After a winter of dismal produce offerings at the grocery store, I’m brimming with gratitude for Farmer’s Market season – save for one challenge: I’m not in love with vegetables. What I mean is, I like vegetables, but it’s difficult for me to get excited about piling them on my plate.
Asparagus is an excellent case in point. It’s appealingly green; it’s crunchy; it’s juicy; it can be fried in a nanosecond. But it still ends up in a pile on my plate – and I need to appear excited about this in front of my kid.
I’m not a foodie; I’m an eat-to-survive type of gal. (I came from an eat-to-survive type of family. Living on the poverty line can influence that.) Even so, I love the sensory experience of being at the Farmer’s Market, as well as the idealism of the farm-to-table movement.
I’d love to stroll through the market like a willowy picture of health, my bags heavy with fresh ingredients for a week’s worth of planned meals. I had this very thought on Thursday, before walking away with a single purchase: a bunch of asparagus. (To be fair, Baby Ell needed his diaper changed.)
While my passion for vegetables still needs cultivating, I am passionate about raising Baby Ell to be excited about food (as well as teaching him where his food comes from). This means finding ways to consume veggies other than by roasting them or steaming them.
Eating asparagus as a pizza topping is a fabulous idea that I won’t dare take credit for. I was inspired by Deb Perelman’s fabulous Smitten Kitchen Cookbook. (And check out her blog!)
Shaved asparagus pizza (yields 1 thin-crust pizza)
Fresh pizza dough (or 1 store-bought, thin-crust base)
1 bunch of asparagus (or ½ pound, to be more precise)
2 teaspoons olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
Ground black pepper, to taste
¼ cup grated Parmesan
½ pound mozzarella, cut into cubes
1 scallion, thinly sliced (chopped green onions also work)
*The addition of prosciutto could easily elevate this pie for meat lovers.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. (I don’t use a pizza stone, but if you use one, it’s best to place it in the oven while you’re prepping the pizza.)
Remove the tips of the asparagus stalks and set them aside; they make a lovely garnish just before baking. Use a vegetable peeler to shave each stalk into long ribbons. Toss the asparagus ribbons in a bowl with olive oil, salt and pepper.
Roll out your fresh dough to a 12-inch round and, if you’re using a stone, transfer the dough to a flour-dusted pizza peel. (Or, if you’re really short on time, unwrap your ready-made base!). Sprinkle the pizza with Parmesan, followed by mozzarella. Scatter the asparagus ribbons on top, and garnish with the left-over asparagus tips.
Bake the pizza for 10 minutes or until the crust has browned to your taste. (It’s okay if the asparagus has darkened more quickly than the crust; it won’t taste burnt.) Upon removing from the oven, sprinkle the pizza with scallions or green onions, and serve while it’s hot.
What other creative ways have you served asparagus?
Life in Situ 