Fry

Fried Asparagus Pizza with aoili

May 22, 2011
4.3
6 Ratings
  • Makes 3-4 small pizzas, depending on your sizing
Author Notes

Ever tried fried pizza? No....what are you waiting for? You probably have ventured into the grilled pizza world...and the regular oven/stone-fired.

Well my friend, you ain't seen nothing yet till you've fried your pizza dough, and topped it with cheese and whatever your heart and tum fancy....and set that underneath a flamin' grill.....only for a couple of minutes and then you have it on a plate - a base which is light and chewy and tasty all the same. Somehow naan bread but not..... I can't explain it more.

Topped with simple aioli, mozzarella cheese and ribbons of green asparagus. Spring and the Mediterranean on a plate!




Kitchen Butterfly

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • Fried Asparagus Pizza with aoili
  • PIZZA RECIPE
  • 3-4 fried pizza bases (recipe below)
  • 3 - 4 green asparagus spears, washed and base (~3cm removed)
  • 150 - 250 g fresh mozzarella cheese , cut into thin slices
  • Aoili, as desired
  • AIOLI RECIPE
  • 1 large egg yolk, preferably from organic eggs
  • 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
  • 1 clove (smoked) garlic, mashed or passed through a garlic pres
  • 3/4 cup grapeseed oil
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • Kosher salt, to taste
  • Optional, pinch of freshly ground black pepper
  • Fried Pizza Base
  • 175ml lukewarm water
  • 10g fresh yeast
  • 200g strong white bread flour
  • 50g semolina (or strong white bread flour)
  • 1/3 teaspoon salt
  • Extra flour, for dusting
  • Flavourless oil, to grease dough and bowl and for deep frying
Directions
  1. Fried Asparagus Pizza with aoili
  2. MAKE THE AIOLI: Rinse a stainless steel bowl with hot water and then dry with kitchen tissues. Put the egg yolk, sherry vinegar, mashed garlic and a tiny pinch of salt in the clean bowl. Using a large balloon whisk, whisk as you gently pour in the grapeseed oil in a thin stream. The mixture will thicken and lighten in colour as you whisk. Once the grapeseed oil is finished, continue with the olive oil till exhausted. Check for salt and adjust to taste. Sprinkle with a pinch of black pepper, if you like and refrigerate till ready to use.
  3. Using a vegetable peeler, shave the base of the asparagus to form ribbons. Then cut off the spears and slice longitudinally.
  4. ASPARAGUS PIZZA: Preheat the grill to the highest temperature. Onto each fried pizza base (sitting on a baking tray), smear some aioli onto the base to taste and top with slices of fresh mozzarella. Finish off with ribbons of asparagus and place about 6 inches from the hot grill. Cook for 3 - 4 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the edges of the dough are a touch golden. Remove from the oven and serve with more aioli on the side
  1. Fried Pizza Base
  2. In a bowl, combine the water and the fresh yeast, stirring/mixing till the yeast is dissolved. Combine the flours with the salt then using a dough whisk or a wooden spoon, gently add the bread-salt mix to the yeasty water, stirring till the flour is all used up. Using your hands, incorporate any last bits of flour.Gently shape the dough into a ball and place in bowl. Gently oil the top of the dough and cover lightly, or with greased clingfilm (oiled side down)
  3. Allow dough rise for a couple of hours, then gently turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Deflate and cut dough into 3-4 pieces and then shape balls.
  4. Roll out each ball into 1/2cm thickness and allow them to rest for 10 minutes.
  5. Heat up a large frying pan with about 2cm of vegetable oil and once hot (browned cube of bread in 30 seconds), fry the pizza base. you'll notice the top of the dough bubble up, from the rim to the centre. Once that stops, about 30 seconds, it is time to flip the base over and cook the other side. Remove after 30 seconds, shaking the base gently to remove the excess oil.
  6. Place onto a baking tray and use as directed, or desired
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  • boulangere
    boulangere
  • wssmom
    wssmom
I love food and I'm interested in making space for little-heard voices, as well as celebrating Nigerian cuisine in its entirety.

2 Reviews

boulangere May 22, 2011
Fried dough plus aioli plus cheese plus anything else at all - yes, brilliant.
 
wssmom May 22, 2011
Brilliant!