Asparagus pizza

Who is tired of the same old pizza topping? It seems like no more innovation is done with them, so here is one. Since it’s spring… let’s do something with a seasonal vegetable; the asparagus.  Who doesn’t love asparagus? They are to me the pinnacle of veggies. Mother nature engineered those delicate long tasty shoots to perfection. Strangely, white asparagus, which is asparagus pick up before they reach out from the soil (no photosynthesis), motto is, “the thicker, the better” while for the green asparagus, it’s the opposite; “the thinner, the better”.  This spring veggie comes from so far back, it was pictured as an offering back in to 3000 BC by the Egyptians.

Germans like their asparagus white, the French grow purple ones and for the rest of the world it’s the usual green shoots. Asparagus is a well known diuretic and is one of those studied mysterious vegetable for its … peculiar aroma when passing through… if you know what I mean. Which apparently not everyone have the capacity to smell, but when one does…oof! he does smell it quite good. Also, the smell is more present if you eat the white kind of asparagus. So let’s just forget about the only defect of that otherwise perfectly engineered veggie, and let’s make that pizza.

Asparagus pizza

Makes 2-3 portions

Ingredients

The dough

• 2 cup of bread flour
• 500ml of warm milk
• 300ml water
• 1 pack of dry yeast
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp salt
• 2 tbsp sunflower seeds *optional

The toppings

• a few heads of asparagus (if too much keep for a soup, omelette, etc)
• 1 tomatoes finely sliced
• 1/2 onion finely sliced
• 1 fresh mozzarella (bocconcini) in cubes
• few fresh basil leaves

Directions

1. Add the yeast to the warm milk and sugar, set for a few minutes
2. In a big bowl, add the flour, salt and sunflower seeds, mix
3. Make a well in the flour and pour in the yeast mix, the rest of the water and olive oil until nice, flexible dough
4. Knead for a good 5 minutes until you push with a finger in the dough and it comes right back
5. Leave in a covered greased bowl in the oven with the light on (no heat!) for 1 hour
6. Cut all your toppings
7. Take the dough out, bring the oven, with pizza stone*optional, to 200°C (400F) or higher
8. Roll you dough onto a floured wood palette or baking sheet and add the toppings, salt and if not on diet, a bit of olive oil
9. Cook the pizza for about 15 minutes, until light brown crust appear
10. Let cool a minute, add the basil leaves

Enjoy that spring pizza with a glass of fresh lemonade or lemon flavored beer, as you wish.