Egg, Country Ham, Asparagus and Leek Pizza--a Peek Behind the Scenes of Pizza Night

A terrific pizza for Spring--salty cubes of country ham paired with leeks and roasted asparagus, finished with a sunny side up egg.

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This pizza started on a treadmill and ended with a ham biscuit.

Oh, not exactly on a treadmill--but it was while I was on a treadmill [in socks, as it never occurred to me to bring my walking shoes to Ft Wayne, Indiana in February where I was scraping 3 to 5 inches of snow off the van each time I wanted to drive to or from the hockey rink--I don't recommend walking on a treadmill in socks] that I saw a Diners, Dives, and . . . . Drive Ins maybe? show on Food Network.  Not having cable TV at home I'm not up on all this lingo.  On that show, a talented pizza maker in Minnesota, after pulling a kimchi pizza out of a copper pizza oven that I am swooning over still, cracked an egg on a mostly cooked pizza, used a giant-handled pizza peel to lift it up to the upper dome of the oven, and cooked it just a wee bit.  Holy cow that looked good!

When I got a hankering for country ham biscuits--I think because my car was encrusted with salt but I'm not 100% sure--I had enough country ham left over to try my hand at an egg on a pizza.

Yeah, the crust is um blackened. It's a Feature.

There you are--treadmills to ham biscuits, from Minnesota to the Capitol of the Confederacy . . . on a pizza.

I wrote that introduction after my first attempt at cooking an egg on a pizza, thinking that surely I'd perfect the method with my second attempt.  I mean, I make pizzas for a living a whole lot, you'd think if any home cook in a kitchen could bang this thing out it in a try or two it would be me.  But the reality is I've tried this twice, and while I'm getting better and the results taste great each time, it's not perfect.  Yet.

So why am I posting?  Consider this a Keeping It Real edition of Friday Night Pizza Night.  A [literal, thanks to the spouse's new camera] behind the scenes in my kitchen.  A jumping off place for your home pizza making. Maybe seeing my failures will make you feel better about your less-than-optimal results in the kitchen?  I hope so. I'm trying right alongside you all.

Wee Oliver Picklepants is my kitchen assistant today.

This pizza is a fiddly one.  When I get into trouble with a recipe, I take it down to the bare essentials.

•  I tried this with homemade dough and it . . . um, well, it burned blackened before the eggs were fully set.  So I bought a Boboli® [No sponsorship. I bought it, they don't know I exist] to take the whole 'baking the crust' aspect out of the equation. The result was better, but I'm picky in that I prefer my egg whites to be . . . well, white . . . when I eat them.  
• I made this without, and then with, roasted asparagus.  It's better with more vegetables, like many things are in life. 
• I tried this with an assortment of cheeses.  I do not like to use slices of fresh mozzarella on this pizza, but shredded mozzarella, shredded cheddar, Grand Cru all taste good.
• I've made this with country ham and regular ham, and I prefer the country ham (if you eat ham, that is--leave it off if you don't, and the salty cheese will still rock on with the leeks, asparagus, and egg).

For more recipes with asparagus, please see my Asparagus Recipes Collection. For more recipes with leeks please see my Leek Recipes Collection. They are part of the Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient, a resource for folks like me eating from the farm share, the farmer's market, the garden, the neighbor's garden, and great deals on ugly produce at the grocery store.

I'm sharing more recipes on my Pinterest boards, follow me there. If you like a good peek behind the scenes like I do, follow me on Instagram. Need a good read? I'm sharing articles of interest on my Facebook page, follow me there. Want to know How to Use This Blog?

