Hello and welcome to Pizza and a Movie! I have a special pizza this week, inspired by my favorite St. Louis pizzeria, Katie’s Pizza and Pasta. Katie does an asparagus and preserved lemon pizza that I love. So today I have a version of that pie using fresh lemons, ricotta, and fresh basil with asparagus and mozzarella. So, let’s get right to it, Asparagus Lemon Ricotta Pizza!
We don’t have a lot to prep with this pizza, just slicing the asparagus spears and slicing the lemons into very thin wheels. I absolutely love the fresh flavors of this pizza; the lemon is bright and punchy, toned down by the creamy ricotta. The asparagus keeps its snappy texture and the basil adds an herby sweetness. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and place the pizza stone on the lower middle rack.
I want this pizza to be a thin crust pie, so I will cook it on the pizza stone. Flour the pizza peel and the dough. Then with one hand cupped around the dough’s edge, use the finger tips of your other hand to press an indentation all the way around the dough to make the crust. Then, flatten the center. You can stretch the dough out on the backs of your hands, or you can gently pull the edges out from the center, around the whole pie to get 12″ round of dough. Be sure to sprinkle more flour on the peel before adding the toppings.
Assembly
Bake the pizza for 15 minutes, or until the crust is golden. This pie will be pretty wet, so when it comes out of the oven gently mop the wet areas with paper towels. Brush olive oil on the crust and drizzle a little olive oil over the center of the pie.
Top with some fresh cracked black pepper and grated Parmesan, slice it up! We have our pizza ready, so let’s cue up the movie!
Movie Night: Minari
Minari is about a family who moves from California to Arkansas so the father, Jacob can pursue his dream of starting a farm. This movie is about a family and their struggle to start a business and live the American Dream. The specific dream of running a farm though, belongs to Jacob alone and this causes friction in the family. The farm nearly breaks them, only to bring them together.
This is a great movie! Touching and heartfelt. It has some really funny moments, mostly between the Grandma, Soon-ja (played by Youn Yuh-jung) and the young boy, David (played by Alan Kim). I feel like this film really captures a relatable family dynamic; it’s beautifully written, acted and filmed.
Well, thank you all for joining me today for Pizza and a Movie, I hope you make this Asparagus Lemon Ricotta Pizza and definitely give Minari a watch! Take care and be well, friends. xo Kelly
Items Used in Today’s Recipe
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Porcelain Ramekins
Williams Sonoma Wooden Pizza Peel
OXO Silicone Basting Brush
Asparagus Lemon Ricotta Pizza
(11 votes, average: 2.45 out of 5)
Loading...Bright and fresh, this pizza has gorgeous color and rich flavor. The lemons and ricotta balance each other so well, and the asparagus keeps its snap while basil brings some herby sweetness.
Ingredients
- 1 Prepared Pizza Dough
- 1/2 cup Fresh Mozzarella Pearls, each pearl broken in half
- Several Large Basil Leaves
- 1/2 cup Ricotta Cheese
- 1/2 Lemon, sliced in thin wheels
- 3/4 cup Sliced Asparagus
- Olive Oil, for brushing baked crust
- Fresh Cracked Black Pepper, for garnish
- Grated Parmesan, for garnish
Instructions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Stretch or roll out dough to a roughly 12" circle
Add mozzarella pearls, then basil leaves, ricotta, lemon wheels and asparagus.
Bake for 15 minutes, or until the crust is golden.
Transfer to a cutting board and mop any wet areas with paper towels.
Brush olive oil on the crust and top with black pepper and grated Parmesan.
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Suzanne Smith
April 9, 2021 at 9:17 amYum! I love asparagus. Joe doesn’t like it so I could do half and half ,…or just make one for me!! LOLOL
Kelly Djalali
April 9, 2021 at 9:29 amHi Suzanne, you certainly could enjoy this one all to yourself! Lol! You could put snap peas on Joe’s half…? Ha! Have a great weekend, Suzanne. xo Kelly
Terry
April 9, 2021 at 10:40 amYum this looks so good we will give it a shot ❤️Mom
Kelly Djalali
April 9, 2021 at 10:43 amIt’s a very refreshing pizza, Mom! I am sure you will enjoy it. xo Kelly
Mari
May 27, 2022 at 9:09 amI will definitely check out the movie. It sounds wonderful. I like movies and books that explore familial relationships, and how individuals come together to overcome adversity, and celebrate life. The pizza looks great, and it might convert some vegetable phones. Then again it might not. When one of the Bushes was president he famously said he disliked broccoli, and that became a thing. I was surprised because broccoli isn’t that polarizing. I think asparagus and okra are more polarizing, as they can become quite slimy if not prepared properly. My kids aren’t fans of okra, even if it’s properly prepared, but they have learned to like asparagus so much, that I half expect them to turn green.
Skin color aside, let’s play Stump The Chef. Since today’s movie deals with family, let’s explore famous authors and how they treated families. First up is Jane Austen, whom I would consider an early feminist. She referenced Mary Wollstonecraft in several of her books. In a time where women writers were scorned, she forged ahead and published many books, but the author was listed as “A Lady” and she wasn’t the only one. Most female authors used a pseudonym and A Lady was a common one. Her families ranged from supportive and loving to neglectful and emotionally abusive. Charles Dickens was not a fan of the class system and wrote about children in dire circumstances. Almost all of them were impoverished and had dreadful family lives. The same author gave us Ebeneezer Scrooge and “A Christmas Carol” which in it’s own way, dealt with the same issues, albeit with an adult who cared for no one and spoke of others with contempt. He didn’t directly harm children unless you consider his overworked and underpaid head clerk, Bob Crathchett who had to raise a very large family on a very minute salary.
Our third author was Louisa May Alcott who wrote about families in her own particular way. Her books are very saccharine, but her main audience was children, and as a child I loved those books and found them comforting. She was an inveterate traveler, but always retained her more positive views of families and people. Her biggest villains were indulgent people who ignored their children, and gave them money and material things, but not time or affection. Families are accessories rather than people. There is almost always a loving family who interacts with a wealthy family and brings about needed changes. Like the other two authors, she is not subtle and she makes her point. Of the three, Austen remains a favorite. She is sarcastic, and makes us laugh even as she makes us think. Despite tackling the same issues from their different perspectives, I think these three would find common ground and have an interesting time trading one liners. Jane Austen would bring some much needed levity to the dour, overly earnest Victorians. What kind of pizza would they eat?
If you are on a mini vacation, have a great time relaxing and enjoying the company of family and friends. Another tornado prediction for us. The birds are already uneasy and the storms haven’t started yet. Happy Memorial Day weekend to everyone.
Kelly Djalali
May 27, 2022 at 3:29 pmHi Mari, This is a tough one. I am not sure why but Brussels sprouts came to mind. So how about a cream sauce base with fontina cheese and crispy fried Brussels sprouts. Let’s top the finished pie with preserved lemon fresh black pepper. While we don’t have a mini vacation planned for this weekend, we will be enjoying good weather. I see Djalali’s Butter Burgers in our near future…Have a great weekend, Mari! xo Kelly
Janice Lavoie
May 27, 2022 at 6:32 pmHello,
I’m for sure going to try this pizza out over the long weekend. I had one similar to it at Volturno in Worcester , Ma . It was a special pizza that they had on the menu for a month during the summer. It was different and very delicious.
Kelly Djalali
May 28, 2022 at 9:35 amHi Janice, I am so happy you’re on board with this pizza! I think people sometimes think the lemons are a strange thing, but it really it a an amazing combination! Be sure to let me know how it comes out for you! Have a great weekend, xo Kelly