It goes without saying, we thoroughly enjoy our pizzas and lately we've been trying new variations as you saw with Monday's post. Last night, we tested out yet another new combination that I've had bookmarked for almost a year. Yes, last night. It was so good that I just couldn't wait to share it with you, so I moved it up a week in my posting calendar.
Spring is in the air, in more places than just Mississippi. We've had 80+ degree weather lately and I've seen my Northern friends' posts about the warmer weather up there. Asparagus is a favorite spring vegetable of ours, so being able to incorporate it onto a pizza was a dream come true for me! I didn't know what to expect, and honestly was a tiny bit worried it wouldn't turn out. But, oh my, my, my, it instantly has become a favorite!
This pizza is deliciously simple. If you have a vegetable peeler, you're good to go. Use it to shave the asparagus spears into thin ribbons that will top your pizza, giving it such a gorgeously fresh appearance and taste! It might seem like a lot of asparagus for just one 12-inch pizza, but they cook down while baking, so make sure you use them all.
Shaved Asparagus Pizza
Ingredients
- 1 pizza dough (homemade or store bought)
- Olive oil
- Garlic salt , to taste
- 8 ounces asparagus spears , woody stems removed
- 4 ounces fresh mozzarella , thinly sliced (or 1 cup shredded, not fresh, mozzarella)
- 3 ounces spreadable garlic herb cheese , such as Boursin, The Laughing Cow, another brand or garlic herb seasoned cream cheese
- Freshly ground pepper , to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
- Press the pizza dough into a 12- to 14-inch round pizza pan. (Sometimes I use my stone, in which case you should preheat the stone for 30 minutes and roll your pizza dough on parchment paper sprinkled with cornmeal.) Brush the surface and outer crust with olive oil. Sprinkle with garlic salt.
- Spread the mozzarella over the pizza dough in an even layer. Use a vegetable peeler to shave the asparagus spears into thin ribbons, reserving the tips as well. Pile it all on top of the mozzarella. Dot the surface of the pizza with the garlic herb spread, then season with black pepper, to taste.
- Transfer the pizza to the preheated oven and bake until the mozzarella cheese is melted and the crust is lightly browned, about 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool a few minutes before slicing and serving.
- Source: Adapted from Annie's Eats, originally from The Tasty Kitchen Blog