White Pizza With Asparagus And Spinach Recipes

GRILLED WHITE PIZZA

Steps:

• Prepare a grill for diffused indirect heat by building the hot coals evenly around the perimeter of the grill. Remove the center ring from the grill grate and insert a medium cast-iron skillet. Invert another larger cast-iron skillet over the top. This acts as a pizza oven for your outdoor grill. (If using a gas grill, heat to medium-high heat.)
• For the pizza dough: Add the flour, honey, salt and yeast to a food processor and pulse a few times to combine. Then add 1 3/4 cups room temperature water and the olive oil and pulse again until the dough comes together into a rough ball and rides around the bowl. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead a few times until a smooth elastic ball forms. Divide the dough into 3 equal pieces and place each in a quart-sized deli container or gallon-sized resealable plastic bag with a drizzle of olive oil. Allow to sit at room temperature for 1 hour, then refrigerate overnight and up to 5 days. This makes enough for 3 pizzas. Save the extra dough in the freezer for another time. It will last up to 2 months.
• When ready to use, remove the dough from the refrigerator and take it out of its storage vessel while still cold. Allow the dough to rest at room temperature for 1 hour before grilling.
• For the cheese mixture: In the meantime, combine the ricotta, mozzarella, pecorino and herbs in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
• To make the pizza: Dust a pizza peel or the back of a baking sheet with flour. Press one dough ball out on to the peel, shaping it into a circle. Slide the pizza onto the inverted cast-iron and dollop the cheese mixture over the surface. Scatter the asparagus, onions and Parmesan evenly over the surface and drizzle with olive oil. Cover the grill and bake until golden brown and crusty, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Using the peel, remove the pizza from the grill and slide it onto a cutting board. Drizzle with more olive oil, slice and serve with more freshly grated Parmesan over the top.
• (Alternatively, you can slide the pizza onto an upside-down sheet tray in the oven and cook in a 500 degrees F oven until golden brown and crusty, 10 to 15 minutes.)

WHITE PIZZA WITH ASPARAGUS AND SPINACH

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425°F.
• Trim about an inch from the bottom of the asparagus spears. Scrape the bottom halves if you like, though if they are very slender, this won't be necessary. Cut the spears into 1-inch pieces.
• Steam the asparagus with a little water in a covered skillet or Dutch oven until bright green and just barely tender-crisp, about 3 minutes.
• Add the spinach and cover; steam until just wilted, about a minute. Drain the asparagus and spinach well.
• Puree the tofu with the salt in a food processor or with an immersion blender in its container.
• Place the crust on a baking sheet or a pizza stone. Spread the tofu puree evenly over the crust with a baking spatula.
• Scatter the asparagus and spinach evenly over the surface of the pizza, followed by the sun-dried tomatoes. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the crust is golden. Cut into 6 slices and serve.
• Menu Suggestions
• As with many pizzas, a basic bountiful salad of greens, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and carrots goes well with this.
• If you'd like a heartier salad with this, choose one based on beans. Here are a few possibilities: Black Beans with Tomatoes, Olives, Yellow Peppers, and Croutons (page 185), Black Bean, Mango, and Avocado Salad (page 186), or Chickpea and Carrot Salad with Parsley and Olives (page 190).
• See the menu with Tomato Chickpea Soup with Tiny Pasta and Fresh Herbs (page 32).
• nutrition information
• (per slice)
• Calories: 262
• Total Fat: 5g
• Protein: 12.5g
• Carbohydrates: 40g
• Fiber: 2g
• Sodium: 685mg

SESAME WHITE PIZZA WITH SPINACH

Steps:

• Make Sheet-Pan Pizza Dough; transfer to the oiled pan as directed in step 3, then shape into an oval and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, patting to adhere. Flip the dough, cover and let rise as directed, then stretch. During the final rise, put a pizza stone or inverted baking sheet in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 500˚ for 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, make the spinach: Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the spinach and cook, tossing with tongs, until wilted, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, the garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the water evaporates and the garlic is just golden, about 3 minutes. Remove the spinach to a cutting board and chop.
• Make the ricotta mixture: Combine the ricotta, pecorino, oregano and a few grinds of pepper in a small bowl.
• Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon sesame seeds around the edge of the dough to create a 1/4-inch border, pressing to adhere. Sprinkle the mozzarella over the dough up to the sesame border. Top with the spinach, then top with spoonfuls (about 2 tablespoons each) of the ricotta mixture.
• Put the baking sheet directly on the hot stone and bake until the crust is browned around the edges and the cheese is golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool slightly.
• Loosen the edges of the pizza with an offset spatula, then loosen the bottom. Slide the pizza onto a cutting board; cut into squares.

SPINACH ARTICHOKE AND MUSHROOM ALFREDO PIZZA

Steps:

• Spread alfredo sauce all over the pizza crust evenly to your liking.
• Run a bunch of spinach through a food processor to get a nice chopped consistency, about 2-3 cups worth, until you have enough to layer all the spinach over the alfredo sauce completely covering the pizza.
• Sprinkle a small amount of fresh parmesan cheese over the spinach layer.
• Top with artichokes and mushrooms all over.
• Sprinkle mozzarella cheese all over the mushrooms and artichokes.
• Top with fresh or dried oregano all over the entire pizza.
• Bake at 375F for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese has lightly browned.

