in the Parmegiano, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Enough for 1 recipe Fresh Egg Pasta fettuccini or 1 pound of dry fettuccini. Boil the pasta while the sauce simmers. Once the pasta is al dente, drain it well, toss it with the sauce, and serve immediately.

On the Side

How about a new side dish recipe to add to your repertoire? This one’s so good, everybody always asks for seconds.

Cauliflower with Breadcrumbs & Parmegiano
Printable Recipe

4 to 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing the baking dish
1 ½ pounds cauliflower florets, blanched
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 ½ cups panko breadcrumbs
1 cup grated Parmegiano-Reggiano
Generous pinch freshly grated nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Butter an 11×7-inch baking dish. Add the cauliflower and season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss together the breadcrumbs and butter in a medium bowl, making sure that the breadcrumbs are evenly coated. Stir in the Parmegiano, nutmeg, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Spread the breadcrumb mixture evenly over the cauliflower in the baking dish. Gently tap the dish on the counter a few times so that the topping settles. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve immediately.

Serves 4 to 6. A medium head of cauliflower will yield enough florets for this recipe.