Friday, March 2, 2012

Asparagus and Goat Cheese Pizza


I'm up to my eyeballs in asparagus. This time of year it goes on crazy sale overload, and no matter how many bunches I have in my fridge, I just can't seem to pass a deal like this by. So this week we've had asparagus in everything from omelets to teriyaki wraps to soup. But my favorite way to eat asparagus is on pizza. It's dense enough that it holds up well when cooked, and lends a light, fresh flavor.

Marinating the asparagus ensures a loaded flavor in this simple and delightful pizza! The way I made this was to eyeball the toppings, so don't worry too much about exact measurements and get creative! You can add a little or a lot more of what I did, or add other veggies as they suit you.

Ingredients:

1 pre-made pizza dough, stretched and ready for topping
1 bunch of asparagus, halved lengthwise
1 tablespoon minced garlic
olive oil
1 lemon, halved
salt and pepper to taste
herbed goat cheese
parmesan/fontina/mozzarella mix, (or similar) pre-shredded
2 green onions, chopped

In a bowl, combine asparagus, green onions and garlic. Drizzle with oil and the juice of half of the lemon. Salt and pepper to taste. Let marinate 20 minutes and up to a few hours, depending on how long you have to prepare.

Meanwhile, bake your un-topped pizza dough on a cookie sheet or pizza round at 425 degrees, for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, let cool a minute or two, then proceed to the next step.

Top your pizza dough with a sprinkling of your shredded cheese mix (not too much now!) Then layer on the asparagus mixture, drizzling any juices on top of the pizza as well. Top with spoonfull/dollops of goat cheese and another light layer of shredded cheese mix.

Bake another 10 minutes, at 425 degrees, directly on the rack. Remove carefully, cool 5 minutes, slice and enjoy.

We like to top our pizza with a bit of fresh arugula that has
been tossed with olive oil, pepper and lemon.
(Here is another version of the pizza we made,
this one with mushrooms)

No comments:

Post a Comment