Flatbread with Roasted Mushroom Sausage and Red Peppers

Chef Rudy Smith, corporate chef at Unilever Food Solutions, shows us some plant-based techniques for building intense umami flavor for this delicious vegan Flatbread with Roasted Mushroom Sausage and Red Peppers. The vegan “sausage” is made with roasted mixed mushrooms, mixed with a dairy-free risotto made using Knorr® Professional Liquid Concentrated Vegetable Base. It’s easiest to work with when the risotto is slightly overcooked and cooled. Meat lovers and vegans alike will love this flavor-packed pizza!

 
 

Yield: 6 flatbreads, each serving 1-2 people

Method

  1. For The Dough: Mix the ingredients together in a bowl, let it rise for 12-24 hours.

  2. Cut into 6 equal pieces, approximately 4-ounce balls, let rise for at least one additional hour

  3. For The Sauce: Toss the tomatoes in the olive oil and salt and pepper. Roast at 450 degrees for 15 minutes.

  4. In a pan, sweat the garlic in olive oil with the herbs for 1-2 minutes. Add the roasted tomatoes, tomato paste, and Knorr vegetable base. Season with salt and bring to a simmer, simmer for 5 minutes.

  5. Puree in a blender. Adjust the consistency by reducing it if necessary and adjust seasoning, let chill.

  6. For the Roasted Mushroom Sausage: Combine all the ingredients and mix well. Puree half of the mixture in a food processor. Combine both mixtures and adjust seasoning, let chill.

  7. For the Cashew Parmesan: Pulse in a food processor to desired consistency.

  8. For the Flatbread: Preheat the oven to 500 degrees, set the pizza stone inside the oven until hot. Roll the dough ball into an oval shape, approximately 10”x 6”. Dock with a fork and sprinkle pizza peel with corn meal, place dough sheet on the pizza peel.

  9. Stretch the dough and place it on the peel, make sure it slides on the cornmeal or it will stick to the stone. Top the dough with the tomato sauce, followed by shallots, roasted red peppers, and sliced fennel.

  10. Top with the small balls of roasted mushroom sausage, approximately 6 balls each, weighing 10 grams each.

  11. Transfer the flatbread to the hot oven and bake for 6-8 minutes.

  12. Toss the arugula with olive oil, salt, and pepper, set aside.

  13. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with cashew parmesan and top with the seasoned arugula. Cut and serve.

Ingredients

Dough
464 grams OO flour
¼ tsp. active dry yeast
1 tsp. sugar
2 ½ tsp. salt
340 grams water

Sauce
2 lbs. cherry tomatoes
as needed, olive oil
as needed, salt
as needed, pepper
2 ea. garlic cloves, chopped
1½ Tbsp. oregano, chopped
1 tsp. thyme, chopped                                        
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
½ cup Knorr® Liquid Concentrated Vegetable Base, prepared
½ tsp. salt

Roasted Mushroom Sausage
9 oz. roasted mushrooms, chopped (1 lb. roasted at 400F for 50 minutes)
6 oz. risotto (Made with ½ cup Knorr® Liquid Concentrated Vegetable Base, no butter or cheese, slightly over cooked)
3 oz. wild rice, cooked, slightly over cooked
1 Tbsp. fennel seeds, toasted                                 
½ tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. ground black pepper
½ tsp. granulated garlic
as needed, salt

Cashew Parmesan
1 cup raw cashews
¼ cup + 1 Tbsp, nutritional yeast
½ tsp. Garlic powder
1½ tsp. salt

Flatbread
4 oz. dough ball
2 oz. tomato sauce
½ oz. shallots, sliced
1 oz. red pepper, roasted, julienne
¾ oz. fennel bulb, sliced
2 oz. roasted mushroom sausage
as needed, coarse cornmeal
1 Tbsp. cashew parmesan
½ oz. baby arugula
½ oz. olive oil
as needed, salt            
as needed, pepper       

This recipe and video were produced by The Culinary Institute of America as an industry service,
thanks to the generous support of Unilever Food Solutions.