June is the month for grilling Asparagus!

June has been a blur. It is always that month where one thing just keeps rolling into another. End of school terms, beginning of summer jobs, winding down committee involvements for the summer, saying good bye to friends as they head off in all directions for the summer, BBQ’s, garden parties, drinks on the patio, family gatherings... who can even remember it all?! One thing is a constant around here though, and that is, if it is June, it means that we have ASPARAGUS on the grill!

Fresh Ontario asparagus is such a treat. On a recent trip back from Stratford, we stopped in at Herrles Farm Market and picked up some fresh  strawberries, rhubarb, green onions, peas and asparagus, all grown in Ontario – what a score!! These are the foods that are so delicious, that the more simply prepared they are, the better. The peas were shelled and cooked quickly in a sauted pan with some butter and green onions and finished with salt & pepper and chopped mint. The rhubarb was stewed with some orange zest and sugar for a topping for ice cream. The strawberries were hulled and eaten before we could even think about what to make with them! We showed better restraint with the asparagus, but stuck to the concept of simple goodness and tossed them in oil, salt and pepper and grilled them for 5-6 minutes on the barbecue, set at MEDIUM heat.  The first night, we had grilled steaks, new potatoes and asparagus. Next, we grilled chicken breasts with a pesto crust accompanied by pasta, grilled cherry tomatoes and grilled asparagus, topped with shaved parmesan cheese and freshly squeezed lemon juice.

When we decided to get together the next evening with The Walkers, for cocktails and snacks,  of course we knew that we wanted to feature grilled asparagus again, so headed back to Herrles  for the end of the crop.

Grilled Pizza
Bev made the pizza dough, using a tried and true recipe from Fine Cooking. http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/easy_pizza_dough.aspx .  We all agreed that it was delicious, and easily adapted for grilling. Since it was a girls night out, Bev opted to keep things simple and ran out to Vincenzos to pick up some prepared pesto and goats cheese!
You can make the dough a day or a couple of weeks ahead. Put the individual balls in zip-top bags and refrigerate overnight or freeze for longer.

• 1 package (2-1/4 tsp.) active-dry yeast
• 1-1/2 cups very warm water (110°F)
• 18 oz. (4 cups) all-purpose flour; more for dusting
• 1-1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 Tbs. olive oil

Topping:

Bev used Pesto, goat cheese, caramelized onions, sautéed mushrooms and grilled asparagus to top the pizza.

Making and dividing the dough

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and set aside (a Pyrex 2-cup measure makes for easy pouring; be sure the cup isn't cold). Meanwhile, put the flour and salt in a food processor fitted with the steel blade; process briefly to mix. With the machine running, add the water-yeast mixture in a steady stream. Turn the processor off and add the oil. Pulse a few times to mix in the oil.

Scrape the soft dough out of the processor and onto a lightly floured surface. With lightly floured hands, quickly knead the dough into a mass, incorporating any bits of flour or dough from the processor bowl that weren't mixed in. Cut the dough into four equal pieces with a knife or a dough scraper. Roll each piece into a tight, smooth ball, kneading to push the air out.

Rising and storing the dough

What you do next depends on whether you want to make pizza right way or at a later date.

If you want to bake the pizzas as soon as possible, put the dough balls on a lightly floured surface, cover them with a clean dishtowel, and let them rise until they almost double in size, about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, turn your grill on MEDIUM heat, with the baking stone in it, to let the stone fully heat.

In just 45 minutes, the dough is proofed. These dough balls are ready to be shaped.

If you want to bake the pizzas tomorrow, line a baking sheet with a floured dishtowel, put the dough balls on it, and cover them with plastic wrap, giving them room to expand (they'll almost double in size), and let them rise in the refrigerator overnight.

To use dough that has been refrigerated overnight, simply pull it out of the refrigerator about 15 minutes before shaping the dough into a pizza.

To freeze the dough balls, dust each one generously with flour as soon as you've made it, and put each one in a separate zip-top bag. Freeze for up to a month.

It's best to transfer frozen dough from the freezer to the refrigerator the night before (or 10 to 12 hours before) you want to use it. But I've found that dough balls pulled straight from the freezer and left to warm up on the counter will be completely defrosted in about 1-1/2 hours. The dough is practically indestructible.

Shaping your pizza

Put the proofed or thawed ball of dough on a lightly floured wooden board. Sprinkle a little more flour on top of the ball. Using your fingertips, press the ball down into a flat cake about 1/2 inch thick.

Flatten the ball into a cake. Flour your fingers -- and the board -- for easier handling.

Stretch the dough to a thickness of about 1/4 inch by using the backs of your hands or a rolling pin.

Lift the dough and lay it over the back of the fist of one hand. Put your other fist under the dough, right next to your first fist. Now gently stretch the dough by moving your fists away from each other . Each time you do this stretch, rotate the dough. Continue stretching and rotating until the dough is thin, about 1/4 inch, and measures about 9 inches across. Unless your dough is still cold from the freezer, it will be so soft that its own weight will stretch it out. Alternatively, use a rolling pin to roll out the dough thinly on a floured board. If you like a very thin pizza, roll the dough out to a 10-inch round. Be careful not to make it too thin, and remember that the thinner the pizza, the less topping it can handle.

Sprinkle a handful of cornmeal onto a wooden pizza peel (or the back of a baking sheet). This helps though dough to slide easily off of the pizza peel and onto the hot stone.  Gently lift the stretched dough onto the floured peel. Top the pizza, scattering the ingredients around to within 1/2 inch of the border. Shake the peel (or baking sheet) gently back and forth to make sure the pizza isn't stuck. If it seems stuck, lift the edges up with a spatula and toss a bit of flour under the dough. Quickly slide the pizza onto the hot baking stone. Bake until the edges are golden, about 8 min. Using a peel, a wide spatula, or tongs, remove the pizza from the grill.

 We rounded this feast off with some fiery grilled shrimp and spicy guacamole. To prepare the shrimp, marinate 1 lb. of large, peeeld shrimp in 1 tbsp. of olive oil, 1 tsp. of ground cumin and 1/2 tsp of tabasco sauce.  Toss in the shrimp and let stand 15 minutes to ½ hour.  Meanwhile preheat the barbecue on HIGH and reduce the temperature to MEDIUM.  Brush the grids lightly with vegetable oil to prevent sticking.  Grill the shrimp until just opaque and slightly curled, about 2 minutes per side.  

We filled these containers with guacamole and grilled shrimp, with tortilla chips on the side

 Finally, we took the remaining grilled asparagus and wrapped them in proscuitto and topped them with shaved parmesan cheese and balsamic glaze. Once again - simple and delicious!!

Where to begin??

Here is to the beginning of a great summer!