Shaved Asparagus Pizza with Brie

Shaved asparagus pizza topped with Brie, garlic, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and nearly a pound of asparagus that you have thinly shredded with a vegetable peeler.

This pizza is topped with a lot of asparagus, to the point where you will question whether there is just too much. You'll discover that the shaved asparagus shrinks down and becomes sweet and crispy after roasting until it's "just right."

The Brie on this pizza paired deliciously with the shaved asparagus. Topped with Parmigiano-Reggiano, garlic, black pepper, and a few sprinkles of course sea salt, this pizza was killer good.

I made this shaved asparagus pizza because I had just received a gift of about four pounds of fresh Michigan asparagus (I seriously need to learn canning and pickling).

There is a lot to be said for beginning with an ingredient that you have to create a recipe rather than finding a recipe and going out to get the ingredients. I am certain that I would have never thought of making asparagus pizza unless I had a boat load of excess asparagus, and I was so happy I did!

While fresh produce creates a sense of urgency to use up the ingredient before it spoils, I definitely need to do this with all of the various grains, spices, and condiments I've managed to stockpile. I might just be surprised, as I was with this amazing pizza!

Time to get all "konmari" in my kitchen!

This shaved asparagus pizza is actually now one of my new favorite pizzas. The crust is super crispy and airy, and the Brie, a cheese I'd never expect to find in a pizza, pairs perfectly with the asparagus.

Use a vegetable peeler to create the ribbons of asparagus. The job is a little tedious, but the results are well worth the effort.

The pizza dough recipe provides for two crusts. You can double the amount of toppings and make two asparagus pizzas, or use the rest of the dough to make a different style of pizza, including one that is more traditional, or just a focaccia. You can also freeze half of the dough for later. If you want to cut the pizza dough recipe in half, you'll have to knead by hand or with a food processor, as your mixer will probably not be able to handle such a small amount of dough.

June is National Fruit and Vegetable month! After the recipe, be sure to check out the rest of the #FoodieExtravaganza fruit and vegetable recipes.

pizza, asparagus, Brie, Parmesan

pizza, flatbread, artisan, bread

Italian

Yield: one 18 inch by 13 inch pizza

Shaved Asparagus Pizza with Brie

Note: This recipe makes twice the required dough. Prepare other toppings for the second piece of dough, or brush the dough with olive oil and bake as you would focaccia.

ingredients

For the Dough (use half of this dough for one pizza)

• 500 grams (3 1/3 cups) unbleached all purpose flour
• 5 grams (1 heaping teaspoon) sugar
• 5 grams (1 scant teaspoon) salt
• 2 grams (2/3 teaspoon) instant yeast
• 440 grams (scant 2 cups) water
• Olive oil
• 6 grams salt (1 1/2 teaspoons coarse sea salt)

For the Pizza

• Olive oil for oiling the pan
• 1/2 of the pizza dough
• 200 grams (1 cup) Brie
• 1 large garlic clove, grated
• 25 grams grated Parmesan cheese, grated
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 340 grams (3/4 pound) asparagus, shaved
• 3 grams (1/2 teaspoon) coarse sea salt

instructions

Pizza Dough

1. Mix the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer on low until just combined. Add the water and mix on low for 30 seconds. Switch the speed to high and mix for about 3 minutes, until the dough comes together. The dough will suddenly coalesce and begin to ride up the paddle attachment. Scrape the dough back into the bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled, about 90 to 120 minutes. 
2. Brush two half sheet pans with olive oil. Divide the dough in half and form each half into a ball and place one each seam side down on the pans. Top each piece of dough with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Let sit, uncovered, until doubled, about 1 to 3 hours. 

To Make the Pizza

1. Place a pizza stone in the middle of the oven and heat it to 500 degrees F. 
2. Gently stretch the dough balls to fit the pans without deflating the dough. This may take some time if the dough becomes resistant. 
3. For the asparagus pizza, cut the Brie into about 15 pieces, and press them, evenly spaced, into the dough. Sprinkle the dough with the grated garlic, Parmesan, and black pepper. 
4. Spread the shaved asparagus over the top of the dough in big handfuls. Sprinkle with sea salt, and bake in the pan on top of the baking stone for 18 minutes. Slice and serve. 
5. Bake the other half of the dough sprinkled with olive oil and salt, or with toppings of your choice. 

https://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2018/06/shaved-asparagus-pizza-with-brie.html

This recipe is adapted from The Sullivan Street Bakery Cookbook by Jim Lahey. There are so many amazing recipes in this book.

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