Shaved Asparagus Pizza

I don’t have much to say about this asparagus pizza, except that it is delicious. I saw this recipe on Smitten Kitchen (obviously) and was immediately intrigued by the fact that it was tomato-free and involved shaved asparagus - which sounded both delicious and impressive. I love recipes like this that are incredibly simple but seem sophisticated…

This pizza is so yummy I've made it numerous times… despite the fact that it is no longer asparagus season, I indulged a friend’s request to try it, and it did not disappoint.

Happy Pizza-ing!


Ingredients:

• 1 recipe pizza dough (or store bought for you semi-homemade folks!)
• 1/2 pound asparagus
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• 1/2 pound mozzarella, shredded or cut into small cubes
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• Black pepper
• 1 scallion, thinly sliced

Directions:
Preheat your oven to the hottest temperature it goes, or about 500 in most cases. If you use a pizza stone, have it in there.

Prepare asparagus: No need to snap off ends; they can be your “handles” as you peel the asparagus. Holding a single asparagus spear by its tough end, lay it flat on a cutting board and using a vegetable peeler to create long shavings of asparagus. It’s okay for them to be uneven. Discard tough ends. Toss shaved asparagus with olive oil, salt and pepper in a bowl. (Add red pepper flakes if you want a little spice)

Assemble and bake pizza: Roll or stretch out your pizza dough to a 12-inch round. Transfer to a cornmeal-dusted pizza tray (or make two small pizzas on small cookie trays because you live in NY with limited supplies). Sprinkle pizza dough with Parmesan, then mozzarella. Pile asparagus on top. Bake pizza for 10 to 15 minutes, or until edges are browned, the cheese is bubbly and the asparagus might be lightly charred.
Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle with scallions.

Slice, eat and enjoy - ideally with some red wine!