Musical Pairing: I Run to You, Lady Antebellum
Contrary to what you might think, pizza in Italy is quite different from here in the States . . . sorry, but I speak the truth here. I was fortunate to spend some time in Italy in 1997 and like a lot of folks, thought that pizza only consisted of pepperoni, sausage, cheese – and lots of it. In fact, upon arriving in Rome, the first thing our group did was to find a restaurant and order pizza. Trouble was, no one but our guide spoke the language and the men-folk in our group weren’t going to ask for help, no-siree-bob, they could handle it all on their own, thank-you-very-much . . . so they ordered what they thought was an extra-large pepperoni pizza . . . but when the waiter brought it to the table . . . it was covered in spicy-hot ‘pepperoncini’ – HAH! What I learned on that trip is that when it comes to pizza, it’s no-holds-barred in Italy – including potato, peppers, fennel, olives, fish and everything in-between – fabulous!
Since then, I’ve created various combinations of pizza, some hugely successful and others, not so much . . . but this Breakfast Pizza lands squarely in the ‘successful’ category. A blend of melty, salty cheeses, layered with roasted asparagus that’s been drizzled in olive oil and top the whole shebang with an egg – seriously . . . it’s the stuff dreams are made of! And just because I can, and just because I wanted to see how far I could push the envelope, I drizzled all that breakfast goodness with a teeny bit of Truffle Oil once it came out of the oven. Are you hungry yet???
BREAKFAST PIZZA W/ASPARAGUS & EGGS
Recipe Created by Smith Bites but I’m sure it’s listed somewhere – if so, please let me know!
INGREDIENTS
Basic Pizza Dough
8-10 spears Fresh Asparagus, roasted
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
¼ Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
¼ Cup Fresh Mozzarella Cheese, sliced
¼ Cup Fontina Cheese, grated (NOTE: Fontina is easier to grate if placed in the freezer for about 15 minutes)
¼ Cup Parmesan Reggiano Cheese, grated
2 Eggs
2 Scallions, sliced including a bit of the green (chives are a good substitute as well)
Truffle Oil, optional
Salt
Pepper
METHOD:
How much of each ingredient to use depends on the size of pizza you’re making; we made 2 smaller pizzas, which is reflected in the amounts listed above. Feel free to adjust accordingly. Oh, and if you want bacon or proscuitto with your eggs, just fry it first and crumble onto the pizza before you add your eggs but honestly, I didn’t miss it!
Rinse asparagus spears and snap or cut off the tough, woody ends – somewhere between 1-2 inches of the bottom are tough and although great for compost, they’re not good to eat. Lay spears on a cookie sheet and roast in a pre-heated 425-degree oven for approximately 15 minutes. They should be crisp-tender, not mushy, so if your spears are pencil-thin, the roasting time will be less. Remove from oven and drizzle with approximately 1 Tablespoon of olive oil, add red pepper flakes, salt & pepper, toss and set aside.
In the meantime, divide dough and roll out into the size you want, place on a pizza wheel OR a cookie sheet and lightly brush with olive oil. Starting with the mozzarella, layer the cheeses: mozzarella, fontina, parmesan. Scatter roasted asparagus spears on top of the cheese mixture – I don’t make them all uniform going in the same direction. Crack the eggs onto the pizza in 2 separate areas (since my pizza was serving 2); add sliced green onions, season with salt & pepper.
Bake in a 425-degree oven for approximately 8-10 minutes rotating midway though to ensure even cooking.
SMITH BITES NOTE: We happen to have a pizza stone that I always leave on the floor of the oven; I crank my oven as hot as it will go (550 degrees) for about 30-40 minutes BEFORE I place my pizza on the stone. I reduce the heat to 425-degrees when I’m ready to bake my pizza. This produces a crispy crust and perfect pizza every time!
If you find that your eggs aren’t quite set to your liking, you can move the pizza to the top rack and broil for about 1-2 minutes BUT YOU MUST WATCH CAREFULLY!! The eggs should be soft set with runny yolks!
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How i hope that i could make pizza at home by myself! But I cannot.
Well Vivilicious, I’d say you win the prize for the most unusual pizza ever eaten!! And I’d also say you’re a pretty adventurous eater which is really fantastic! Thanks for visiting!
Weirdest pizzas have to be Japanese. Toppings include nori, octopus, mayonnaise, curry (not necessarily on the same pizza, but then again maybe!). Some pretty good, others not so much (and I eat a lot of “weird” food happily). But great eats overall in Japan.
Your pizza sounds delish, just need to get me a pizza stone which has been on my to-buy list for oh… 10 years. Time to get a move on!
Thanks Nancy – we love adding the music too! Food Blog Forum is awesome – thanks for stopping by and look forward to seeing you around here soon!
I forgot to mention: I absolutely love the music paring with your recipes!
This breakfast pizza looks absolutely delicious! I love the step-by-step photos, makes following a recipe so much easier! And yes, guess what I will be having for… lunch!
Nancy – from foodblogforum
Susan ~ For some reason, your post didn’t show up until just now – weird but so happy you stopped by! I’m telling you, this pizza is the bomb (is that still ok to say or has some new catch-phrase taken it’s place – God I’m feeling old)! One of our favorite spring dishes is an Italian riff on roasted asparagus with a poached egg on top, served with toast for dunking. So why not pizza – all the same elements, just assembled differently!
hey Rowdy! Barcelona sounds a lot like my experience in Rome – pizza on every street corner which is my idea of heaven! and i hope to make it to Barcelona someday . . .
Barbara ~ actually we did eat this for dinner! and yes, you can add as little or none at all on the red pepper flakes. i’m really woosie when it comes to spice/hot but this gives just the right amount of heat to add a dimension to the dish.
This is brilliant! What could possibly be better than a homemade, crispy, chewy pizza with a soft, oozy egg on top! I’d eat this for breakfast, lunch and dinner and love it every time! Looks fab!
That’s a spicy breakfast pizza! Must confess I would like a milder one…so imagine I would leave off the red pepper flakes, although this would be delish for lunch or dinner!
Never have ordered pizza in Italy….the fish is so good over there that we had it twice a day!
Well! I just wandered over for a break after writing a post about poached eggs, and what do I see? More eggs! This pizza looks delicious.
When I was in Barcelona last summer, there were pizzas with what I would consider odd toppings–like corn and ham. I loved to get one of those little oblong pizzas wrapped in waxed paper, and eat it while walking around the gothic quarter.
Goodness Avery, what’s not to love???
Craziest pizza I’ve had has probably got to be the apple pizza from Pomi’s. It’s the only sweet pizza I’ve ever had, come to think of it, and certainly one of the best…apples, cinnamon, sugar, apricot jam? Everything in that equation is right.
Lana ~ LOL! Yes, I’ll trade you a pizza for some of your lovely sweets!
Asparagus, soft set egg and cheese on pizza crust! OMG. I think I’ve died and gone to heaven. Could you just ship one of those on over to my house please.
Cindy ~ Toss on some bacon or sausage and they’ll be good to go; if they don’t like asparagus, leave it off – but it’s really good as is – I’m just sayin . . .
This looks interesting and delish! (…wonder if I can get my guys to try it)