Grilled Asparagus Pizza with Leek, Preserved Lemon and Pine Nuts
Serves 2 | Crafted with Lentil & Sage Plant-Based Deli Slices, Creamy Original Chao Slices
- Make it Fresh
- Make it Umami
ABOUT THE FLAVOR ORIGIN
This grilled asparagus pizza is a wonderful twist on the usual. It’s topped with fresh, lemony leeks with pine nuts and parsley. The preserved lemon is floral and intensely lemony but without the sour. Grilling pizza uses an indirect heat and a closed lid that adds a subtle smokiness to the crust. Use your favorite pizza dough for the BBQ or the recipe works just as well with a parbaked pizza or flatbread crust
Ingredients
Lemony leeks
1 large leek, white and pale green part only, sliced ¼” thick
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
1 tbsp. preserved lemon rind, minced (or 1 tsp. fresh lemon zest)
2 tbsp. pine nuts
2 tbsp. parsley, chopped
Pinch sea salt
1 tbsp. semolina or flour to dust baking sheet
1 batch pizza dough, risen and ready to shape a 10” pizza
8 thin asparagus, woody ends trimmed
4 slices Creamy Original Chao Slices
3 slices Field Roast Lentil & Sage Plant-Based Deli Slices
½ tsp. extra virgin olive oil
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Preparations
For the lemony leeks: In a large bowl of water, separate the leeks into rings and rinse well to remove any grit. Drain in a colander. It’s OK if they’re a little wet. Heat the olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Sauté the garlic for 1 minute, stirring occasionally until fragrant and sizzling.
Add the leeks and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until leeks are tender and just beginning to color. Add the preserved lemon, pine nuts and parsley, stirring to combine, about 30 seconds. Remove from the heat, season lightly with salt and set aside preparing the asparagus.
Lightly dust a baking sheet with semolina or all-purpose flour to hold the pizza dough.
Prepare a hot charcoal grill or preheat a BBQ to medium. Lightly oil the grates with vegetable oil.
Place the asparagus on the grill and cook, turning occasionally for about 3 minutes, until tender crisp with light grill marks.
With lightly oiled hands, or a rolling pin, stretch or roll the dough into a 10” oval about ¼” thick on the prepared baking sheet. Carefully transfer the dough onto the grill. Grill for about 2 minutes until puffed and beginning to crisp on the bottom. Using a wide spatula, flip the dough and cook for 1 minute until the bottom is just set. Remove the pizza crust from the grill and on to a cutting board to add the toppings.
Lay out the Chao Slices, Creamy Original across the crust. Cut the Field Roast Lentil & Sage Plant-Based Deli Slices into quarters and lay them out around the Chao. Scatter the warm lemony leeks over and top with the grilled asparagus.
Carefully slide the asparagus pizza back onto the BBQ and cook over indirect heat for 3 minutes with the lid down until Chao is melted and pizza is hot. Using a wide spatula, carefully lift the pizza off the grill and onto the nearby cutting board. Just before serving, finish with a drizzle of fruity olive oil and a grinding of fresh black pepper.
