Asparagus White Pizza

ready to roast

White pizza is a strange beast.  For me, one of the highlights of pizza is the sauce, so the idea of a white pizza doesn’t sound very exciting.  In a lot of restaurants you’ll find white pizza topped with arugula salad, which is lovely.  But when you use it as a base for a heaping pile of roasted vegetables, things suddenly get more interesting.

Enter asparagus.  Folate and potassium rich, gorgeously green, it’s an ideal topping for pizza.  Especially a white pizza, since it is delicious roasted.  With a bit of lemony kick, this is a very flavorful pie.  You’re basically making an asparagus salad and sticking it on top of pizza.  Sound good?  I thought so.

For the pizza dough itself, you can pick up some fresh whole wheat dough from Trader Joe’s or your other local grocery store, or you can make your own – I particularly like this recipe, which I gleefully featured on my old blog when I discovered it.  I wouldn’t use a pre-baked pizza crust (like Boboli) for this if you can avoid it, because the first step is an important one for imparting yummy flavor in your dough.  If you do go for a pre-baked crust, then skip the pre-baking step I mentioned below.

Asparagus White Pizza (makes one 12″)

there's my portion. where's yours?

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 whole wheat pizza dough, rolled out to about 1/4″ thick.
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
• pinch of cracked red pepper
• 1 bunch asparagus, woody ends discarded
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

METHOD:

1. Preheat your oven to 375.  Place the pizza dough on a pizza stone or baking sheet and brush with 1 tsp olive oil, then top with the red pepper.  Bake in the preheated oven for about 5 minutes, or until it is starting to get slightly browned.

2.  Meanwhile, slice the asparagus spears at an angle into 1/2-inch pieces.  Put in a bowl and drizzle with the remaining 2 tsp olive oil, the lemon zest and juice, and salt and pepper to taste.  Toss everything together and set aside.

3.  Get the partially cooked pizza dough out of the oven and top with the cheese.  (It’s not a lot of cheese, but don’t worry, it should be enough).   Top with the asparagus pieces and return to the oven for 10 minutes, or until the asparagus is nicely roasted and the pizza dough is cooked through.  Slice and serve.

Shaved Asparagus and Couscous Tangle

lounging around

Guess what?  Asparagus is still in season.  In our house we’ve had it roasted, steamed, sauteed, every which way.  How about raw, you ask?  Yes, we do that too.  Now I fully admit that picking up an asparagus spear and sinking your teeth into it might not sound like the most enticing thing.  That’s why we shave it.

Shaving asparagus is kind of therapeutic.  You take each spear, one by one, and run your vegetable peeler along it to create super thin asparagus noodles.  It’s fun.  You should try it.  They will have just as much folate and potassium, in fact maybe even more nutritional value because you’re not cooking any of it out.  In the end you have a pile of asparagus ribbons that are just begging to tangle with some other vegetables, fruits, and grains.  Let’s indulge them.

Corn - check!

There’s that sweet corn again.  Also excellent raw, with its sweet pop-in-your-mouth kernels.  You can easily cut the kernels off the cob by placing a small bowl upside down inside a larger bowl.  Stand the corn cob on top of the bottom of the smaller bowl, and run your knife down the cob, all around it, to remove every last kernel.   They will fall into the larger bowl and you’ll save yourself a mess.

Next?

Tomato - check!

If tomatoes are available in your neck of the woods, please grab one and add it to this tangle.  (And no, tangle is not a technical term, it is what I decided to call this dish for reasons that will become obvious when you see the finished product below).  Let’s power up the antioxidant value of this dish, yes?  Chop up a tomato and throw it in.

After we add some citrus and herb action, we can serve this cool veggie-fruit conglomerate over warm Israeli couscous.  Sounds good, right?  It really is.  It’s a refreshing blend of flavors, textures, and temperatures.  It makes a fabulous light dinner.