NOTE: This recipe is not gluten free as written, because I used a pizza crust containing gluten. To adapt this recipe for a gluten free diet please substitute the gluten free pizza crust of your choice.
Check labels to confirm that your other ingredients are also gluten free. Good sources for determining gluten free products can be found here:
http://knowgluten.me/2012/03/31/other-names-for-gluten/
http://glutenfreedoctor.com/gluten-free/
http://www.celiac.com/categories/Safe-Gluten%252dFree-Food-List-%7B47%7D-Unsafe-Foods-%26amp%3B-Ingredients/

Egg, Country Ham, Roasted Asparagus and Leek Pizza

Ingredients

• 12-15 stalks of asparagus (if you've got a bundle, roast 'em all and use half)
• olive oil (about 2 Tablespoons total, divided)
• salt and pepper (about ½ teaspoon each, to start)
• 1 prebaked pizza crust of your choice
• 1 clove roasted garlic (here's how I put up my garlic crop, or use minced fresh)
• ⅓ cup sliced leeks (thawed if frozen. what? of course you can freeze leeks)
• ½ cup finely diced country ham, or regular ham
• 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar, or mozzarella, or Grand Cru cheese, or a blend
• 3 eggs, set out so they become room temperature

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  
2. In a large bowl, toss asparagus with about 1 Tablespoon of olive oil and ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper.  
3. Spread on a rimmed baking sheet and roast for 10 minutes, then shake the pan to turn the spears and return to the oven for another 5 minutes.  
4. Remove from oven and then switch the oven over to the Broil setting.  I think at least 10 minutes of the oven hanging out on the Broil setting would do the trick. I did 5, enough to top the pizza and take some photos, and I should have let it go longer.
5. Combine the remaining Tablespoon olive oil with a smashed clove of roasted garlic or minced fresh garlic. 
6. Brush this roasted garlic oil over the crust, and think of your friend Heather who gave you the idea to use roasted garlic oil in the first place.  
7. Scatter leeks and ham across the crust, then place the asparagus thusly in a pleasing pattern (I did it like spokes, and that works for me).  
8. Top with shredded cheese, leaving 3 open areas without cheese to nestle the eggs.  
9. Make these open areas towards the outer edge of the pizza crust, because if your egg is in the middle it will never cook. Trust me. Crack the eggs into the open areas.  
10. Place the pizza under the broiler for 3 to 5 minutes until the egg is set but before the crust burns becomes a Featured Blackened Crust.  If necessary, take the pizza out and cut it before returning it to the broiler to fully cook the egg white.  I don't really care about the yolk--it can be runny, but my egg white needs to be not clear.

This post is shared on the From the Farm Blog Hop, Clever Chicks Blog Hop, Tasty Tuesdays, Simple Supper Tuesdays

Radish Sandwich Spread

Shredded radishes mixed with cream and goat cheeses for a zesty sandwich spread

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I'm a tea drinker.

While in college, cola was my caffeine source of choice.  I tried coffee, but the taste never lived up to the smell and I couldn't get past the first two sips (one more to confirm the first sip).  My first job after college involved going to neighboring farms for coffee after morning milking which was fun--except the whole 'coffee=ugh' thing.  Instead I figured out that if I filled up my cup with milk and added a splash of tea for color I could choke it down politely. Ish. Therefore, I became a tea drinker.

I am partial to the restorative powers of afternoon tea.  I think of it as after school snack for grown ups.  The amazing thing about tea is the variety of foods you can consume with a nice cuppa.  Muffins are a favorite of mine [there's a whole category of muffins in that recipe index on my right sidebar]. This sandwich spread is equally at home in an afternoon tea setting or a lunch plate.  The spicy bite of the radishes and mustard is tempered by the cheeses for a lovely nibble.  This was good spread on celery pieces and would probably be good on crackers.

For more recipes using radishes, please see my Radish Recipes Collection. It's part of the Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient, a resource for folks like me eating from the farm share, the farmer's market, the garden, the neighbor's garden, and great deals on ugly produce at the grocery store.

I'm sharing more recipes on my Pinterest boards, follow me there. If you like a good peek behind the scenes like I do, follow me on Instagram. Need a good read? I'm sharing articles of interest on my Facebook page, follow me there. Want to know How to Use This Blog?

