Those Sexy Spears

In honor of my brother-in-law's wedding, I'm going to share my most favorite pizza recipe - Asparagus, Prosciutto, and Truffle Oil Pizza. It may sound odd, but it is AMAZING! Asparagus has been long known as an aphrodisiac. In fact, it is rumored that French lovers dined on three courses of it the night before their wedding!  Did I mention that my husband goes crazy for this, too! (Wink, Wink!) Make it and let me know! Congratulations, Matt and Lindsay!!!

Asparagus, Prosciutto, and Truffle Oil Pizza

Makes 1 large pizza.

Ingredients:

1/2 recipe My Basic Pizza Dough

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

8 - 10 asparagus spears, ends trimmed, cut into 1/2-inch pieces on the diagonal

3/4 cup coarsely grated mozzarella cheese

3/4 cup coarsely grated fontina cheese

6 paper-thin slices prosciutto, cut into 1-inch strips

1 - 2 tablespoons truffle oil (not optional)

Directions:

Prepare pizza dough. Combine the garlic and olive oil and let stand for 30 minutes. In a bowl, combine the fontina and mozzarella. Bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the asparagus and cook until just tender, 3-4 minutes. Drain and cool. Preheat oven to 500 degrees with rack on the lowest setting. When the dough is ready, roll it out as thick or thin as you like it. Place it on an oiled baking sheet. Brush the dough with the garlic-infused oil. Sprinkle the cheese over the dough. Top with the prosciutto and asparagus. Bake according to My Basic Pizza Dough instructions. When done, drizzle with truffle oil. A glass of white wine makes this even more romantic!

Recipe adapted from Joanne Weir's, Weir Cooking: Recipes From The Wine Country.

Knead Dough?

Pizza dough? I make pizza at least once a week. It's fun and I find it useful to get rid of those pesky leftovers. First things first, YOU NEED TO MAKE THE DOUGH! I've tried tons of recipes from Lynn Rossetto Kasper to Mario Batali, but I always find myself going back to my old standby, my basic pizza dough. It's easy and delicious. I used to swear by my pizza stone, but I've abandoned it and adopted Lynn Rossetto Kasper's method of using baking sheets.  It's easier to handle and really does make a better crust. Give this dough a try and I promise you'll do it again!

My Basic Pizza Dough:

Makes 2 large pizzas, (or in my house, 1 large for me and my husband, and two small personal pizzas for my kids)

Ingredients:

3/4 cup hot water, about 100 degrees (my hot tap water is hot enough)

2 teaspoons rapid rise yeast 

1 tablespoon honey

2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour (or "00" flour, if you're lucky enough to find it)

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for oiling

Directions:

First mix the water, yeast, and honey in a small bowl or measuring cup. It should get foamy on top. If it doesn't, throw it out and buy new yeast. 

In an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, (this can be done by hand if you don't have one), dump in the flour and salt. Pour in the yeast/honey/water mixture and olive oil and mix until it pulls away from the bowl. Depending on the humidity, you may need to add a little water if it looks dry. You want the dough moist and slightly sticky.

Knead the dough on a floured surface for about 5 minutes. (It's good for your arms.)  Place the dough in a large, lightly olive oiled bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm area for 45 minutes to an hour, or until doubled in size.  (If you're not ready to make the pizzas, the dough can be held here for hours.)

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees and set the rack as low as possible in the oven.  Punch down the dough and divide in half.  Knead each half a minute and shape into balls.  Cover with a kitchen towel.  Let rest for about 20 minutes.

Next, oil two baking sheets. Using a rolling pin, roll out each pizza dough. (You can make it thin or thick, however you like it.)  Place each pizza on a baking sheet and top as desired.

Finally, bake each pizza for about 8-10 minutes. Now using an oven mitt and spatula, slide the pizza off the baking sheet and directly on the oven rack. Bake for 1-2 minutes. Remove the pizza by sliding the baking sheet under it and then slide the pizza onto a cutting board. You're done!  Time to eat!!!

Keep checking my blog, I'm going to share my favorite pizza recipes!

Disco Apache

Roasted potatoes are delicious, but they don't add much pizazz to your plate. If you're serving your potatoes with, say roasted chicken, the plate looks as bland and appealing as this:



Instead, make these beautiful roasted vegetables from Laura Calder's French Taste. I like the contrast of colors and textures. It really takes your plate from blah to fantastic! Oh, and they taste great, too!

Roasted Vegetables:

Serves 6

Ingredients:

6 small potatoes, peeled and cut into medium wedges
4 carrots, cut in half crosswise, then halved lengthwise
3 leeks, trimmed and cut into logs
2 handfuls of cherry tomatoes
3 tablespoons olive oil
Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 bay leaves
1 branch of rosemary, cut in three

Directions:

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Toss the vegetables with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread over a baking sheet. Cut the butter into little pieces, and scatter over top. Tuck in the herbs. Bake until tender and slightly caramelized, about an hour, tossing occasionally.

*Don't forget to remove the bay leaves before serving!