Grill your pizza: This is not a suggestion
Food tastes better when it’s grilled. You can’t go wrong with a good pizza. So why hadn’t I done this before? Funny you should ask. First, we had to
get a grill. Second, we waited for good company and the right weather. Memorial Day seemed like a perfectly good reason to give it a try. Unsure of what approach to take, so I turned to Food Network for help. Alton Brown has never steered me wrong, and this is no exception. A two minute video introduced me to a Michaelis house instant favorite. Seriously, if you make this for someone and they don’t enjoy it, closely question that relationship.
First, make your pizza dough. I guess you could buy it, but that’s not how I roll. While making it is time consuming, to do so it cheap, easy, and relatively hands off. Check out my recipe from The Joy of Cooking. Bear in mind this recipe makes enough for two crusts, so when it’s ready to use, cut it in half and stretch it out as thin as you can stand, we go for about a half inch thick. In the mean time, heat your grill to 450 degrees.
Prepare your sauce and vegetables, and set them near the grill in non-heat reactive dishes. Dust a pizza paddle with corn meal, and transfer the rolled out
dough onto it. Brush olive oil on the exposed side, and keep your brush and bottle on hand – the next few steps will happen quickly. When the grill is ready, flip the pizza oil-side down straight onto your grill. Cover, and let cook for two to three minutes. Uncover, brush oil on the uncooked side of the dough, the side face up, and flip the dough.
Onto the newly cooked side, spread your sauce, toppings and cheese, and cover again. Let cook for another two to three minutes, until cheese is
melted. Removed from the fire and serve. It really is that easy. The thin crispy crust and the smoky flavor infused into the dough brings the thrill of the grill to a classic dish.
Tip of the week: Don’t buy another jar of pizza sauce. Unless you make pizza on a weekly basis, or making enough for the masses, you’re probably not going to use an entire jar before it goes bad. A friend of mine showed me this trick: open a can six ounce can of tomato paste, and dump it in a sauce pan. Add 1/2- 1 C water, depending on your desired thickness, and all the herbs and spices you please. Simmer for 15 minutes, until the consistency is even. This makes about enough for four to six pizzas, depending on taste. Not bad for a eighty-cent swap!
Sally is a wife and domestic diva in Maryland. She approaches life with gusto, humor, and a passion that is unmatched. She is a classic woman, with a modern twist and is the kind of woman who will throw back a beer and watch Star Trek with her husband, and entertain the church croquette group with homemade cheese cake. Sally offers something for everyone, and is always experimenting and cooking up a storm in her kitchen.