Photo: Muffet/Flickr.

My boyfriend hates asparagus. Seriously, HATES them. I’ll let him explain: “They taste sour and dirty. Like toes.” (Uh, whatever you say, Max.)

Unfortunately, he is dating a committed asparagus-lover. And when one night I suggested pizza for dinner, he was thrilled – until I told him that I would be making it with that loathsome stringy vegetable.”Trust me!” I pleaded. “The recipe is from Smitten Kitchen! It’s gonna be great!”

To his great credit, Max relented. And tried a slice. And even he agreed – this was an unbelievably great pizza. Perhaps, even, the best pizza we had ever made (and this coming from a couple whose obsession is making the perfect slice).

Michelle from Savory Flavors recently tried this wonderful pizza recipe as well. Her results look great – even using a whole wheat crust (no easy feat, since whole wheat crusts require TONS of kneading). It’s amazing how well simple ingredients like good coarse salt, grassy olive oil and freshly grated Parmesan come together on this pie – I promise, this is one pizza that’s more than the sum of its parts.

And if you don’t like asparagus? Try it anyway – its preparation here may surprise you.