One of my favorite convenience ingredients that I always have on hand in the freezer is whole-grain pizza dough. Most grocery stores carry it nowadays, and many local pizzerias will sell you a ball of their dough. I consider it a staple because — way beyond just a vehicle for red sauce and piles of cheese — a pizza crust can be a blank canvas for all sorts of fun, creative and healthful combinations that reflect any season of the year.
The accompanying recipe is for a pizza that says “primavera” simply and elegantly, because it’s topped with creamy, lemon-spiked ricotta cheese, roasted asparagus and fresh basil. To make it, you give the asparagus a head start by roasting it in the oven, then you use the same (now conveniently preheated) baking sheet to build and cook the pizza on.
The whole-grain crust is stretched thin, so the pizza is not overly bready, and it crisps nicely in the oven. Over the years, I have come to relish this stretching process. As with other doughs, if it is fighting you and keeps bouncing back into shape, take a break for a few minutes to let the dough relax. (It’s a good time to take a sip or two of wine.) Or try Sara Moulton’s trick of lightly oiling the work surface before rolling out the dough. When you pick the dough up again it will be more supple and amenable to stretching.
After the crust is laid on the baking sheet, the lemon-zest-laced ricotta cheese is spread on, then piled with the roasted asparagus and a generous shower of Parmesan cheese. Once it’s baked, and the cheese is melted and golden brown, the pizza is crowned with ribbons of fresh, perfume-y basil leaves for a pizza at once light, fresh and satisfying.
Asparagus and ricotta pizza
12asparagus spears
1tablespoon olive oil
1/8teaspoon salt
1tablespoon cornmeal, for the work surface
12ounces whole-wheat pizza dough, defrosted if frozen
3/4cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, freshly grated (1/2 packed cup)
Freshly ground black pepper
6 large or 12 small basil leaves
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Trim any woody ends from the asparagus. Place the spears on a baking sheet, drizzle with the oil and toss to coat, then sprinkle with the salt. Roast for about 6 minutes, or until the asparagus is just tender. Transfer to a cutting board to cool slightly, then cut the asparagus into 3/4-inch or 1-inch pieces. Reserve the baking sheet, with the oil still on it, to use for the pizza. Increase the oven temperature to 500 degrees.
Sprinkle a work surface with the cornmeal and use a rolling pin and/or your hands to stretch the dough into a 12-inch round. Place the dough onto the baking sheet that you used to roast the asparagus.
Stir together the ricotta and the lemon zest in a medium bowl, then use the back of a spoon to smear that mixture over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border for the crust. Arrange the asparagus on top, sprinkle with the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and a few turns of black pepper. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or just until the cheese is melted and browning, the asparagus is softened, and the crust is browned.
While the pizza’s in the oven, stack the basil leaves, roll them and then cut crosswise into very thin ribbons (chiffonade).
Garnish the just-baked pizza with basil, then cut into 8 wedges. Serve hot.
Makes 4 servings.
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