{"id":5278,"date":"2010-04-18T01:20:37","date_gmt":"2010-04-18T06:20:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/crankymouse.com\/?p=5278"},"modified":"2011-09-11T21:58:01","modified_gmt":"2011-09-12T02:58:01","slug":"asparagus-bacon-and-feta-pizza-on-garlic-flatbread","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/index.php\/2010\/04\/18\/asparagus-bacon-and-feta-pizza-on-garlic-flatbread\/","title":{"rendered":"Asparagus, Bacon and Feta Pizza on Garlic Flatbread"},"content":{"rendered":"<blockquote><p>One of the good things about having sick kids is that I came nowhere near using all the pizza dough for Friday night&#8217;s dinner of <a href=\"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/recipes\/prosciutto-and-artichoke-pizza-on-garlic-flatbread\" target=\"_blank\">prosciutto and artichoke pizza<\/a>, and there was plenty left stored in the fridge for an impromptu Sunday lunch by tossing a few leftover ingredients (bacon, Alfredo sauce and fresh mozzarella) from the fridge together with a bunch of spring asparagus and some feta you happened to have on hand for a meal later in the week.<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/little-helper.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"little helper\" width=\"535\" height=\"357\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-5283\" srcset=\"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/little-helper.jpg 535w, https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/little-helper-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 535px) 100vw, 535px\" \/><br \/>\nWith Ole out of the house and me on my own, I had quite a few helpers underfoot, the least of which was this guy.  He&#8217;d already been sick much earlier in the week and was eager to get back in the kitchen again every chance he got.<br \/>\n<br clear=\"all\"><em>&#8220;Mom&#8217;s getting water from the fridge?  Let me just squeeze in under her arm and see if I can&#8217;t point and say please a few times.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Mom went to toss a tissue in the trash?  I&#8217;ll just stumble right along behind her hoping she&#8217;ll have pity on me and open a cupboard.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Mom looked in my direction while standing on the other side of the living room farthest from the kitchen?  Well, she was obviously telling me that she&#8217;d love to get in there and find me some food.&#8221;<\/em><br \/>\n<br clear=\"all\">Needless to say, there was no way I was even thinking about putting a hair on my head near that kitchen without his help.  Not that I minded.  He is a wonderful cheerleader at 20 months.<br \/>\n<br clear=\"all\">I&#8217;m using leftover crust from the last time I made pizza.  Directions for the crust are over with the <a href=\"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/recipes\/prosciutto-and-artichoke-pizza-on-garlic-flatbread\" target=\"_blank\">prosciutto and artichoke pizza<\/a>.  Once you have the crust in the oven to pre-bake it, start with asparagus.  I really love asparagus, especially from the farmer&#8217;s market on Saturday mornings in brown paper bags, where they&#8217;re selling it by handing out fresh samples to snap into.  Blanching it will make it more tender for the pizza, and then you won&#8217;t be trying to also cook it fully while it&#8217;s in the oven.<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/asparagus-stalks.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"asparagus stalks\" width=\"535\" height=\"357\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-5292\" srcset=\"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/asparagus-stalks.jpg 535w, https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/asparagus-stalks-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 535px) 100vw, 535px\" \/><br \/>\nToss your asparagus, woody ends removed, into a pan of boiling water for three minutes.<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/asparagus-in-boiling-water.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"asparagus in boiling water\" width=\"535\" height=\"357\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-5293\" srcset=\"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/asparagus-in-boiling-water.jpg 535w, https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/asparagus-in-boiling-water-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 535px) 100vw, 535px\" \/><br \/>\nRemove and drain.  Don&#8217;t they look vibrant?<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/blanched-asparagus.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"blanched asparagus\" width=\"535\" height=\"357\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-5294\" srcset=\"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/blanched-asparagus.jpg 535w, https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/blanched-asparagus-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 535px) 100vw, 535px\" \/><br \/>\nI&#8217;m using some leftover bacon I had in the fridge.  Ole had made too much when he was making sandwiches a few days earlier, and it&#8217;s been sitting around looking for a good place to land.<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/bacon-strips.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"bacon strips\" width=\"535\" height=\"357\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-5295\" srcset=\"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/bacon-strips.jpg 535w, https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/bacon-strips-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 535px) 100vw, 535px\" \/><br \/>\nChop it into tiny pieces.<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/bacon-chopped.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"bacon chopped\" width=\"535\" height=\"357\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-5296\" srcset=\"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/bacon-chopped.jpg 535w, https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/bacon-chopped-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 535px) 100vw, 535px\" \/><br \/>\nRemove your crust from the oven.