wednesday was...(recipe: spring vegetable pizza with gremolata)

the first day of Spring

and pizza night!

Spring Vegetable Pizza with Gremolata
serves two
resource: Cooking Light April 2013

6oz Quick Beer Pizza Dough
1 half of a large fennel bulb with stalks, thinly sliced; fennel fronds reserved
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup frozen peas, rinsed and drained.
6-8 stalks asparagus, cut in 3-in. pieces and halved lengthwise
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1/3 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 1/2 tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 oz. Parmesan Cheese, grated
pinch of kosher salt
1 tablespoon flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1/2 tablespoon grated lemon zest
1 small garlic clove, minced

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Flatten dough into a round on a pizza stone or baking sheet.  Par-bake the dough for five minutes and remove from the oven.
2. Meanwhile, mix together the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, milk and pepper.  Spread mixture evenly over the par-baked pizza crust.  Place pizza back into oven and bake for 5 minutes.
3. To prepare the veggie topping, heat olive oil in a skillet and saute fennel, asparagus and peas for 2 minutes.  Add sliced garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
4. Carefully remove pizza, raise the oven temperature to 450 degrees F.  Top pizza with the pea mixture and bake for 5 minutes, until crust is brown and crisp.
5. While pizza is baking, prepare gremolata, combining parsley, 1/2 tablespoon chopped fennel fronds, lemon zest and garlic clove.
6. Remove pizza from oven, while pizza is piping hot, sprinkle a pinch of salt and gremolata evenly over the pizza.
7. Cut into 8 wedges.