Autumnal Pumpkin Pizza (gf)

This might sound a bit odd at first - who puts pumpkin on pizza? - but its actually pretty great. The savoury crust, the spicy pumpkin sauce, and the tang of gorgonzola cheese truly separate this pizza from its sweeter cousin the pumpkin pie. Omit the turkey and this pizza is still a great vegetarian option to savour the flavours of the autumn harvest.

Crust:

• 1 batch of my savoury gluten-free pizza crust (see note) OR 1 batch of my savoury pizza crust if you're okay with the gluten (recipe coming soon).

Sauce:

• 3/4 to 1 can of pumpkin puree
• 1/2 yellow onion
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 1/4 tsp sage (dry)
• 1/4 tsp (sea) salt
• fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
• cayenne pepper, to taste

Toppings:

• 1/2 lb lean ground turkey, cooked (see note)
• 2 cups shitake mushrooms, stems removed, caps sliced
• 5 oz gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

Directions:

1. Make the pizza crust per that recipe. Evenly spread the dough to reach all of the edges of a 17in x 14in cookie sheet. Cover with a clean tea towel or plastic to keep from drying out. Set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 425º
3. In a food processor, puree the onion, garlic, sage, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper. (Add a spoonful of the pumpkin puree if needed to get the food processor to work.)
4. In a small bowl, mix the remaining pumpkin puree and the onion puree. Taste and add cayenne pepper as needed. 
5. Spread the pumpkin mix over the entire surface of the pizza dough.
6. Spread the turkey evenly over the pizza, then the mushrooms.
7. Sprinkle only about 1/4 of the cheese on the pizza (just enough to help bind the toppings in place as it cooks).
8. Bake  on middle rack for about 25 minutes, until edges of crust become dry and golden. 
9. Remove from oven, sprinkle the remaining cheese evenly over the pizza. Return to the oven and bake for about 3-5 minutes, until cheese just starts to melt. Remove from oven.
10. Let cool for a few minutes as it will be very hot. Slice and serve. Makes about 12 slices.

Notes:

1. I am not yet happy with this crust recipe. Its fine but I want to try some modifications (there was an ingredient I couldn't get). So watch for "savoury gluten-free pizza crust 2.0" for a lighter version.
2. How much pumpkin puree? It depends upon how much sauce you want on the pizza. I like a little less so only use about 3/4 of the can, but I can see using the whole can too if you like more sauce.
3. To prep the lean ground turkey, heat about 3 tablespoons oil of choice (I use olive) in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the thawed ground turkey to the skillet. break apart with a spatula and stir regularly until the turkey begins to develop golden brown bits. Its going to be baked as well, so don't over cook it. This is lean enough that you shouldn't have to drain it at all.
4. I would love to try this with shredded roasted turkey! This could be a great recipe for those Thanksgiving left-overs.
5. I used shitake mushrooms because I had them, but I think that this crimini or portobello mushrooms could taste good too. (I save the stems to use pureed in other recipes.)

Update:

This pizza should be eaten the same the meal it is cooked for; it really doesn't reheat well - the taste just doesn't hold up and isn't good cold for breakfast the next morning either.