Been to a Farm Lately? (Recipe: Asparagus & Cherry Tomato Pizza)

by Cheryl on April 22, 2010

in What's for Dinner?

This summer, take the time to get a little dirty and source your food outside the market. Get to know the people who make your food.  See where your food comes from. And eat it right from the ground, dirt and all.
Photo by Cheryl

Asparagus and Tomato Pizza

Use your favorite pizza dough (or my version) to create a summery pizza.  Vary the toppings according to what’s in season and what you find that day on your farm visit.

• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 bunch asparagus
• 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• Pizza Dough

1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F. Pull out your dough into rough 8-10 inch circles. Place onto a thick cookie sheet or pizza stone sprinkled with cornmeal.
2. Trim any rough bits from your asparagus (if it is farm fresh you shouldn’t have to do a thing). Cook in boiling water for 1 minute then immediately submerge in ice water to stop the cooking.
3. Drizzle your stretched pizza dough with the garlic and olive oil.  Arrange the asparagus and halved tomatoes over the pizza. Sprinkle the feta and oregano on top. Add an extra drizzle of olive oil on top.
4. Bake for 10-15 minutes until pizza is cooked all the way through and cheese is bubbling slightly.

PASTA WITH ASPARAGUS AND TOASTED SESAME SEEDS

PASTA WITH ASPARAGUS AND TOASTED SESAME SEEDS

One of my food revelations when I moved here was to be able to get fresh asparagus without paying a fortune and getting healthy, vigorous ones as well instead of the scrawny ones I would find in Sweden in those days. I'm sure things have changed since then but when I lived there, either you bought canned asparagus or you bought not that great fresh ones, what a lousy choice. So you can imagine how I felt here, an ardent asparagus lover when the first Spring came and I saw all this wonderful asparagus on sale, I went mad. Nowadays I'm a bit blasé but I still can't resist their allure when spring comes. I think my favourite way of serving them is with really creamy scrambled eggs but you cannot live on that alone so I do serve it in other ways and this is one of them.





PASTA WITH ASPARAGUS AND TOASTED SESAME SEEDS
4 servings

400-500 g/0,88-1,1 lb pasta
1 bunch of asparagus, they usually weigh around 500 g/ 1,1 lb
2 small fresh onions
3-4 tblsp sesame seeds
salt
extra-virgin olive oil

- Start cooking the pasta.
- Clean the asparagus and break or cut off the woody arts of the stalks before cutting them into pieces. If you want to speed up the cooking, you can chop them now instead of later.
- Chop the onions finely and start frying gently them and the asparagus in a skillet in some olive oil. Add salt and cook until the asparagus is soft but still got a bite to them, we don't want mushy asparagus. Unless you like that of course.
- Toast the sesame seeds in a hot skillet.
- When the asparagus is ready, chop them roughly and taste for salt.
- When the pasta is ready, mix it with the asparagus and sprinkle the sesame seeds over before serving. Or why not let people sprinkle for themselves?

Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Browned Butter

Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Browned Butter

I do over my fair share of food blog browsing and therefore I see the trends in the food world...and my friends ASPARAGUS is the new BLACK.

Pair it up with a pork tenderloin, as an accessory to your salmon, or wrap it in proscuttio for an appetizer. Really it goes with everything and is the most popular vegetable this spring. My family loves it so I'm always trying different ways to serve it and we really liked this. This recipe comes from my sister-in-law Kristy who served this at Easter.

Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic Browned Butter

by SweetTreatsandMore

40 asparagus spears, trimmed (about 2 pounds)
Cooking spray
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 400°.

Arrange asparagus in a single layer on baking sheet; coat with cooking spray. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 400° for 12 minutes or until tender.

Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat; cook for 3 minutes or until lightly browned, shaking pan occasionally. Make sure not to burn it just get it to a point where the butter has a nutty smell. Remove from heat; stir in soy sauce and vinegar. Drizzle over the asparagus, tossing well to coat. Serve immediately