Some nights I just don’t feel like cooking. Really. Yes, even me. Which is why I’m thankful that I am competitive enough to make a game out of what I can scavenge from the fridge to pull dinner off. Mr. Wonderful loves anything in the family of pizza. So naan is a great quick pizza crust and Costco has the best deal on naan in the free world. Enter naan from freezer and let the creative juices flow. The most difficult part about this recipe is the patience it takes to caramelize the onions…chop them up and toss into a fry pan over very, very low, for a very long time. You can vacuum, do dishes, watch some YouTube videos in the mean time. Hell, get crazy and read a real book.
Here’s a quick flatbread recipe as rummaged from the fridge/freezer/pantry:
Grilled Asparagus, White Bean and Caramelized Onion Flatbread
- 1 very large onion, any type, chopped finely into half circles (approx 2 C raw)
- 1 bunch asparagus trimmed and washed
- 1 C Provolone cheese, grated (goat or gorgonzola cheese would be better here, but none in the fridge, alas)
- 4 C white beans, cooked or 2 cans, drained-reserve this liquid in case your hummus is too thick and you can drizzle some in (I pulled these from my freezer-reserve 3/4 C to sprinkle on TOP of flatbread, the rest will be used for “hummus” for the sauce on the flatbread)
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2-3 T Tahini (or just use a little of the juice from the beans if you don’t have this in your cupboard)
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano or a handful fresh
- 1/2 tsp dried cumin
- 1/2 tsp dried chipotle or red pepper flakes, omit if you are not pro-heat
- 2 T lemon juice, fresh squeezed preferred, but that little plastic lemon kind won’t kill you here
- salt to taste, this will take more than you think…white beans have little flavor
- EVOO
- 2 pieces commercial naan bread
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Cut up onion, toss in hot frying pan with a swig of EVOO, then turn way, way down to low. Here is where the patience comes in…now, wait. Stirring every 15 minutes or so. Caramelized onions take TIME. Like, an hour or so. Good news, you don’t have to do anything to them except poke around at them every quarter hour….seriously quit your complaining.
Take the following ingredients and zap them in the food processor until smooth:
tahini
white beans (minus 3/4 C for topping of flatbread)
lemon juice
garlic cloves
spices
pinch of salt
You just made white bean hummus which is the “sauce” for the flatbread.
Asparagus should be washed, trimmed and tossed with a splash of EVOO, then turned out onto a hot grill, or in a grill pan until just warm, they should be crispy, semi-raw still, they will be cooked again in a hot second.
Fire the naan for a few minutes in a 400 degree oven to crisp it up just a little.
Now assemble:
Apply “sauce” to naan bread, then onions, reserved white beans, asparagus and top with provolone cheese. Toss back into hot oven until cheese melts. Season with a bit of black pepper.
Devour.
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