Z is for... Zesty Asparagus Pie

I meant to make Asparagus Napoleons with Goat Cheese, Chives and Lemon Zest, a recipe that I found on Tasty Kitchen.  I even had most of the ingredients - except frozen puff pastry.   

Well, the only frozen puff pastry that I found at the grocery store was seven dollars!  Maybe I'm a little thrifty, but seven dollars?  That's Hawaii for you.  In order to be a cook in Hawaii, you have to be very flexible with your ingredients.  

Instead of the overpriced puff pastry, I opted for the $2.99 flour.  I used some of the ingredients from Tasty Kitchen and added some of my own.  Here's what I came up with - Zesty Asparagus Pie.  Next time I will definitely cut the asparagus up a bit more. Nevertheless, it was pretty tasty.  The recipe is below.

Pie (or Pizza) Crust

Ingredients

1/2 package active yeast

1 cup warm water

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus an additional 1/2 tablespoon 

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary (optional)

1-2 tablespoons quinoa or cornmeal

Directions

1. Mix yeast with warm water in a large mixing bowl.  Stir until dissolved.  
2. Add the rest of the ingredients except for the additional olive oil and knead for about two minutes, until blended and soft.  
3. Roll into a ball and place in the base of mixing bowl.  Drizzle with remaining olive oil and cover. Let rest for about ten minutes.
4. While dough is resting, preheat oven to 400 degrees. And begin making the filling (see below).
5. Spread either quinoa or cornmeal evenly on pizza stone
6. Roll out pizza dough into a round shape.
7. Place on pizza stone (on top of quinoa or cornmeal) and pinch up the edges to make a border.
8. Spread Zesty Asparagus Filling evenly on top of dough.
9. Cover with toppings.
10. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the crust begins to brown around the edges and isn't doughy in the middle.

Zesty Asparagus Filling

(Mix all ingredients in a small bowl)

1/2 cup goat cheese

1-2 tablespoons chives

1 teaspoon salt

zest from one lemon

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon honey

Toppings

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, whole

2 cups asparagus, chopped

1 tomato, sliced thinly

3 cloves garlic, sliced thinly

mushrooms, sliced

Enjoy!