<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/prebaked-crust1.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"prebaked crust\" width=\"535\" height=\"357\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-5282\" srcset=\"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/prebaked-crust1.jpg 535w, https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/prebaked-crust1-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 535px) 100vw, 535px\" \/><br \/>\nIntroduce it to your favorite Alfredo sauce, from scratch or out of a jar, whichever you happen to have.<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/alfredo-topped.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"alfredo topped\" width=\"535\" height=\"357\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-5285\" srcset=\"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/alfredo-topped.jpg 535w, https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/alfredo-topped-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 535px) 100vw, 535px\" \/><br \/>\nPlace the asparagus on the pizza.  (In hindsight, chopping the asparagus into pieces would have made this easier to cut in the end because I wouldn&#8217;t have had to maneuver around the different spears while I was slicing.)<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/asparagus-topped.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"asparagus topped\" width=\"535\" height=\"357\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-5286\" srcset=\"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/asparagus-topped.jpg 535w, https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/asparagus-topped-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 535px) 100vw, 535px\" \/><br \/>\nSprinkle the bacon on.<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/asparagus-and-bacon-topped.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"asparagus and bacon topped\" width=\"535\" height=\"357\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-5287\" srcset=\"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/asparagus-and-bacon-topped.jpg 535w, https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/asparagus-and-bacon-topped-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 535px) 100vw, 535px\" \/><br \/>\nPlace a thin and loose layer of mozzarella on.  We&#8217;ll be filling any holes with feta, so it&#8217;s not as important to create an encompassing layer here.<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/mozzarella-on-asparagus.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"mozzarella on asparagus\" width=\"535\" height=\"357\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-5288\" srcset=\"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/mozzarella-on-asparagus.jpg 535w, https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/mozzarella-on-asparagus-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 535px) 100vw, 535px\" \/><br \/>\nSprinkle with feta and top with some extra asparagus if you like, and the pizza is ready for the oven.<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/asparagus-pizza-ready-for-the-oven.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"asparagus pizza ready for the oven\" width=\"535\" height=\"357\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-5289\" srcset=\"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/asparagus-pizza-ready-for-the-oven.jpg 535w, https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/asparagus-pizza-ready-for-the-oven-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 535px) 100vw, 535px\" \/><br \/>\nLet it cook for 15 to 20 minutes until the feta starts to brown lightly across the top.<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/asparagus-pizza-cooked.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"asparagus pizza cooked\" width=\"535\" height=\"357\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-5290\" srcset=\"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/asparagus-pizza-cooked.jpg 535w, https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/asparagus-pizza-cooked-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 535px) 100vw, 535px\" \/><br \/>\nAnd venture outside into the spring air to eat, especially if it&#8217;s a gorgeous Sunday afternoon.  And if you&#8217;re anything like me, you&#8217;ll gaze over the perennial gardens in need of cleaning out and a raised bed garden that needs building and find a bit of motivation in your back pocket to actually tackle some of that after lunch.<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/asparagus-pizza-final.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"asparagus pizza final\" width=\"535\" height=\"356\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-5291\" srcset=\"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/asparagus-pizza-final.jpg 535w, https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/asparagus-pizza-final-300x199.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 535px) 100vw, 535px\" \/><br \/>\nAnd the crust?  Worthy of eating to the edge.  Crisp on the bottom, but still soft with a good texture all the way up and flavorful so that it can stand on its own.<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/the-crust.jpg\" alt=\"\" title=\"the crust\" width=\"535\" height=\"357\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-5299\" srcset=\"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/the-crust.jpg 535w, https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/the-crust-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 535px) 100vw, 535px\" \/><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div id=\"recipetitle\">\n<table width=\"100%\">\n<tr>\n<td>\n<h2><a href=\"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/recipe-cards\/garlic-flatbread-for-pizza\" rel=\"bookmark\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Open Garlic Flatbread for Pizza in a print friendly window\">Garlic Flatbread for Pizza<\/a><\/h2>\n<\/td>\n<td align=\"right\"><a href=\"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/recipe-cards\/garlic-flatbread-for-pizza\" title=\"Click here to print this recipe card\">Print me!