Sunday 3 May 2009

Asparagus and parma ham pizza

After much deliberation, I am now the proud owner of a shiny, red kitchenaid mixer! I've been an admirer for some time but never dreamed I would ever own one. I love the way they look (especially the red one) and also how much they simplify baking. Mine will mostly be used for bread making (my cheap bread maker which has been used as mainly as a mixer will be having a new home with my parents) but I'm sure now I have a KA I will be looking for any excuse to bake sweet treats (I'm thinking cakes, pavlovas and other desserts).

I got the machine home this afternoon and within 30 minutes it was working its magic on pizza dough. We also bought our first asparagus of the season today so I thought I would combine the two and make a asparagus and parma ham pizza. To go with it I made a rosemary and new potato focaccia. I was really impressed with the KA, it made light work of the kneading, created less mess and the end result was the best texture of bread that has ever been created in my kitchen! The asparagus and parma ham were tasty too.

Asparagus and parma ham pizza


See here for the recipe I use for pizza dough. When I can get hold of it I replace 100g of flour with polenta to get a thinner crispier base. The only downside is the focaccia/garlic bread I make with half the dough is better without the polenta.

The sauce I use varies depending on what I have to hand. Usually it is a small amount of a simple tomato pasta sauce that I have frozen. Pesto also works well.

For the topping I layered mozzarella, parma ham and asaragus spears (pre-roasted for 5-10 minutes as these were a bit thicker than some spears.

Bake for 10-15 minutes in an oven pre-heated to 230C.

Rosemary and new potato focaccia

  • Roll out the dough left over from making your pizza.
  • Make dimples in the dough all over with your fingers.
  • Brush olive oil over the surface.
  • Lay thinly sliced new potatoes over the dough.
  • Sprinkle with sea salt and dried rosemary (I think this would be even better with fresh rosemary but I don't have any yet).
  • Bake in a pre-heated oven (230C) for 20-30 or until golden and the potato is cooked.

Enjoy!

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4 comments:

Heather S-G said...

Yum! They both turned out beautifully...sound so delicious! Congrats on getting your KA, I love mine (even though it's just white and I'm coveting your awesome red one right now). :)

Jules said...

Sounds like you haev already been converted by your KA. I know don't know what I did without mine!

Claire said...

Girlchef - Thanks - they tasted pretty good. I love the red colour - I can't stop looking at it!

Jules - I think I have. I plan to make bread tomorrow and perhaps some biscuits if time permits!

I still can't quiet believe its mine!

goodshoeday said...

The KA looks soooo cool. I'm kind of hoping my Kenwood conks out now (not really). But has inspired me to think about rearranging kitchen a bit to give proper space to the mixer.