Roasted asparagus and egg pizzas on 'grilled' dough
Serves 4
In "Grilled Pizzas & Piadinas," author Craig W. Priebe, who wrote the book with Dianne Jacob, recommends several ways to grill dough indoors. One is in a cast-iron grill pan, another is on a standard griddle, of the sort you might use to make pancakes, and a third is on a sandwich press, which is ingenious. Use one of these indoor methods to make these asparagus pizzas topped with a soft-cooked egg.
| 1 | pound fresh asparagus, tough ends snapped |
| Olive oil (for sprinkling) | |
| Salt and pepper, to taste | |
| 1 | pound commercial pizza dough, divided into 4 pieces |
| 4 | eggs |
| 4 | tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan |
2. In a shallow baking dish, sprinkle the asparagus lightly with oil, salt, and pepper. Roast them for 10 minutes, turning the spears once or twice, until they are tender and still bright green; set aside.
3. Roll each piece of dough as thinly as possible. Cover with a cloth and set aside.
4. With a paper towel, carefully rub the cooking surface with olive oil. Heat the cast-iron skillet, griddle, or sandwich press until it is very hot.
5. Meanwhile, drop the eggs into the boiling water. Cook for 5 minutes exactly. Lift out and transfer to cold water. Gently tap the eggs with the back of a spoon and remove a strip of peel. Slip back into the cold water.
6. Grill the pizza dough for several minutes on a side or until it is golden brown and cooked through. As they are done, use tongs to lift them from the pan and transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Keep warm in the hot oven.
7. On each of 4 plates, arrange a piece of pizza dough. Divide the asparagus among them. Carefully peel the eggs and pat them dry with paper towels. Set an egg on each pizza; quarter them right on the pizzas and arrange the quarters here and there. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and more pepper. Sheryl Julian
