Bacon asparagus pizza – Pizza Clack

Being eternally hungry and all, I decided to peruse the internet this afternoon and vicariously experience a gooey piece of pizza. I could have gone with the traditional pizza Margherita, or the pizza-joint pepperoni special. Instead, this bacon and asparagus pizza recipe caught my eye.

Maybe it’s because I actually have these ingredients in my house right this very minute (I know, I’m wondering why I’m not making it instead of writing about it too), or perhaps simply because you don’t see asparagus on pizza everyday. But you all know the real truth: it’s because I wanted to re-write it.

As usual, there are a few things I’d change about this recipe that would elevate it to new heights of yum. Instead of bacon, I’d use prosciutto, and not because I’m a food snob, but because prosciutto is just better, in this instance anyway. What do you mean, I’m being a food snob? Follow along, if you will: prosciutto provides a salty delicateness that bacon simply doesn’t have. Where bacon could overpower the asparagus, prosciutto will accent it.

I’m also a little unimpressed with a sauce-less pizza. It doesn’t always have to be a red sauce, but there has to be something there. This recipe’s got nothing. I’d use a traditional red pizza sauce in this case, but a balsamic vinaigrette would taste lovely. Oh, I’ve just created the perfect sauce in mind. You’ll see when we get the the recipe….

A few more tweaks here and there and we’ve got it… ready?

Prosciutto Asparagus Pizza
enough for 2 12-inch pizzas

Ingredients:

• dough of your choice (my choice is my sprouted spelt flour dough)
• sauce: mix together 8 ounces tomato sauce, 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, 2 – 4 tablespoons olive oil and garlic to taste
• caramelized onions (slow-cook 2 thinly-sliced large onions until soft and golden)
• 1 package prosciutto, torn into small strips
• 1 bunch asparagus, chopped
• 4-cheese blend (Trader Joe’s Quattro Formaggio)
• 1 package of goat cheese crumbles
• fresh chopped thyme, parsley and sage to taste
• red pepper flakes to taste

Layer ingredients onto your dough: sauce, a bit of 4-cheese blend, all the other toppings, then the goat cheese and more 4-cheese blend. Cook according to your dough’s directions, then enjoy.

We’ve just taken a so-so pizza recipe, tricked it up and made it appropriate for the classiest brunch or the quickest family dinner. All it took was a few easy switches, a bunch of fresh herbs, a souped-up sauce and some caramelized onions added to the mix.

Clacked by Debbie McDuffee
on Mar 30, 2009 @ 12:00 EST5EDT