Shaved Asparagus Pizza

My husband and I were down in Los Angeles only about a month ago and went to a local Venice restaurant Gjelina, a bustling mediterranean spot located on Abbot Kinney Boulevard. It was here, that after a several years, my love of Pizza returned. I always thought that pizza was something that I could do without: It was basically bread, tomato sauce, way too much cheese and a handful of additional topping. Our North American versions of this delicious Italian favorite do nothing for me. Italians create pizza with the perfect balance of a thin crisp base, sprinkled with only a few delicious fresh toppings (not too much but not too little) allowing you to enjoy each and every flavour in every bite.

Now, I have to admit that I cheated a little; I had all intentions of creating the pizza dough from scratch, but one thing lead to another and I was running short on time, and I left Whole Foods with one of their fresh pre-made pizza dough balls! Cheating yes, but smart… you betcha! I couldn’t have made it much better myself.

The toppings for tonights pizza was somewhat inspired from my Gjelina experience. Shaved asparagus pizza, but rather than a ‘sunny-side-up’ egg on top, we opted for thinly sliced pieces of my favorite meat, lamb!!! Shaving the asparagus was a bit of a tedious job, but well worth it. As I mentioned, balance is key and shaving these green stalks allows you to consume only bits of it at a time. I recommend having a sharp vegetable peeler, the duller the blade the more frustrated you will become… note to self… buy a new peeler!

There are many variations of great authentic pizza recipes which is why making it is usually so much fun for a date night dinner. Just remember that with artisan style pizza making, less is more. Use a few great ingredients wisely to get a great authentic Italian style pizza. Once you have made the dough (or purchased it) the meal comes together in no time, leaving lots of extra time in the evening to enjoy or entertain. So go ahead, take Pizza Hut off speed-dial, leave the Delissio in the freezer, and get cooking with your own creation!

{Lamb asparagus pizza:}

10 asparagus spears, shaved
1/3 cup red onion, thinly sliced
7 mint leaves, finely chopped
¼ green onions, thinly sliced
300 g of butterflied lamb breast
150 g goat feta
Olive oil
Truffle oil
Balsamic reduction (I used Nonna Pia’s from Whistler, BC)
Salt and pepper
Wholefoods pre made pizza dough
2 tbsp unsalted butter

Roll out the dough into the shape of the pan you will be placing it in, let it sit while you prep your toppings. Pre heat the oven to 450°F

{Browning the Lamb:}

Dry the lamb and cover it with salt and pepper. Add 1 tbsp butter and a 1 tbsp of olive oil into a frying pan. Bring the pan to heat until the butter bubbles then add the lamb, brown all side for roughly a minute. You do not want to cook the lamb since it will cook further on the pizza. Once browned, remove them lamb and let it sit for 5 minutes before cutting into thin slices.

{Shaving the Asparagus and Sautéing the Onions:}

There is no need to cut of the tough ends of your asparagus, they will be used to hold down the asparagus spear as you shave the layers of with a vegetable peeler.  Create long shavings of asparagus by drawing the peeler from the base to the top of the stalk. Repeat with remaining stalks and don’t fret some pieces are unevenly thick, this will added varied textures to your pizza.

Thinly slice your red onion. Add  1 tbsp butter and a 1 tbsp of olive oil into a stainless steel frying pan and place on medium heat until the butter melts. Add all the onions and a pinch of salt to the pan and stir them gently to coat with butter. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon.

{Pizza Creation:}

Grease your oven pan and then place the dough into the pan. Brush a generous amount of olive oil onto the top side of your pizza then lather with the caramelized onions and mint first. Next you will use half of the crumbled feta to coat the pizza, reserving the second half for the end.

Grab the sliced lamb and place it evenly over the pizza. Disperse the the remaining feta cheese evenly over the dough then sprinkle with black pepper and top with the asparagus ribbons.

Slide your pizza into the oven and bake until crisp and golden, about 8 to 10 minutes. Once the pizza is crisped to your liking drizzle a bit of balsamic reduction and truffle oil over it, serve and enjoy.