Seldom do I invent anything to eat. I almost always cook from someone else's recipe. Very occasionally, I make it up as I go along. Sometimes when I make it up as I go along, it is really lame. This was one of those times when it was not lame and I was really psyched. I actually made something good without a recipe!
Well, I take that back — I did use a recipe for the dough, but I pretty much know that by heart. Ever since I learned how to MB from this book, I have used their "Loaf of Fresh White Bread" recipe for pizza dough, as they suggest. You can cut it into four pieces and make four individual pizzas (or pop half in the freezer and make more pizzas next week). For these pizzas, I rolled the dough out into two wobbly, 1/4"-thick circles, put them on a Silpat-covered half-sheet pan, and preheated the oven to 500 degrees F.
I trimmed and then arranged half a bunch of very thin stalks of asparagus in a baking dish, sprinkled them with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and popped the dish into the hot oven for about 8 minutes, until the asparagus was roasted and slightly browned. I took the dish out and let the asparagus cool a bit, but I left the oven on.
Then I sauteed the white and pale green parts of one leek (slice it in half lengthwise, then cut each half into 1/4" slices — be sure to clean the leek well, too), seasoned the slices with salt and pepper, and then mixed in about 6 oz. of mascarpone cheese. Stirred this all together until the cheese melted; added a bit of cream here to thin it out. Tasted for seasoning again.
This made enough sauce to cover two individual pizzas. I spread the sauce over the pizzas, arranged the asparagus on top of the sauce, then added a about 1/3 pound (for the two pizzas) of medium-sized raw shrimp, which I had sliced in half lengthwise and coated in a bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper. (I had originally thought I would add a bit of thinly sliced prosciuotto and some mozzarella, but decided against it — I just wanted the flavors to stay very simple and fresh this time — but it would probably be good with these other things, too.) Then I popped the pizzas in the oven for about another 8 or 9 minutes until they were crispy and bubbling, and, oh! So good!
We had a great conversation while eating the pizza: "This is so good!" "I know, right? This is great!" "Totally great!" "Wow, this is good!" "I know, isn't it?" "Totally!" Etc., etc., etc. And they say married people run out of things to talk about!!! NOT!!!
That looks del...i...cious. I bet it'd be lovely on top of puff pastry, too, if you had company. But of course, I would imagine most "company" would be thrilled with shrimp-and-asparagus-topped pizza, as well.
Posted by: Kristina Strain | March 22, 2011 at 09:09 AM
That is mouth watering! Excellent job cooking without a recipe. And I love the conversation quoted. Definitely been there many times. :)
Posted by: Melissa P | March 22, 2011 at 09:12 AM
LOL! Your dinner conversation cracked me up! The pizza looks delish! Thanks for sharing.
Posted by: Staci | March 22, 2011 at 09:15 AM
Oh yum Alicia! I have been on an asparagus kick lately, last night asparagus and ham quiche:-) This looks like a must try for our Friday night pizza's.
Posted by: Suzanne | March 22, 2011 at 09:15 AM
The pizza picture could well be a cookbook cover! It is beautiful. I had sushi for the first time last Sat. night. It contained asparagus and I thought it was very tasty. Something about the green on that pizza......
Posted by: Susie Sears Taylor | March 22, 2011 at 09:24 AM
Oh my gosh, it looks delectable! I absolutely love asparagus and shrimp anyway, but this sounds divine. Definitely going to have to try this soon.
Posted by: Mary | March 22, 2011 at 09:28 AM
I'd take out the shrimp and spritz lemon over it with tiny rounds of thinly sliced radish. That would probably be tasty too!
Posted by: Seanna Lea | March 22, 2011 at 09:33 AM
Wow that's great! Looks totally professional. You can charge an arm and a leg for that. ;)
Posted by: amigurumigirl | March 22, 2011 at 10:13 AM
Hungry.
Inspired.
Jealous?
A bit... it looks so nom-nom-nom tasty!
Cheers for the chef!
Posted by: Natalie VV | March 22, 2011 at 10:31 AM
Thanks for sharing! I'm definitely going to try this. I've made your roasted root vegetables soup twice this winter and it's certainly a new favorite so I'm not going to stop following your cooking lead now!!
Posted by: Leila | March 22, 2011 at 11:01 AM
Asparagus not quite ready here in this part of the U.S. FWIW, my mother and talk food and cooking a lot virtually every time we see each other.
Posted by: MB@YarnUiPhoneappv1.2 | March 22, 2011 at 11:33 AM
I was going to leave you a comment, but I'm drooling all over the keyboard. Maybe I'll comment when I get back from the market.
Posted by: Lois the Librarian | March 22, 2011 at 11:39 AM
Alicia.. gorgeous pizza.. nothing better than fresh made bread dough and cheesy stuff baked in a pie! :-)
I have some baby booties to crochet today for a cousins new grandson expected soon in Annapolis! ::looking for the blue CottonTots yarn::
Have a great week! Teresa
Posted by: Teresa Kasner | March 22, 2011 at 11:51 AM
Subject: Previous Post (Spring Mantel)
Query: What's the story behind the roses on your fireplace, and did you do it yourself?
Posted by: Evalyn | March 22, 2011 at 12:11 PM
MMMM yummy! Homemade pizza. We havn't made one in about a year, perhaps tonight, you have inspired me!
Posted by: Marisa | March 22, 2011 at 12:18 PM
Marscapone on pizza - genius!
But if I heated my oven to 500 degrees to bake something, all kind of bad scary things would happen
:-(
Posted by: Melissa L. | March 22, 2011 at 12:40 PM
I just to put a link to your blog from my blog because your blog is so wonderful!! I've been looking through it all weekend and you make wonderful things and take great pictures! Is also makes me wonder what connection you have to Sweden. I am Swedish by the way :-)
Posted by: Maria | March 22, 2011 at 01:41 PM
You can do it! Looks awesome, again, like always. I'm hungry, again, like always when I read about your cooking:)
Posted by: soili | March 22, 2011 at 04:14 PM
haha looks delicious and i love the convo ;)
Posted by: claire ashworth | March 22, 2011 at 05:18 PM
mmmmmm, girlfriend...that looks sooo yummy and ( nodding my head yes) it does look like enough to share too.
Posted by: samantha | March 22, 2011 at 06:10 PM
Looks/sounds fresh and delish. It is always more fun to talk with your mouth full. Married or not.
XO, Cheryl
Posted by: Whosyergurl | March 22, 2011 at 06:23 PM
Looks delicious. I love shrimp and asparagus and asparagus is so good for you.
Posted by: Pat | March 22, 2011 at 06:31 PM
Such a big fan of that cookbook as well! We use the same bread recipe for our pizza night. I believe I bought that cookbook on your recommendation!
Posted by: Heidi | March 22, 2011 at 07:19 PM
first Tess and now pizza experimentation! - wait, are you watching Inception after having fixed your friends' clothes today, too? =)
we covered purchased crust with some slices of fresh mozzarella balls, roasted broccoli, sliced sundried tomatoes, and toasted walnuts.
I think our conversation was along similar lines, too! =)
Posted by: sarah | March 22, 2011 at 07:42 PM
Such a photogenic pizza! :)
Posted by: Julie | March 22, 2011 at 08:54 PM