• Preheat the oven to 500°F (if using a baking sheet) or as high as it will go (if using a baking stone/steel; place the stone in the top third or place the steel in the bottom third of the oven before you start preheating). Let the oven preheat for at least 30 minutes. Then, if you’re using a baking stone or steel, switch the oven to Broil on high.

To make the pesto:

• Place the nuts in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Toast the nuts, stirring frequently, until they are just starting to brown in spots, about 2 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat.
• In a food processor or with a mortar and pestle, grind together the garlic, parsley, chives, toasted nuts, sea salt, lemon zest, lemon juice, and the ¼ cup of olive oil until the mixture is uniform in texture. If the pesto seems too thick to spread on the pizza, stream in a little more oil, a teaspoon at a time, until it reaches your desired texture. Taste it and season with a few grinds of black pepper and more salt as needed.

To make the pizza:

• Stretch or roll out your dough to a 12- to 14-inch circle, then transfer it to a baking sheet / pizza pan or a lightly floured pizza peel (if using a baking stone/steel).
• Prick the dough all over with a fork. (This will keep bubbles from forming in the oven.)
• Spoon the pesto onto the dough and spread it evenly, leaving a ½-inch border all around. Sprinkle on half of the cheese, scatter the asparagus evenly over the pizza, and top with the rest of the cheese.
• Transfer the pizza to the oven and bake until the crust is golden and the cheese has browned in spots—8 to 10 minutes on the baking sheet, 5 to 8 minutes on the baking stone/steel.
• Remove the pizza from the oven, and let it rest for a minute or two before slicing and serving.