Flatbread with Asparagus, Fontina, and Pickled Onions

Make the roasted garlic, pickled onions, and blanched asparagus ahead, then top and bake the pizza before serving. If you don't have a pizza stone, preheat a rimless baking sheet while you prepare the pizza. This will help form a crisp crust similar to that achieved on a pizza stone. Refrigerate leftover pickled onions in an airtight nonreactive container for up to two weeks. Use them to add tang to salads or sandwiches.

Yield: 2 flatbreads, 12 servings (serving size: 1 wedge)

Ingredients

• 1  large whole garlic head
• Cooking spray
• 1  tablespoon  extravirgin olive oil
• 2 1/2  cups  vertically sliced red onion
• 1  cup  red wine vinegar
• 2 1/4  teaspoons  kosher salt, divided
• 1 1/2  cups  (1/2-inch) slices asparagus (about 8 ounces)
• 1  recipe Flatbread Dough
• 2  tablespoons  cornmeal, divided
• 3/4  cup  (3 ounces) shredded fontina cheese

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°.

2. Remove white papery skin from garlic head (do not peel or separate the cloves). Coat garlic with cooking spray. Wrap garlic head in foil. Bake at 400° for 45 minutes or until tender; cool 10 minutes. Separate cloves; squeeze to extract garlic pulp. Discard skins. Combine garlic pulp and olive oil in a small bowl, stirring until smooth.

3. Preheat oven to 500°.

4. Place a pizza stone on bottom oven rack. Preheat pizza stone 30 minutes.

5. Combine onion, vinegar, and 2 teaspoons salt in a bowl; let stand 20 minutes. Remove 1 cup onion mixture with a slotted spoon; set aside. Reserve remaining onion mixture for another use.

6. Cook asparagus in boiling water 2 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and rinse under cold running water; drain. Pat dry with paper towels.

7. Divide dough in half. Working with 1 half at a time (cover remaining dough to keep from drying), roll dough into an 11-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Place dough on a baking sheet (or jelly-roll pan) sprinkled with 1 tablespoon cornmeal. Spread half of garlic mixture over dough. Top with 1/2 cup onion mixture and 3/4 cup asparagus, leaving a 1-inch border. Sprinkle with 6 tablespoons cheese. Slide topped dough onto preheated pizza stone, using a spatula as a guide. Bake at 500° for 8 minutes or until cheese melts and crust is golden brown. Remove from pizza stone using pizza peel. Place pizza on a cutting board; sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon salt. Cut into 6 wedges. Repeat procedure with remaining dough, 1 tablespoon cornmeal, garlic mixture, 1/2 cup onion mixture, 3/4 cup asparagus, 6 tablespoons cheese, and 1/8 teaspoon salt.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

283 (23% from fat)

Fat:

7.3g (sat 3.2g,mono 3g,poly 0.7g)

Protein:

10.7g

Carbohydrate:

43.2g

Fiber:

2.9g

Cholesterol:

16mg

Iron:

3.5mg

Sodium:

425mg

Calcium:

118mg