NOTE:  I created this recipe to be gluten free through my choice of ingredients. Check labels to confirm that your products are also gluten free. Good sources for determining that your products are gluten free can be found here:

http://knowgluten.me/2012/03/31/other-names-for-gluten/

http://glutenfreedoctor.com/gluten-free/

http://www.celiac.com/categories/Safe-Gluten%252dFree-Food-List-%7B47%7D-Unsafe-Foods-%26amp%3B-Ingredients/ 

Radish Sandwich Spread (makes 4 sandwiches)

Ingredients

• ¼ cup cream cheese
• ¼ cup goat cheese
• 1 Tablespoon mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 cup shredded radish
• ¼-½ teaspoon salt, I use kosher
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper (about)
• bread of your choice, or use vegetables or crackers

Instructions

1. Combine in a food processor until well blended.  
2. Chill for an hour, or up to 4 hours.  Spread on thin sandwich bread or crackers or vegetables, or use as a dip.
3. Note:  while this spread should chill for a while before serving, it only keeps about a day.  After that it gets kinda weepy, so I recommend making just what you are planning to use that day.

This post is shared with What's Cookin' Wednesday, Fresh Foods Wednesday, From the Farm Blog Hop, Clever Chicks Blog Hop, Tasty Tuesdays, Food on Friday

Roasted Asparagus with Chicken Jelly Noodles

Roasted asparagus served over noodles in a rich creamy chicken stock gravy.

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I'm seeing asparagus all over the store now, tender thin sticks of what my spouse and I refer to as 'spargel' since we fell in love in Germany [do not picture us getting all Lady and the Tramp with asparagus, because that would be silly and untrue].  I will undoubtably buy some spargel soon, because it's nearly Spring and Spring makes me think of asparagus, even if I won't get any until our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share gets harvesting in May.  Locally, the asparagus is no where near harvest time--shoot, my daffodil leaves just peeked above ground 2 days ago.


I discovered roasting asparagus 8 years ago thanks to Alanna and last year discovered roasting asparagus for breakfast thanks to Aimée.  I'll be doing both techniques this year.  This recipe uses roasted asparagus, and on Friday I'll share a pizza using leftover roasted asparagus.  It's a terrific preparation method to have in your asparagus arsenal. [That's weird, right? Asparagus arsenal?]


This is not a vegetarian meal, but it is one without meat on the plate.  If you're looking for a light but flavorful Spring supper, read on.  After I posted how I make chicken stock I learned from Meghan at Whole Natural Life to keep on cooking down my chicken stock until it was very concentrated, and when I do that I get jars of chicken jelly.

This particular batch may have been extra concentrated due to excessive time spent surfing the internet (no, I was not on Pinterest).  I'd safely say it simmered a good 4 hours.  I was checking on it, but I just let it keep on going.  The resulting stock, when chilled, is solid and spoonable.


On my FB page, Karen suggests mixing this chicken jelly with flour and frying it in butter for a decadent treat. Sounds divine to me, and I appreciate the suggestion!


If you have concentrated chicken stock and children, your kids will dub this Chicken Jelly and the name will stick.  Then, when you want an easy weeknight meal, pick up some asparagus, head over to Alanna's to learn how to roast it, and start the pasta water.

For more recipes using asparagus, please see my Asparagus Recipes Collection. It's part of the Visual Recipe Index by Ingredient, a resource for folks like me eating from the farm share, the farmer's market, the garden, the neighbor's garden, and great deals on ugly produce at the grocery store.

I'm sharing more recipes on my Pinterest boards, follow me there. If you like a good peek behind the scenes like I do, follow me on Instagram. Need a good read? I'm sharing articles of interest on my Facebook page, follow me there. Want to know How to Use This Blog?


Note:  This involves making a sauce starting with a roux.  My friend Sheri taught me that I need to let my butter and flour get nut brown, not just lightly tanned, for best flavor.  So I do--while watching carefully so it doesn't burn.  The stock can simmer for an extra hour, but a roux?  Heck no.  Constant vigilance!  The sauce comes together pretty quick, so I was kinda roasting/boiling/sauce making simultaneously.  This could almost be a Fast from the Farm Share dish, and I will load it under the Quick Take section of the Recipe Index by Category along the right side bar (---> if you're reading this on the website.  If you're reading this via email . . . well just picture it).