Asparagus Pizza with Mushrooms and Chimichurri Sauce
This pizza is a happily messy affair. The herby chimichurri sauce spooned over the top is a bit of a mess but one that is well worth it. Combined with spring asparagus this pizza is a tasty, vibrant dish.
Asparagus Pizza with Mushrooms and Chimichurri Sauce
1 round pizza dough
¾ – 1 bunch asparagus
2 Tb olive oil
⅛ tsp red pepper flakes
¾ tsp salt
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
2 Tb unsalted butter
3 Tb white wine
¾ tsp salt
About 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
About ¾ cup pecorino romano cheese, shredded
Place a baking stone or an upside-down baking sheet in the oven. Preheat the oven to 500°.
Lightly hold the asparagus around the middle. With your other hand, bend the bottom of the stem until it snaps. Discard the ends. Slice the asparagus at an angle into about 1-2-inch pieces. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium/medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the asparagus and red pepper flakes and sauté until the pieces are cooked but still crisp. Towards the end of the cooking add the salt. Transfer the asparagus to a bowl and set aside.
In the same pan, melt the 2 Tb of butter. Add the mushrooms and sauté until the mushrooms are cooked through and browned. Add the white wine to deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Cook another minute or two until the wine is absorbed. Add the salt. Remove from heat and set the mushrooms aside.
On a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper, roll the pizza dough out into roughly a 13-14-inch circle. Spread about half of the mozzarella out over the dough, leaving a gap around the edges. Spread the mushrooms out over the cheese. Top with the remaining mozzarella, then the asparagus, then the pecorino romano.
Slide the parchment paper onto the preheated baking stone or baking sheet. Bake for 6 minutes, then rotate the pizza 180° so that it browns evenly and puncture any large air bubbles that have formed in the crust. Bake for an additional 6 minutes, or until the tops and edges are golden brown. Remove the stone, and the pizza, from the oven. Slide the pizza off of the parchment paper onto a cutting board. Drizzle the chimichurri sauce over the pizza while it is still hot. Slice and serve the pizza once cool enough to eat.