Asparagus & Speck Pizza
This recipe makes one large pizza with a 1/2 lb ball of dough, but you can easily adjust the toppings to any size pizza. Be sure not to overload the pizza otherwise the bottom won’t get crispy.
*This recipe was originally developed for Freddie’s Larder.
Ingredients
1 ball of pizza dough
1 bundle of asparagus
6-8 thin slices of speck or prosciutto
2 cups mozzarella (low moisture high fat mozz is best)
Red chili flakes or crushed calabrian chiles in oil.
Olive Oil
AP flour and/or semolina flour (for sprinkling under the pizza)
Salt and pepper
Let’s Make It!
At least 3 hours before you’re ready to make your pizza, pull your pizza dough out of the refrigerator to come to room temperature. You can leave it in the bag it came in, or put it onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and covered with a towel. Use this time to make your pistachio pesto!
In the meantime, preheat your oven to 550. If you have a pizza stone, baking steel, or cast iron sheet pan, leave this in the oven to preheat. Trim the tough bottoms off your asparagus, toss it in a bit of oil and salt, and roast on a small sheet pan while your oven is preheating, for about 10 minutes. You don’t want the asparagus to take on any color, just begin to cook through.
To assemble the pizza:
On a large cutting board or baking sheet, toss a small handful of flour or semolina underneath your pizza. Gently shape your pizza dough to your preferred thinness, adding flour to your hands to prevent sticking as needed. For this, I don’t recommend using a rolling pin. Instead, use your knuckles to gently pull and stretch the dough, turning it with each stretch to form a circle. It doesn't have to perfect!
Drizzle about 2 tablespoons of olive oil on the base of the pizza, leaving about 1 inch along the edges for the crust. Top evenly with mozzarella slices. Arrange asparagus and speck on top of the mozzarella. Do NOT overload the pizza - too much moisture will prevent the dough from cooking through and browning on the bottom. When the oven is preheated, gently slide your pizza onto the pizza stone or preheated baking sheet (if you have a pizza paddle or a flat baking sheet, use this to transfer your pizza). If the dough is sticking, add more flour underneath until it slides freely. It’s totally okay if your perfect circle gets a little misshapen when you launch your pizza.
Bake at 550 for approximately 15-25 minutes. This will vary a lot based on your oven, your pizza dough, and your personal preferences. Keep a close eye on the pizza, baking until the edges and bottom are beginning to brown, cheese is melted and bubbly, and asparagus begins to take on some char.
Once you pull your pizza out of the oven, top it with red chili flakes or Calabrian chiles. Finish with a sprinkling of sea salt and fresh cracked pepper.