Even More Asparagus

You’ve already eaten a lot of asparagus, but you don’t want to stop

Since asparagus is still in season, and still super delicious you might need another idea of something else to do with it.  Why not put it on pizza?  Strangely the first place I ever had asparagus on a pizza was in Honduras.  I don’t think asparagus is grown there so I’m not sure what inspired La Albahaca (“The Basil,” my favourite pizzeria in Tegucigalpa) to put canned asparagus on a pizza but I always ordered it, both because it was tasty and I never ate asparagus there otherwise.  So now I put asparagus on my pizza whenever I have it.  It works with frozen asparagus but is best with fresh asparagus (isn’t that true of all vegetables?). 

Asparagus Pizza, with Potatoes and Mushrooms

Ingredients:

·        ½ lb (250g) mushrooms, sliced

·        1-2 tbsp. butter

·        1 tbsp. maple syrup

·        1 small potato, sliced in ¼ inch rounds

·        4-5 asparagus spears, chopped

·        ½ - ¾ cup grated mozzarella cheese

·        ½ - ¾ cup pizza sauce (we just use leftover spaghetti sauce)

·        pizza dough

Preheat the oven to 400^◦F.  Heat a pan over medium-high heat and fry the sliced mushrooms with the butter and maple syrup until they are greatly reduced in size and nicely caramelized, about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Meanwhile place the potato slices on a lightly oiled baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes, then flip and roast another 10 minutes and remove.  Steam or boil the asparagus for 3-4 minutes.

Increase the oven heat to 500^◦F.  Stretch the pizza dough, top with sauce and cheese, then follow with the roasted potatoes and caramelized mushrooms, and finally the asparagus.  Bake the pizza until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbling.  Allow to cool slightly before slicing.

Need another asparagus pizza idea, try this one that we made last year and also featured rhubarb!

Jon Spee is a Bailey’s member who can be a bit obsessive about local food.  To make sure he doesn’t talk about it too much he writes about it instead at The Local Kitchener.