Aspargus & Plum Tomato Pizza

This quickly became a favorite pizza of our family; we love it!  The flavors meld together so well that we just can't get enough of it.  This recipe is from Rachel Ray's 30- Minute Meals on the Food Network.  I have made this recipe with a store bought foccacia and homemade foccacia.  I like the homemade foccacia best because it was more filling and the pizza was bigger.

1/2 lb. thin asparagus spears

1 (12 inch) package prepared foccacia

1 c. prepared pesto sauce, store-bought or homemade, recipe follows

1/2 lb. Fontina cheese, diced into small cubes, about 1 1/2 cups

1 firm plum tomato, seeded and diced

Preheat oven to 400F.  Trim tough ends off asparagus, leaving 4 or 5 inch long tender tops of spears.  Place tops in a small skillet in 1/2 inch of boiling water.  Cover the pan and steam asparagus for 2 minutes.  Run asparagus under cool water and drain well.  Cut spear into 1 inch pieces on the diagonal.  Spread foccacia with a thin layer of peso sauce.  Dot the top of pizza with cubed fontina cheese.  Add a scattering of asparagus and tomatoes.  Bake directly on oven rack or on a perforated pizza pan.  Bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese melts and the edges of your pizza are crisp and dark golden in color.

Pesto:

2 c. fresh basil, packed

1/4 c. pine nuts, toasted

1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed

1/4 -1/2 c. olive oil

1/2 c. grated parmesan 

fresh black pepper

Combine basil, pine nuts, and garlic in a food processor with a drizzle of the olive oil.  Blend coarsely, stopping from time to time to scrape down the sides.  Place in small bowl, and stir in the remaining olive oil (as needed), parmesan and pepper to taste.