roasted asparagus & brie pizza

omg.  this pizza was truly awesome.  very a-typically as far as toppings go, but what it lacked in tradition it made up tenfold in buttery goodness.
ok, so here's what went down...

earlier in the day i made some super easy, no-knead bread dough.  i know i've shared this recipe before, but if you're anything like me, when i first heard "bread dough", i shunned it in fear.  i always thought homemade bread was an undertaking for only the bravest and most patient of cooks.  i mean, don't bakers have to start working at 3am just so they can open at 7am?  but have no fear - this recipe is truly simple and easy.  it takes about 5 min to mix together all the ingredients, and then you let it rise.  then you mold it and bake.  super easy i promise.  (have i convinced you yet?  here is the recipe.)

back to the pizza.

1/4 of bread dough recipe or 12oz pizza dough
6-8 stalks of asparagus (from a nearby farm)
1/2 shallot
2-3 fingerling potatoes
1/2 small meyer lemon, thinly sliced
3 oz brie
1 tbsp (or 3 tsp) olive oil
rosemary
salt & pepper

1. preheat oven to 400.

2. wash asparagus & potatoes well.  snap the woody part of the stems off of the aparagus and thinly slice the potatoes.

3. place veggies on baking sheet and drizzle with 1 tsp olive oil over veggies and sprinkle with salt & pepper.  roast for 10-15 in the oven until asparagus is tender and potatoes are golden brown around edges.

4. while the veggies are in the oven, thinly slice the shallots and saute in 1 tsp olive oil until caramelized.  set aside.

5. sprinkle cornmeal over pizza stone (or baking tray) and spread dough.

6. once asparagus & potatoes are done roasting and slightly cooled, arrange on the dough.  add the lemon, shallots and brie.

7. drizzle final teaspoon of olive oil over top and season with salt & cracked pepper.

8. bake for 25 min or until crust is golden and cheese is bubbly.  remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes.  sprinkle with fresh rosemary before serving.

this pizza was seriously delicious.  and the asparagus - both green and purple - from the local farmers' market was so fresh and sweet.  even with the brie cheese, the asparagus stole the show..

pizza pizza

last night i was in the mood for pizza.  homemade, yummy pizza.  my mom had just given craig & me a jar of homemade basil & pine nut pesto, so i was anxious to put it to good use : )

mid-afternoon, i mixed up some super-easy no-knead dough (recipe {here}) to use for the pizza crust.  a little bit of prep and forethought, but it's totally worth it.

pizza pizza

i preheated the oven to 400 degrees and then spread the dough on our pizza stone that i had sprinkled with cornmeal.  (i regular baking tray will do the trick too.) 

then i topped 1/2 with:

mom's pesto
muenster cheese
chopped kalamata olives

and the other 1/2 with:

vodka sauce
mozzarella
turkey pepperoni

bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and lightly browned.  while baking, make yourself a faux cosmo : )

1.5 oz vodka
2 oz cranberry
squeeze of fresh citrus (i like lime)
top it off with seltzer or diet 7up or sprite

sit back and enjoy your drink.  and enjoy the delicious smell eminating from your oven.  when the pizza's done baking, let it cool for a few minutes before slicing and enjoying!  mangia : )

mmm...pizza.....

how to win friends & influence people

so, you want to know the real secret to winning friends and influencing people?  bake them bread.  it never fails.  my sister shared this no-knead (super easy/simple/fun) bread recipe with me a while back, and i've been enjoying homemade, fresh baked, yummy bread ever since.  so, i guess the cat's out of the bag.  i can no longer impress people with my super refined bread baking skills once they read how easy it is...

bread

...oh well.  it's totally worth it.  fresh baked bread for all!  (this recipe makes 3-4 boules)

3 cups warm water
1 tbsp yeast
1/2 tbsp salt
6 1/2 cups flour

1 large bowl - that will allow dough to quadruple in size
clean dish cloth

mix yeast and warm water.  add salt.  add flour.  mix with wooden spoon until dough forms a loose ball.  do not to over mix.

leave dough in bowl and cover bowl with dish cloth.  allow to rise for 2 hours.  dough will quadruple in size.

at this point, you have a few options.  you can cover dough/bowl with plastic wrap and foil and refrigerate for a few hours (or up to 3 days).  i recommend this because cool dough is much easier to handle.  or you can freeze the dough (for months).  or you can bake it immediately.  or a combo of all three : )


mmm...bread....

whichever you choose, when baking time comes, flour your hands and work surface and take approx. 1/4 of the dough and form a boule (i.e. round loaf) by folding dough in on itself, so the top is round and smooth and all "loose ends" are tucked under loaf.  (tip: when forming boules, it's a great time experiment with add-ins.  my personal faves are homemade pesto, asiago cheese or pecans, cinnamon and sugar.  to evenly distribute, flatten dough and spread fillings over it.  then fold dough in half.  then in half again.  then form boule by tucking ends under loaf to form a sphere. yum!)

place the boule on an oiled baking sheet (sprinkled with cornmeal if you have it) and allow to rise, uncovered, for 40-60 minutes.  before baking, cut a slash or two across top of dough to allow air to escape during baking.

then bake at 425 degrees for 25-30 minutes.  when dough is golden brown and smells intoxicating, it's done.

(if you're going to use the dough to make a pizza crust - which i highly recommend - you can skip the "second rise".  just take dough out of fridge, flatten it, top with sauce, cheese, veggies, amazingness, etc. and bake at 425 for 25 minutes or so and enjoy : )

pizza pizza

once people sample your fresh baked bread, you'll have more friends (and allies) than you'll know what to do with.

happy weekend!  hope it includes the smell of homemade bread - mine will : ).