Brussels Sprouts & Asparagus Pastry Straws
Maple sesame Brussels sprouts, asparagus puff pastry straws, sauteed red bell peppers, queso fresco, grated Parmesan
We got the inspiration for the asparagus straws from the cookbook The Forest Feast. While they were delicious on their own as an appetizer, we thought they would taste great with the salty-sweet Asian flavors in our maple sesame Brussels sprouts, and would make a visually interesting addition to a pizza. Add some red bell peppers for a little color and crunch, and you’ve got a surprisingly complex and pretty pie!
Recipe
Ingredients: 1 ball of dough flour for dusting semolina flour for pizza stone olive oil salt & pepper queso fresco, crumbled grated Parmesan 1 red bell pepper, diced 1 bunch asparagus, bottoms trimmed 1 sheet puff pastry, cut into ¼-inch strips
For the Brussels sprouts: ~1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed & halved lengthwise 2 tablespoons maple syrup 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 ½ tablespoons miso paste 1 tablsepoon warm water 1 teaspoon onion powder ½ teaspoon each of salt & pepper 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
Directions:
To start, preheat your oven to 350° F. In a small bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, olive oil, sesame oil, miso, warm water, onion powder, salt & pepper.
Pour half of this mixture into a large bowl and add the Brussels sprouts, tossing to coat. Transfer these to a baking sheet and pop them in the oven, reserving the other half of the sauce for later.
Roast the sprouts for 15 minutes, then flip them and roast for another 10-15 minutes, or until tender and starting to brown. Place the roasted veggies in a bowl, stirring in the remaining sauce and the sesame seeds, and set aside. Turn your oven up to 375° F.
Meanwhile, wrap your pastry strips around each asparagus stalk in a corkscrew shape. Lay them out on a greased baking sheet and sprinkle with salt, pepper and a bit of grated Parmesan. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until just starting to turn golden (remember, they’ll be returning to the oven once you put them on the pizza, so they don’t need to be completely done quite yet).
Increase your oven temperature to 550° F, or as hot as it will go. While it’s heating, saute your diced bell pepper in a pan with a bit of oil and some salt, until they’ve softened up a bit but still have a bite to them.
To prepare your dough, follow the instructions on the right. Once the oven is hot and you’ve baked your dough for a minute, brush it lightly with olive oil and sprinkle an even layer of queso fresco.
Next, add the bell peppers, brussels sprouts and pastry straws, and sprinkle some extra parmesan on top of the whole thing. Pop it in the oven and bake until the cheese is melty and the crust is a nice golden brown. Then take it out and enjoy!