Asparagus & Arugula Pizza

Yes, it's another asparagus and arugula combination recipe! I love the combo, and my other favorite recipes with arugula and asparagus include the CPK Quinoa Salad with asparagus and arugula and the asparagus and arugula risotto.

Today I'm sharing a homemade pizza recipe with asparagus and arugula. It is a pretty incredible pizza. I finally started to love making pizza at home ever since Greg bought me a pizza stone. I was lost before I had one. The greek pizza was the first homemade pizza I made with the stone, and it is also super yummy. When I made this arugula and asparagus pizza, I reunited with Boursin cheese, which I had forgotten how much I enjoy. I will not bust out into song right now, even though I'm tempted to. Wait, I think I'm gong to anyways - reunited, and it feels so good! Ok - now for the pizza recipe. I'm hoping to make this pizza on Sunday to share with mom on Mother's Day, but I think she has her sights set on filet mignon!

Recipe for Asparagus and Arugula Pizza 
INGREDIENTS:
For the dough

1 package of active dry yeast

1 tsp. of white sugar
1 cup (110 degrees) of warm water
2 1/2 cups of bread flour
1 tsp. of kosher salt
1 1/2 Tbsp. of extra-virgin olive oil
For the topping/assembly 

1 Tbsp. of extra-virgin olive oil

1/8 tsp. of freshly squeezed lemon juice

16 spears of thin asparagus, thick ends discarded
A couple handfuls of baby arugula leaves
8 - 10 ounces of fresh mozzarella, sliced 1/4-inch thick
4 - 5 ounces of Boursin garlic & herb cheese
Freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:
For the dough
Put the warm water in a 2 cup liquid measuring cup. Add in the sugar and package of yeast. Let sit until  it becomes foamy, about 10 minutes.
Put the bread flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse until combined. Pour the olive oil through the feed tube and pulse to combine. Then, with the processor running, slowly pour the yeast mixture through the tube until it is all used. Run the processor until the mixture turns into a dough ball and it leaves the sides of the bowl.
Take dough out of bowl and shape more into a rounded ball. Put the dough into a lightly oiled metal bowl and then cover with saran wrap. Place in a warm place for about an hour until it rises.
Dust your hands with flour and shape dough onto your work surface. Assemble the pizza.

For topping/assembly
Put a pizza stone on the lowest rack in oven and preheat oven to 500 degrees. Allow to heat for 30 minutes at 500 degrees before cooking the pizza.
While the oven is heating, assemble the pizza. Cut the asparagus into 1 1/2-inch slices. Stand the asparagus up on a cutting board and carefully cut into thin strips (or you can use a vegetable peeler for thinner pieces).
Mix the olive oil and lemon juice together and brush evenly over the pizza dough. Put the slices of mozzarella cheese on top of the pizza dough. Then place the asparagus and the arugula leaves on top of the cheese. Use the Boursin cheese to fill up any spaces on the pizza. Top the pizza with a few grinds of freshly ground black pepper.
Carefully transfer pizza to the hot pizza stone in oven. Bake for approximately 10 - 12 minutes, making sure to check it frequently to avoid burning. Carefully remove from the oven and cool for just a couple minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Pizza recipe adapted from Annie's Eats
Pizza dough recipe adapted from All Recipes

Greek Pizza with a Cornmeal Crust

Greg got me a pizza stone for Christmas (he also got me a Kindle Fire & an Epilady). What did I get Greg? I got him a hat and a tie. I'm pretty boring.

Before receiving the pizza stone, I always wondered why my pizza crusts would NEVER work out to my liking. Well, the answer is that I had never used a pizza stone. What a difference it makes! It helps to cook the pizza evenly, and it helps to extract moisture (from cheese, toppings, etc.) When I had used a baking sheet to cook pizzas, the moisture from cheese would seep into the crust and it would become a soggy mess.

The very first (and second) pizza I made with the stone was a Greek pizza. The pizza starts with a cornmeal crust, then it is spread with an olive oil & roasted garlic sauce, and it is topped with feta cheese, mozzarella, sun dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, arugula, and spices. It is absolutely amazing! Greg and I are thinking of having some friends over for the Superbowl to enjoy the game and Greek pizza together (but I'll enjoy the pizza more, even though my home team is playing my nephew's home team). I just like food way more than I like football. Enjoy!

Recipe for Greek Pizza with a Cornmeal Crust

INGREDIENTS:
For the crust
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
2 tsp. active dry yeast
pinch of sugar
2/3 cup of warm water (about 110 degrees)
2 Tbsp. of extra-virgin olive oil

DIRECTIONS:
Put the warm water in a liquid measuring cup. Add yeast and sugar and let sit for ten minutes until a bit bubbly. Put flour, cornmeal, and kosher salt into a food processor and pulse together. Slowly add in the olive oil. With the food processor running, slowly add in the water/yeast mixture through the feed tube. When it forms into a ball, stop and divide the dough into two even pieces. Wrap one piece in plastic wrap and refrigerate or freeze for another use. Place the other piece of dough in a bowl coated with olive oil, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a  warm moist towel. Put somewhere warm  (like on top of the warm oven while the garlic is roasting). Let the dough rise for about an hour.

For the roasted garlic & olive oil sauce
2 large heads of garlic, with much of the skin peeled off
5 Tbsp. of extra-virgin olive oil, divided
a pinch of lemon zest (optional)
1/8 tsp. oregano
salt and pepper
a pinch of red pepper flakes
6 sundried tomatoes in oil, chopped small

Line a baking sheet with foil. Pour a couple tablespoons of the olive oil on the foil. Place garlic on top of foil. Place in an oven heated to 375 degrees and cook for 45 minutes. Let the garlic cool slightly, then use your hands to squeeze the garlic out into a bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well, forming a bit of a paste while doing so. Set aside.

For topping & assembling
3 - 4 ounces of grated mozzarella cheese
5 ounces of crumbled feta cheese
10 - 12 kalamata olives, sliced thin
3 - 4 sun dried tomatoes in oil, sliced small
A handful or two of arugula leaves
A drizzle of olive oil
Dried Oregano
Black Pepper
Crushed Red Pepper flakes

Preheat pizza stone according to manufacturer's directions (most stones need to be at 500 for thirty minutes).

After the dough has risen, place it on an inverted baking sheet dusted generously with cornmeal. Spread out the dough to make a thinnish crust. Drizzle the dough with the roasted garlic & olive oil sauce, spreading evenly. Then top with most of the mozzarella cheese, add the feta cheese, add the olives and sun dried tomato, add a little more mozzarella, then add the arugula. Drizzle the arugula with a little olive oil and then top the pizza with a sprinkle of dried oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, and black pepper.

Once pizza stone is ready, carefully slide the pizza onto the stone (leave stone in oven). Cook for about 6 - 7 minutes, or until crust is done and cheese is melted. Remove the pizza from the oven, let cool for a minute, slice and serve.
Greg & I enjoy our pizza with a small arugula salad topped with olives, feta, olive oil, crushed red pepper flakes, and a touch of balsamic vinegar.

Cornmeal crust recipe adapted from: Martha Stewart