Asparagus Pizza and Man-Speak Pizza

On my way to the kitchen tonight to make dinner, my husband asked me what I was making.  I told him, "Asparagus Pizza".  His eyes shifted and looked off to the side as he replied, "Oh".  In man-speak that means, "Really, not meat lovers pizza, taco pizza, or even deluxe?  Seriously, just asparagus?  Come on, I need more to survive than just asparagus."  

Hearing the translation in my head, I made 2 pizzas.  The first one, Asparagus Pizza, uses a white sauce for the base.  This white sauce recipe makes more than enough - if you prefer a crispier pizza, you may only want to use 1/2 of the white sauce and save the rest for another use.   

The Man-Speak Pizza was a last minute creation.  I had an extra pre-baked pizza crust, some pizza sauce in the refrigerator, (the key ingredient) ground beef in the freezer that I had already cooked and crumbled from a previous recipe, and shredded cheese in the refrigerator.   Ta-da.  Man-Speak Pizza fit for a king.  These ingredients are easily kept on hand for the next translation episode.

 Asparagus Pizza

Serves 6

1 pre-baked pizza crust

1 pound of asparagus, trimmed to 1 1/2-inch pieces

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup milk

1/3 cup grated parmesan

4 oz shredded white cheddar

1/3 cup parmesan for the top

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  In a medium saucepan, bring 1-inch of water to a boil.  Add the asparagus and cook 1 minute.  Drain immediately.  Set aside. 

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Add flour and stir until the butter and flour are well combined. Pour in milk, stirring constantly as it thickens. Add more milk depending on desired consistency.  Stir in 1/3 cup parmesan cheese. 

Pour the white sauce over the pre-baked pizza crust (you may not wish to use all of the white sauce – refrigerate remaining sauce).  Top with asparagus and grated white cheddar.  Sprinkle with 1/3 cup parmesan.  Bake for 17 minutes until cheese is melted and crust is crisp. 

Man-Speak Pizza

Serves 1 King

1 pre-baked pizza crust

1/2 cup pizza sauce

1 cup pre-cooked and crumbled lean ground beef (see tip below)

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Pour the pizza sauce over the crust. Top with ground beef and cheese.  Bake for 17 minutes until cheese is melted and crust is crisp.  

Tip:  Cook 2 or more pounds of lean ground beef.  Stir to crumble.  After the ground beef is cooked, let cool.  Transfer to a plastic freezer bag, label and freeze.  You could also add seasonings during the cooking process if you choose (taco, greek, etc).