By BeeWench Farm

We’re so excited to welcome spring this month! It’s finally warming up a bit and many farmers and home gardeners are starting seeds and prepping their gardens for summer vegetables. On our farm, we are excited that the chickens have started laying eggs like crazy again and there’s lots of green grass for everyone to enjoy.

This Spring Greens Pizza recipe has a lot of delicious ingredients, but when I make this, there are lots of substitutes for my family. I like it as is, but my husband doesn’t like asparagus or eggs on pizza, so he adds more mushrooms and pepperoni. My kids are not fans of anything green, so the only green they get on this is the basil vinaigrette and cheese. If you don’t make the basil vinaigrette, use regular pesto or pizza sauce. It will still be delicious, nutritious, and a lot of fun!

In-season ingredients to look for at the markets this month are:

Fruits

Kiwi
Lemons
Mandarins

Vegetables

Artichokes
Asparagus
Broccoli
Brussel Sprouts
Carrots
Chard
Lettuce
Mushrooms
Peas
Spinach
Winter Squash

Spring Greens Pizza

Ingredients

Fresh pizza dough or other crust
⅓ cup basil vinaigrette or pesto
1 cup mozzarella shredded or fresh mozzarella sliced
½ cup fresh peas, blanched
½ bunch of asparagus sliced lengthwise and chopped 1” pieces, blanched
Mushrooms
2 eggs
4 ounces prosciutto
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Fresh Basil torn into pieces

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 475 degrees F.
Shape the dough into 2 medium-ish pizzas while on a clean floured surface. Let the dough sit for 5 minutes and then re-form to right size. Place the pizza dough on a lightly floured baking sheet, or pizza peel.
Spread the basil vinaigrette over the top of each pizza. Top with the mozzarella, scatter the peas and asparagus on top of the cheese. Transfer to an oven and cook for about 5 minutes. Remove the pizza and add the egg on top of each pizza and transfer them back into the oven to continue to cook until the egg white is set and the yolk still runny.
Remove from the oven, Add the prosciutto on top and garnish with basil.

Pizza Dough

Ingredients

2 ½ cups of flour (300 g)
1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt
¾ teaspoon active dry yeast
1 cup (200 grams) lukewarm tap water
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions

In a large bowl, combine flours and salt.
In a small mixing bowl, stir together warm water, yeast and the olive oil. Pour it into flour mixture. Knead with your hands until just combined, approximately 2-3 minutes, then let the mixture rest for 15 minutes.
Knead the rested dough for 3 minutes until smooth. Cut the dough into 2 equal pieces and shape each into a ball. Place on a heavily floured surface, cover with dampened clean kitchen towel, and let rest and rise for 3 to 4 hours at room temperature. Alternatively, if you’re making the dough a day before use, you can let it rest and rise for 8 to 24 hours in a covered bowl in the refrigerator.
To make pizza, make sure the dough is at room temperature and place each dough ball on a heavily floured surface and use your fingers to stretch it, then your hands to shape it into rounds or squares. Top and bake.

Basil Vinaigrette

Ingredients

1 small shallot roughly chopped
2 cups tightly packed fresh basil leaves stems removed (about 4 ounces)
2 cloves garlic
½ teaspoons red pepper flakes (optional)
½ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
Optional: add other herbs like cilantro, chives, or parsley

Instructions

Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend for 60 seconds until smooth.
Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Serve immediately. You can refrigerate the vinaigrette for up to 3-5 days or freeze in an ice cube tray to use when needed.

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