Shaved Asparagus Pizza

     This post is for you Rachel and all other persons that like melted cheese, asparagus and pizza. 
       I love spring in the supermarket. Strawberries and asparagus line the shelves and are on sale everywhere. I've also seen a smattering of asparagus recipes pop up on recent food blogs that I cannot wait to try. However, shaved asparagus pizza has been in my To-Try pile for quite some time. 
      This recipe is really simple, you only need six fresh ingredients. Three of those happen to be winners for me: fresh mozzarella, asparagus and Boursin cheese. I knew I couldn't go wrong with a recipe which included those yummy items.
       Chunks of full asparagus spears are a little too much on pizza, but using a vegetable peeler you get thin slices that get nicely charred in spots.  With the shavings you get all the flavor without the tough stems or having to pre-cook the asparagus in some way. The combination of cheese really adds a lot of flavor and creamy texture. Serve this with a strawberry spinach salad and you will have a meal that tastes of spring.
       If you want to make this pizza, but you don't want to heat up your house during the warm summer months, try grilling it. Yes, you can grill pizza. I haven't done it with this specific pizza, but I'm sure I'll be trying it in the next several weeks. Throw the rolled dough onto the oiled grill and let it cook for a couple minutes. Then pull it off (not with your hands) flip it and pile the toppings on the grilled side. Grill the pizza with the lid down for a few minutes, until everything is brown and gooey.


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Shaved Asparagus Pizza
adapted from Tasty Kitchen


1 batch of pizza dough (I'll post my recipe later)
extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling on the dough
4-6 ounces of fresh mozzarella, sliced thin
1/2 bunch asparagus; washed, trimmed and shaved
1/4-1/2 package (5.25 oz) Boursin cheese
fresh cracked black pepper

Preheat oven to 450º F.

If not already shaped, stretch your pizza dough into a large circle 12-16 inches in diameter and place on your pizza pan or stone. Drizzle dough with a thin stream of olive oil.

Place sliced mozzarella in a single layer over the dough.

Using a vegetable peeler shave your asparagus into thin strips. Try to get long ribbons, but any shaving can be placed on the pizza.  Pile asparagus shavings on top of the sliced mozzarella. The asparagus WILL cook down so you want to use more than you think is necessary.

Top asparagus with several cranks of black pepper and dot generously with Boursin cheese. 

Bake on pizza stone or baking sheet for 15-20 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Let cool for 2-3 minutes before slicing and serving.