Asparagus Pizza

As I was uploading pictures of this dish, I noticed Deb's post in my google reader and stopped in my tracks.   A shaved asparagus pizza--seriously??   It's not that I don't drool over everything in her smitten kitchen, because I do.  And every recipe I've made from her site has been a winner.

It's just that I made a shaved asparagus pizza.

Great minds think alike?

While the recipes seem different at first, you'll find many aspects of the pizza I made a couple of weeks ago in the tweaks section.    I made the pizza twice, but only photographed it the first time, so you might notice a few differences between the photos and the recipe.   I hope that doesn't deter you from making it, as it would be a perfect summer pie!


Shaved Asparagus-Egg Pizza w/Truffle Oil
Recipe by Shannon
Serves 2

pizza dough (I used a portion of Jenna's recipe made with white whole wheat flour, ~6-8oz)
3-4oz goat cheese
~1T milk
10-12 asparagus spears (or more, I lost count)
2 eggs
sea salt
freshly ground pepper
black truffle oil

Place pizza stone in oven and preheat to 425deg.

Mix goat cheese with milk using the back of a spoon until it becomes spreadable, almost saucy.     Holding the tough end of the asparagus spears, use a vegetable peeler to create thin shavings of asparagus.  This works best when the asparagus is laying flat on your counter or cutting board.  Discard the tough ends.   Crack the eggs into a bowl (two bowls, or one at a time).   Roll out pizza dough to the size of your pizza stone or pie plate (I usually use a light dusting of cornmeal or flour).

Once the pizza stone has preheated, transfer the dough to the pizza stone.  Spread the goat cheese over the dough, then top with shaved asparagus.  I made two little pockets in the asparagus for each of the eggs, then carefully added the eggs to the pizza.  Sprinkle with some salt and pepper.   Bake for 10-12min, until the crust is nice and crispy and the egg is barely set (I was going for a runny yolk, but overshot a bit).  Remove from oven, drizzle generously with truffle oil, slice and serve!


I got some black truffle oil as a christmas gift, and it was my first time trying it.  It smelled much stronger than it tasted.  Does anyone know if this always the case?  I expected it to impart a stronger flavor to the dish, but it was happy as a subtle complement to the fresh asparagus.  Have you ever tried asparagus on pizza?

Lentils & Healthworks

I've been trying to get better about using the ingredients I already have and these dishes did just that--lentils from the pantry and salmon from the freezer!  Spinach, cheese and some form of onions are also always in my fridge.    While I didn't grow up eating lentils,  every time I make them I tell myself to do it more often.

The first dish came from Cooking with Mr. Latte, which I think would make for nice, light beach reading should you be somewhere like that ;)   Seared salmon over a bed of black beluga lentils in a vinegar-y dressing topped with some crispy shallots...  a delicious meal indeed!

Salmon w/Lentils

The other dish originated at Orangette, but I spied it at The Way the Cookie Crumbles.  I'm so glad I discovered lentils :)  Chewy wheat berries contrasted nicely with the soft caramelized onions and lentils.  Add in some spinach and a little salty feta, and another great meal!

Wheat Berries w/Lentils, Caramelized Onions & Feta

One more thing before I go...  I recently had the pleasure of attending a Healthworks Blogger event!  Maybe you've already read about it?   It was great to meet some new bloggers and put faces to blogs  :)   I must say, Healthworks a pretty awesome gym.  They have a ton of classes (I'm a fan of Bodypump and yoga) and it really feels like I'm in a high-class establishment.  Are you in the Boston area?   Want to try out Healthworks?   You're in luck--  Click here for a 3-day pass to Healthworks!

Rancho Gordo Baked Beans

I think it was around Christmas when I mentioned that I had gotten some dried heirloom beans and a cookbook from Rancho Gordo.   I usually go for the convenience of canned, but one weekend I decided to go ahead and get some Yellow Eye beans soaking.   I totally dropped the ball on photographing these beans, as they were quite lovely.   

(Image Source)

While they were soaking, I decided to try a recipe for baked beans, as I thought they might be a good addition to a bbq.  After soaking, they get cooked for awhile on the stovetop.  While it took awhile for the beans to soften, it was a "get it simmering and leave it while you do other things" kind of time.  Then it was time to meet some onions and sauce overnight in the crockpot.

I followed the recipe straight from the cookbook so I urge you to check it out (I couldn't find it online).   If the way these beans tasted is any indication, I'd totally pick up the cookbook :)   If you're in the market for a baked beans recipe...  shoot me an email.

