One of summer’s finest offerings is – of course – fresh asparagus, so when thinking up my summer pizza projects I was determined to include this yummy seasonal veggie in at least one Pizza Friday, but I couldn’t quite figure out how I would do it. Should I dice the stalks? Cut them in little 1-2 inch segments? Just use the tops? All of these options seemed just way to ‘crunchy’ or just too weird looking to be anything appetizing. A chef I am not, I did some searching, and came across this recipe for shaved asparagus (YES!! Shave the asparagus…that’s it!!) pizza that was just the thing I was looking for…the perfect guide to what ended up being one of my favorite Pizza Friday features. Also – because you’ll need to cook it at a really high temperature, it’s the perfect pizza to make on the grill (if there’s one thing I’ve learned in this Pizza Friday adventure, it’s that not many things are better than pizza hot off the grill on a summer night). The presentation makes it seem a little fancy, but it’s really one of the easier pizzas I’ve made over the course of the year, and it’s definitely one I’ll make again. Now that I think about it…this would be the perfect thing to serve at brunch! I highly recommend it served with your favorite chilled pinot grigio or a nice lager, perhaps…or if you’re doing the brunch thing, you certainly can’t go wrong with a tall glass of bubbly. Cheers!
Images: Krista Brackin Photography
Shaved Asparagus Pizza (one approx. 12” pizza)
Note: I’m terrible at measuring things, and often just go by what looks right for what I’m making (I might put more or less cheese, etc.)…I know, that’s bad…but the point is that these are the basic guidelines that I used from that original recipe, so feel free to adjust based on your own tastes!
Pizza dough of your choice, either homemade, store bought, or a pre-made shell
½ – 1 pound asparagus (depending on how large your shell is)
¼ cup grated parmesan
1 -2 cups shredded mozzarella
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 thinly sliced scallion (I used more than this, probably 3, because I love scallions!)
Freshly ground black pepper
Red Pepper Flakes
Coarse salt (I used this black lava salt I got from Hawaii…so good!!)
Fresh lemon squeeze
Step 1: Preheat your oven (or grill) as hot as it will go – probably around 500 degrees. Then, prepare the asparagus. Grab the vegetable peeler and an asparagus stalk and get going! Hold the stalk from the end you usually would cut off down onto a cutting board, and then from the base to the top of the stalk, applying moderate pressure, use the peeler to make long shaves of asparagus. Discard the stalk when it has become increasingly difficult to get those long shaves. Put the shaved asparagus in a bowl and toss it with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Step 2: Assemble the pizza and bake. Depending on the dough you’re using, either spread it onto a floured pizza pan or put your premade crust on a cookie sheet/pizza pan. Add the parmesan, followed by the mozzarella, and then the red pepper flakes (and I also added a little more of the black salt). Keep an eye on it, and bake until the cheese is bubbly, the edges of the pizza crust are browned and the asparagus is slightly burnt (8-10 minutes or so).
Step 3: Remove from oven or grill. Add sliced scallions and squeeze a fresh lemon wedge over the pizza. Slice, then enjoy!