<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"recipebody\">\n<em><font size=1>Adapated from <a href=\"http:\/\/www.emerils.com\/recipe\/3710\/Oregano-Flatbread\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Emeril&#8217;s<\/a>.<\/font><\/em><br \/>\n1 package dry active yeast (2 1\/4 teaspoons)<br \/>\n1 1\/2 cups warm water<br \/>\n1\/4 cup olive oil<br \/>\n1\/4 cup fresh herbs or 2 tablespoons dried herbs<br \/>\n4 garlic cloves, minced<br \/>\n1 1\/2 teaspoons kosher salt<br \/>\n5 cups flour<br \/>\ncornmeal for dusting<br \/>\n2 tablespoons olive oil<br \/>\n<br clear=\"all\">In a large bowl, sprinkle yeast over warm water and let sit for 5 minutes until frothy on surface.  Stir to wet any dry particles.  Mix in olive oil, herbs, garlic and salt.  Slowly add flour a 1\/2 cup at a time, stirring to combine after each addition.  When all flour is added, dough should be a very sticky ball.<br \/>\n<br clear=\"all\">Turn the dough out onto a greased baking sheet.  Cover and let rise in a warm place for one hour.<br \/>\n<br clear=\"all\">Once dough has doubled in size, preheat oven to 400\u00b0 F.  Split dough into three portions.  Place dough on a well-floured surface.  Knead about 15 times in flour until dough is easy to handle.  Place ball on cornmeal-dusted cookie sheet or pizza peel.  Roll into a circle.  Brush with olive oil.<br \/>\n<br clear=\"all\">Bake at 400\u00b0 on cookie sheet or preheated baking stone for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and top with desired pizza toppings. Return to oven and bake for 10 minutes more until cheese is bubbly and starts to brown.<br \/>\n<br clear=\"all\">For flatbread only, do not brush with olive oil before baking.  Bake at 400\u00b0 for 15 minutes until top starts to brown.  Remove from oven.  Brush with olive oil, sprinkle lightly with Parmesan cheese and serve.<br \/>\n<br clear=\"all\"><br \/>\nMakes (3) 16&#8243; pizzas.<br \/>\n<center><font size=1>Copyright &copy; <a href=\"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\">Food for My Family<\/a>.<\/center><\/font>\n<\/div>\n<p><br clear=\"all\"><\/p>\n<div id=\"recipetitle\">\n<table width=\"100%\">\n<tr>\n<td>\n<h2><a href=\"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/recipe-cards\/asparagus-bacon-and-feta-pizza\" rel=\"bookmark\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Open Asparagus, Bacon and Feta Pizza in a print friendly window\">Asparagus, Bacon and Feta Pizza<\/a><\/h2>\n<\/td>\n<td align=\"right\"><a href=\"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/recipe-cards\/asparagus-bacon-and-feta-pizza\" title=\"Click here to print this recipe card\">Print me!<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"recipebody\">\n1\/3 <a href=\"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/recipe-cards\/garlic-flatbread-for-pizza\" target=\"_blank\">Garlic Flatbread for Pizza Dough<\/a><br \/>\n1\/4 cup Alfredo sauce<br \/>\n1 small bunch asparagus<br \/>\n5 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled\/chopped<br \/>\n4 ounces fresh mozzarella<br \/>\n1\/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled<br \/>\nPreheat oven to 400\u00b0 F.  Work dough with flour until easy to handle.  Place ball on cornmeal-dusted cookie sheet or pizza peel.  Roll into a circle.  Brush with olive oil.  Bake at 400\u00b0 on cookie sheet or preheated baking stone for 10 minutes.  While crust is baking, bring a small pot of water to a boil.  Once boiling, add asparagus spears and let blanch for 3 minutes.  Remove from water and drain.<br \/>\n<br clear=\"all\">After pre-baking the crust for 10 minutes, remove from oven.  Add alfredo sauce and spread evenly over crust.  Top with whole or chopped asparagus pieces and crumbled bacon.  Layer mozzarella slices and finish with feta cheese.  Bake for an additional 15 minutes until cheese begins to evenly brown across the top.  Remove from oven and allow to sit for 5 minutes before slicing.<br \/>\n<br clear=\"all\"><br \/>\nMakes (1) 16&#8243; pizza.<br \/>\n<center><font size=1>Copyright &copy; <a href=\"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\">Food for My Family<\/a>.<\/center><\/font>\n<\/div>\n<p> <br clear=\"all\"> <\/p>\n<div style=\"border-width: 3px; border-style: dotted; border-color: black; \"><center>Never miss a recipe!  Have them delivered right to your <a href=\"http:\/\/feeds2.feedburner.com\/foodformyfamily\" target=\"_blank\">RSS feed<\/a> or to your <a href=\"http:\/\/feedburner.google.com\/fb\/a\/mailverify?uri=foodformyfamily\" target=\"_blank\">inbox as an email<\/a>!<\/center><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One of the good things about having sick kids is that I came nowhere near using all the pizza dough for Friday night&#8217;s dinner of prosciutto and artichoke pizza, and there was plenty left stored in the fridge for an impromptu Sunday lunch by tossing a few leftover ingredients (bacon, Alfredo sauce and fresh mozzarella) [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[23,30,370,10],"tags":[371,373],"class_list":{"0":"post-5278","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-featured","7":"category-main-course","8":"category-pork-main-course-recipes","9":"category-recipes","10":"tag-homemade-pizza","11":"tag-spring","12":"entry","13":"has-post-thumbnail"},"mv":{"thumbnail_id":null,"thumbnail_uri":null},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5278","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5278"}],"version-history":[{"count":26,"href":"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5278\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5317,"href":"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5278\/revisions\/5317"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5278"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5278"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crankymouse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5278"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}