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White Pizza with Crab & Asparagus

09 Jan 2010, Posted by Jennifer Iannolo in recipes

When my friend Paul started talking about this pizza he prepared, I believe I may have dribbled on my shirt. I’m unsure because I was caught up in the rapture of my mental mouth at that moment. This combination of flavors is veritably sex on a plate.

This recipe has a lot of steps, but it is the perfect way to spend a snowy or chilly afternoon.

adair-whitepizzaServes 4

Ingredients

Recipes below for all of the following:
Pizza dough
Garlic olive oil
Roasted cherry tomatoes
Sauteed vegetables
Sauteed shrimp

1/2 lb lumb crab meat , picked through and drained if packed in water
2 c mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, finely grated

Special equipment

15” round pizza stone

Preparation

For the pizza dough:
1 cup lukewarm water
2 1/4 teaspoons active yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
2 1/2 cups white unbleached flour (don’t use whole wheat for this pizza)
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons garlic olive oil

Proof yeast in water and sugar. Add remaining ingredients, stir with a fork and incorporate into a ball. Knead a couple times on floured surface (don’t over mix, as this is not a bread dough). Place in greased bowl, covered in warm place to rise until doubled, about 30-45 minutes.

For the garlic olive oil:
2 – 3 cups olive oil
1 head garlic peeled and sliced
Place garlic into oil and simmer under med heat until the garlic starts to brown, about 20-30 minutes. Note: The garlic will boil and begin to settle before it starts to brown if at medium heat. Set aside and let cool. If the garlic continues to brown, remove it with a slotted spoon and set aside. Otherwise remove the garlic when oil is cool, and store oil in an air-tight container.

For the roasted tomatoes:
12 oz cherry tomatoes
1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon garlic olive oil

Pre-heat the oven to 450 F.

Halve tomatoes and squeeze/scoop out seeds and pulp. Place on baking sheet, drizzle with garlic olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Roast 20-30 minutes until beginning to caramelize. Remove and cool on baking sheet.

For the sauteed vegetables:
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
8 oz asparagus, cut into 1/2-inch lengths
1 tablespoon garlic olive oil
2 tablespoon sherry
1/2 teaspoon thyme, dried

Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan until shimmering. Saute mushrooms until water is released and evaporated. Add sherry, thyme, salt and pepper, and cook until most of the liquid is absorbed. Add asparagus and cook for 2 minutes (keep asparagus under-cooked). Remove from heat and set aside. Add roasted tomatoes and stir. Drain on paper towels if there is any excess liquid.

For the shrimp:
1/2 lb shrimp, cleaned and deveined (cut up if large)
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch of pepper
1 tablespoon garlic olive oil
1 teaspoon Sriracha hot sauce (the one with the rooster — do NOT substitute)

Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add ingredients and saute shrimp until almost cooked (it will finish cooking in the oven). Drain on paper towels.

For the white sauce:
2 tablespoons garlic olive oil
1/4 cup unbleached flour
1 cup milk (2% or higher)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Heat olive oil in a small sauce pan over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Add flour and whisk 1-2 minutes until the flour has mixed in and cooked to remove the raw taste. Add milk, increase heat slightly and whisk until thickened. Add salt and pepper, cover and set aside. Note: You may need to re-heat the sauce a bit before adding to the pizza.

Assemble the pizza:

Spread pizza dough onto the cold pizza stone, drizzle with garlic olive oil and bake for 8 minutes. Remove the dough from the oven, spread white sauce over the dough and top with veggie mixture. Sprinkle the crab and shrimp over the top. Cover with mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. Bake 15-20 minutes more until cheeses begin to brown.

Devour.

Recipe and photo by Paul Adair. All rights reserved.