WHITE PIZZA WITH SHAVED VEGETABLES AND PESTO

Steps:

• Place a rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 500°F. Drain ricotta in a paper towel-lined colander.
• Gently stretch dough to a 16x12" oval and transfer to a lightly oiled rimmed baking sheet. (If dough springs back, cover with plastic wrap and let rest 10 minutes, then stretch again, resting as needed.) Brush with 1 Tbsp. oil, then bake until dry and golden, about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, toss zucchini, leeks, asparagus, peas, salt, and 1 Tbsp. oil in a medium bowl. Whisk ricotta, mozzarella, pesto, garlic, and lemon zest in another medium bowl until smooth.
• Spread ricotta mixture over dough, then arrange vegetables over. Bake pizza, rotating pan halfway through, until cheese is melted, vegetables are roasted and tender, and crust is golden brown, 7-9 minutes.
• Meanwhile, toss watercress and basil with remaining 1 tsp. oil. Remove baking sheet from oven, then transfer pizza with a pizza peel or offset spatula to wire rack. Top pizza with watercress mixture, Pecorino, and pistachios. Let cool slightly, then cut into wedges and serve.

SHEET-PAN PIZZA WITH ASPARAGUS AND ARUGULA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 500 degrees. Pour 3 tablespoons oil into a 9-by-13-inch rimmed baking sheet and brush to coat. (If you don't have a quarter sheet pan, you can use a larger one and aim to stretch the dough into a 9-by-13-inch rectangle.) Carefully stretch dough evenly to fill the baking sheet, avoiding creating holes or thin spots. The dough probably won't fit the baking sheet, so let it rest while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. If it still resists, layering the ingredients on top will help it keep its shape.
• Dollop the ricotta around the dough. Tear the mozzarella into pieces and distribute evenly. Toss the asparagus with the peppers and 1 teaspoon oil; arrange randomly over the cheese. Cut the pancetta slices in half, if using, and tuck them in here and there.
• Bake on bottom rack of oven for 15 minutes. If it seems to be darkening too quickly, lower heat to 450 degrees. Remove from oven, top with olives and return to oven for another 5 minutes until cheese is starting to brown and the crust is browned and crisp. Remove pan from the oven and immediately slide the pizza off the pan and onto a wire rack to prevent sogginess. After a few minutes, slide onto a board for serving. Season with flaky salt and pepper.
• In a medium bowl, toss parsley and arugula with lemon juice and remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil. Season with flaky salt and pepper. Garnish pizza with salad and serve.

WHITE BEAN AND SPINACH PIZZA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425°. Pour enough boiling water over dried tomatoes to cover; let stand 10 minutes. Drain. Cut into thin strips; set aside.
• Place beans and garlic in food processor. Cover and process until smooth. Spread beans over pizza crust. Sprinkle with oregano, tomatoes, spinach and cheese. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

TORTA RUSTICA WITH RICOTTA AND SPINACH

Steps:

• Make the dough: In a food processor, pulse together the flour, sugar and salt. Add butter and pulse until the mixture forms lima bean-size pieces. Alternatively, mix together flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl, then add butter, working the pieces into the flour with your hands, squeezing and pinching them until the mixture looks like oatmeal.
• Add egg, egg white and lemon zest, and pulse after each addition. If working by hand, whisk together egg, egg white and lemon zest in a separate bowl, then mix into the butter mixture. Slowly add iced wine, 1 tablespoon at a time, and pulse or mix by hand until the dough just comes together. You may not need all the liquid. The dough should be moist, but not wet.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and gather and press it into a ball. Divide into 2 portions, one slightly larger than the other, and shape into disks. Wrap the disks tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 5 days.
• When ready to bake, heat oven to 375 degrees.
• Make the filling: If your ricotta seems watery, put it in a sieve and let it drain while you cook the spinach.
• In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add spinach and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Stir in garlic and a large pinch of salt, and continue to cook until spinach is very dry, about 2 minutes longer. Transfer to a large bowl to cool. If any liquid accumulates as the spinach sits, pour it out of the bowl (you don't want it to water down the ricotta).
• In a food processor, purée drained ricotta and eggs until just combined and smooth. Add to the bowl with the spinach and fold in mozzarella, pecorino, ham (if using), parsley, black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt, red-pepper flakes and nutmeg. Set aside when rolling out dough (or chill for up to 4 hours).
• On a lightly floured surface, roll out the larger pastry dough disk to a 14-inch circle, about 1/8-inch thick. Fit dough into a 9-inch springform pan, pressing the dough up the sides of the pan. Scrape filling into crust and spread evenly. Roll out second pastry disk to a 12-inch circle, about 1/8-inch thick. Cut 1/2-inch-wide strips and weave into a lattice on top of the filling. Seal, trim and crimp the edges. Brush the top of the torta with the egg wash.
• Place torta on sheet pan and bake until crust is crisp and brown, and filling is firm, 50 to 60 minutes. Cool on a rack for at least 45 minutes before serving.

ASPARAGUS SPINACH SALAD WITH CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a microwave-safe bowl, combine asparagus and water. Microwave, covered, on high until crisp-tender, 2-4 minutes; drain. Remove asparagus and immediately drop into ice water. Drain and pat dry., In a small bowl, whisk dressing, orange juice, honey, orange zest and mustard until blended., In a large bowl, combine spinach, chicken, strawberries, almonds, sesame seeds and asparagus. Add dressing and toss to coat.