Shaved Asparagus and Couscous Tangle (serves 2)

the tangled web we wove

INGREDIENTS:

• small bunch asparagus, about 10 spears
• kernels from 1 corn cob (about 1 cup)
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 1/4 tsp coarse salt, plus a pinch later on
• 2 tbsp finely chopped parsley
• 1/2 cup (uncooked) whole grain Israeli couscous
• extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

METHOD:

1.  Shave the asparagus into thin ribbons using a vegetable peeler.  Place the asparagus ribbons, corn kernels, and tomato in a medium bowl.  Drizzle with the lime juice, salt, and parsley.  Toss everything to combine.  Set aside.

2.  Let the asparagus et. al. mingle together while you cook the couscous.  Bring a scant 3/4 cup water to a boil, then add the couscous and a pinch of salt.  Reduce heat to simmer and cover the pot.  Let simmer for 8-10 minutes, or until the water is absorbed and the couscous is tender.

3.  Divide the couscous between two shallow bowls and top with a heaping pile of the asparagus, corn, and tomato mixture.  Serve while the couscous is still warm, drizzled with a little extra virgin olive oil on top.

Asparagus with Meyer Lemon-Ginger Vinaigrette

 

this is how we store asparagus

Today’s featured vegetable is asparagus, the harbinger of spring.  Okay I just made that up.  But really, I feel like it’s safe to say spring has arrived when there are beautiful skinny stalks of asparagus in bunches everywhere you look, including the farmers’ market.

Skinny asparagus is not necessarily superior to fat asparagus, but it cooks so quickly and maintains a wonderful crunch.  I’m a fan.  I wasn’t always – in fact I remember a dark period in my past, probably about the first 16 years of my life, when I thought I hated asparagus.  Then one day my mom roasted asparagus spears in sesame oil and convinced me to taste them.  History was made.

Asparagus will last in your refrigerator for several days if you place the stalks in a tall glass, with just a couple of inches of water in the bottom.  When you’re ready to use them, trim off the bottom 2 inches to eliminate any woodiness.

Today I decided to combine the antioxidant, potassium, and folate-rich asparagus with a late-winter/early-spring fruit that you absolutely need to check out.  It’s the meyer lemon.  It looks something like this:

 

bundled up and cozy

Meyer lemons are slightly more orange in color than your typical lemon, and they are a little rounder, too.  They also happen to have a much more interesting flavor, with some sweet notes that make them absolutely fantastic in desserts like lemon bars.  But they have a tart side too, and were born to be in a vinaigrette.  Paired with a bit of ginger and some garlic, these suckers make some pretty sassy dressing.

You could happily serve this asparagus and vinaigrette straight up as a first course, or over some mixed greens as a salad.  I decided to make it a full meal by serving it over a bed of soba noodles, tossed very lightly with some sesame oil just to stop them from sticking, and topped with some scattered wedges of radishes (another fabulous spring vegetable).

This dish is simple, refreshing, and a great way to start your spring off right.

 

Asparagus with Meyer Lemon-Ginger Vinaigrette (serves 2)

the finished product

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 bunch of asparagus stalks (preferably thin), trimmed
• salt
• juice of 2 small meyer lemons (about 1/4 cup)
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon agave nectar or honey
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

METHOD:

1.  Bring a medium pot of water to a boil.  Have a bowl of iced water nearby.  Salt both the pot of water and the bowl of iced water.  Drop the asparagus spears in the boiling water and cook for about 2 minutes, just until the asparagus has an intense green color and has softened very slightly.   Remove the asparagus spears with tongs and plunge them into the iced water immediately to stop the cooking process.  Set aside to let them cool off.  (Note:  if you are making soba noodles, go ahead and cook them in the same boiling water after you remove the asparagus spears).

2.  Whisk the meyer lemon juice, garlic, ginger, agave or honey, and a pinch of salt in a small bowl.  Slowly stream in the olive oil, whisking constantly.

3.  Drain the asparagus spears and drizzle with the vinaigrette.  (If using the soba noodles, put them in a bowl first, lay the asparagus on top, and then drizzle with the vinaigrette).  Don’t be too heavy-handed with the dressing; it’s pretty intense.  You can always use the leftovers for a salad later on.