Well, I've been gone from this blog for a couple of weeks - still an avid reader, of course, and, more than anything else, an avid eater! You see, I have the great fortune of actually getting to test-taste the vast majority of the foodstuffs that show up in this blog, and that, thank goodness, is not something I give up between posts of my own. The reality is, in addition to all of the marvelous wonderfulness that Chels has been posting here day after day, she and I have been working on some new collaborative favorites as well, and they are coming off nicely! We tried an incredible fish taco recipe we'll share with you very soon, as well as a peanut-chipotle barbecue burger experiment from Bobby Flay that is absolutely unreal. Tonight, however, I have something special for you. Tonight, we have Grilled Pizza.
Yes, the Grilled Pizza must be capitalized. It is such a revelation unto itself, that it falls under the same capitalization rules as, say, "North America" or "The Middle Ages." It's true! If you've read my previous posts, you know I have no inclination towards exaggeration...
Now, this particular meal is sourced from a variety of places. The dough came from a blog that Chels follows, although we modified the recipe somewhat. The grilling methodology came Mr. Bobby Flay, of Iron Chef, Food Network, and Mesa Grill fame. And the topping we just made up as we went along. So, though there isn't a single source I can send you to and say, "This is what we did," I'll do my best to spell it out clearly. The great thing about Grilled Pizza, though, is that it's all about experimentation. Although I must admit I won't be avoiding the amazing local pizzerias for too long.
Obviously, you start with the dough. And, that's where I stop. See, shorter blog than you were expecting, right? Okay, okay, that being said, the reality is, Chels handles the dough preparation, and I merely assist. I'll have her post the recipe in here before this goes live, but I can tell you that we added cinnamon last time - wow, that was a revelation. Definitely something we will do again.
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| I'm assuming the dough starts with ingredients of some sort... |
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| Some of those ingredients are combined in some way... |
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| An evil hook descends from the sky... |
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| Note the ominous shadow of the evil hook |
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| I discovered a strange orange substance in this bowl |
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| At this point, even I can begin to see some results from the process. But, wait, it's so small... |
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| How am I going to make two pizzas out of this? |
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| Chels assures me that placing the dwarf dough into a bowl and covering it with plastic wrap will help it grow. I am skeptical. |
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| Magic! (like an Apple product!) |
Okay, so, obviously, you won't be able to make the pizza dough simply based on the above tutorial alone (or, if you do, it'll end up being pizza dough with an inferiority complex about being too small and multiple phobias involving hooks and shadows and...), but I will make sure that we get you that information. Please enclose 12 UPC codes and send them in a self-addressed stamped envelope, and allow 8-12 weeks for delivery.
Now, once the dough is out and big and all of the other wonderful, magical things that dough does when it rises, I get back into the picture. The first step, obviously, is to punch and knead the dough. If you haven't punched dough before, I highly recommend it. For those of you that are full of pent-up anger and frustration, it's a great way to let that out. For those of you without pent-up anger and frustration inside, it's a great way to build some up. So, really, there's something for everyone.
Once the kneading (and punching) is complete, I do my best to roll the dough out in a circle. I have yet to succeed. The circle, you see, is a complicated target. It's so...round. It's full of circumfreneces and diameters and radii. I've heard there's even a Pi in there somewhere...you know, just lurking about waiting to trap unsuspecting trespassers in mathematical folly. Anyhow, I do my best to form a circle, but always end up with something that appears to have once been something remotely related to a circle, before it went through some kind of traumatic experience (most likely involving a chance encounter with Pi in a dark alley - there was lunch money involved). They key piece to remember here is to get the thickness right. Between about a ¼ and a ½ an inch seems to be the sweet spot.
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| Post-Pi encounter |
Once the mis-shaping of the pizza dough is complete, I baste the entire surface of the dough, on both sides, with olive oil. At some point here, you wanted to preheat the grill to medium. Did I fail to mention that? Well, hopefully you weren't cooking this as you read it...if you are, your dough is pretty much dead in the water - just warning you. I wouldn't eat it. Bad things will happen. No one will hear you scream (because your mouth will be full chewing dough, of course - what did you think I meant?).
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| Olive oil coated pizza dough - heck, yeah. |
It's really easy at this point. Actually, if you can get the dough made right, it's pretty easy from there. But, regardless, now is when I would transfer the pizza dough to the grill. You'll want to watch it very closely - it's not going to take more than a couple of minutes on each side - you're looking for those nice grill lines and for the color of the dough to change and look, well, done. Once it's done, get it back inside - time for toppings!
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| Flipping can be complicated! I used a large spatula and two sets of tongs! |
The topping part of this whole thing is very avant-garde. Do pizza sauce and cheese. Do something despicable and revolting with lots of onions and mushrooms. I won't judge (yes, I will). Do something marvelous with sausage and bell peppers. The possibilities are, of course, endless, which has always been one of the best things about pizza. So far, we have tried Canadian bacon and pineapple (using packaged Canadian bacon, cheddar and mozzarella cheeses, Dole pineapple tidbits, and Ragu pizza sauce) and a sort of taco/club pizza I came up with. For mine, I used a base of black beans, corn, crumbled bacon, and a Mexican cheese blend. After the grilling was complete with those ingredients, I topped the pizza with chopped iceberg lettuce coated in homemade chipotle dressing, as well as diced tomatoes. Really, though, you can do whatever you want!
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| Hawaiian pizza! How does Canadian bacon make something Hawaiian? |
Once you have the toppings on the already-grilled crust, the whole thing goes back on the grill for about 2-5 minutes. Basically, you're looking for enough time to melt the cheese and warm up or lightly singe the other toppings. At that point, it's ready to eat! Didn't I tell you it would be easy? And, I must say, the result is unbelievably good. The smokiness and slight char of the grill flavor just permeates the crust and makes you want to eat a completely ungodly amount. Which you very well may do. After all, it is...Grilled Pizza.
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| Get the big Canadian Bacon. It rocks. |
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| You get the chipotle sauce recipe when you get the fish tacos... Patience is a...pain. |
Grilled Pizza
By...us...I guess...we just copied what we saw Bobby Flay do on tv.
Once your dough is rolled out, brush each side with a decent amount of evoo. Have your grill already pre-heated to medium. And if you can, remove any grates in your grill that may be in your way of placing and flipping the pizza. We did that the last time we grilled and it made the whole process a lot easier.
I highly suggest buying a pizza peel for the next step. I picked up a large beautiful one at Ross for $9.99 and Josh said it made a world of difference with sliding the dough on and off the grill. So slide your pizza onto the grill and watch it closely for 3-5 minutes. It will need to be flipped very carefully with tongs. As Josh said," Look for the grill lines to tell when it's ready to be flipped." Repeat on the other side and slide the pizza pack off with the pizza peel and tongs and go decorate your pizza to your liking. Then, bring the pizzas back to the grill and slide it back on for a few more minutes...just until the cheese is melted and everything is cooked through and then that's it, your done! Serve and Enjoy!
The one thing I found to be very cool with grilling pizza is how much heat ( temp wise) the pizza retains vs cooking it in the oven. When baking a pizza in the oven, it always seems to cool off quickly. With grilling, the pizza remains warm till the very last slice. It's amazing!!
I apologize for my long winded directions. Josh asked me to write up the dough ingredients, but I felt if any of you wanted the grilled recipe too, you could find it in one place rather than scrolling.
And I promise...very soon, hopefully within the next month or so, we will get a print link for you all so you won't have to write everything down by hand or copy and paste because I know that can be a bother :)
Happy Grilling Everybody!