When I woke up the next morning and went out to the kitchen I seriously contemplating eating them for breakfast.  Instead I packed them up for lunch with an oven-roasted sweet potato (really, it's the only way!) and some cottage cheese (not in the picture).  Absolutely amazing.

I raved about the meal to my friend who gave me the beans, and had her over for dinner the following week.  Of course I had to make more of those baked beans :)  I couldn't get them out of my head!   This time I served the beans over a bed of roasted kale and oven-roasted sweet potatoes.   They were a hit, and I'm thinking I might need to order more yellow-eye beans...

Do you liked baked beans??       Have you ever (or regularly) cooked your beans from scratch??

Cutting Board Review

I recently received the Totally Bamboo Congo Cutting Board to review from CSN stores.  I was quite excited, as I've been using the flexible cutting boards it was well-reviewed by Cooks Illustrated.  It arrived quickly and well packaged, no complaints there.  I loved the look of the cutting board, as well as the weight--enough heft to it without being cumbersome.

Besides its good looks, it also provided a very smooth surface for my chopping!  I really liked the feel of it and can't wait to use it more.  Clean up was quick and easy, too.  My only other thought was that I wish it had some sort of "feet" as it moved around a lot on my marble countertop.  Overall I am very pleased with the product and would recommend it, thank you CSN!!  If you haven't checked out any of their many stores, you should!  They've got tons of stuff for your home and kitchen, and I've had nothing but good, speedy service from them.

I hope everyone had a great weekend!  It was a gorgeous in Boston, and while I didn't get outside as much as I wanted to, I did manage to get out for my first brick (16ish mile bike followed by a 1.5mi run) of the season!  Did you know that this term for these back-to-back workouts actually came from the Pink Floyd song?  I always thought it was from the way your legs feel when you get off the bike and try to run.  Speaking of bricks, I've signed up for a couple of races this season!   I'm hoping to do one or two more, but haven't figured out which ones yet.   I'm especially excited, as I got a recruit :)  Haha, I'm hoping she'll enjoy it as much as I do, since it seems she already caught the racing bug!

Anyone else have any triathlons or other races this summer??

Sensational Sides

I meant to tell you about some more great eats before heading out of town for the weekend, but ran out of time!  Seems like the story of my life these days :)   I brought these two sides/salads to a party and didn't have anything to take home, so I'm guessing they were a hit!  While they both had "salad" in the name, they seemed more like "sides" to me, so that's where you'll find them in my recipe file.  I love throwing warm roasted veggies and grains in my salads, so apparently I don't know where to draw the line!

The first was Deb's Roasted Carrot and Avocado Salad.  I thought the marriage was a unique one, but really liked the interplay of the smooth avocado flesh with the firm-yet-yielding roasted carrots.  Hmm, yeah...  there's not really a "better" way to say that :)

Another winner from Ricki, the Warm Chickpea & Artichoke Salad utilized two things I already had in my pantry, so that made it even easier!  I could've easily eaten this as a meal, and will likely be making it for myself again soon.

Have you had any "non-traditional" salads lately?

A Sweet & Sassy Sandwich

May?  Already?  It appears time has gotten away from me again, but there's so much to do before I leave for my trip to Italy next month!   Awhile back I went to a wine tasting where they also had a cheese table.  One of their samples was a cheddar with apple and pickled green tomatoes.   Odd, but I really enjoyed it and inquired more.  Turns out the pairing was based on a sandwich from City Feed, which I had to recreate myself :)

When I found pickled green at Marshall's Fenway Farmstand, I knew it was time!  I tried one of tomatoes right from the jar, and boy were they tart :)  The sandwich has such a unique combination of flavors, with the sweetness from the cheddar/apple and bite from both the pickled green tomatoes and dijon mustard.  Different, but delicious, and if you'd like to kick it up a notch I implore you to give it a try!

Cheddar, Apple & Pickled Green Tomato Sandwich
Yield:  2 sandwiches

a grainy baguette, or 4 slices of a whole wheat bread
dijon/mayo blend (2T of a grainy dijon with 1T olive oil mayo)
red leaf lettuce
pickled green tomatoes
1 granny smith, peeled and sliced (I only peeled it for ease of eating)
2-3oz cheddar (I used Dubliner)

To assemble, spread half of the dijon/mayo blend on one half of the sandwich.  Shred or slice on the other slice of bread.  On top of the cheese, add apple slices then pickled green tomatoes.  Top with lettuce, then the other slice of bread (the one with dijon).   Toast the sandwich (either in the toaster oven or on the stove) to get the cheese warmed/melty, then dig in!