grilled pizza

had no idea there was a process to grilling pizza. well, there is. it's simple once you get the hang of it and beyond delicious. the one eye opener for me was letting the dough sit out for a couple hours prior to stretching it into your crust. it makes a world of a difference as far as work-ability.
i've followed my coworkers advice in having "pizza fridays". we're coming up on week 4 and i have to say i truly look forward to it every week! every week presents a new opportunity for different toppings. the recipe is for simple margherita pizza, but below are some great ideas on how to "switch it up".

1. barbecue chicken & gouda cheese
2. parmesan cheese & proscuitto
3. hummus & roasted veggies
4. carmelized onions, mushrooms, spinach & fontina cheese
5. shrimp sauce, mozzarella cheese & shrimp (this is completely strange to me, but my husband and his family love it)
6. tomato sauce, provolone cheese, crumbled italian sausage & roasted tomatoes
7. pesto, asiago cheese & shrimp
8. gorgonzola cheese, pineapple & balsamic vinegar
9. tomato sauce, goat cheese & proscuitto
10. tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, black olives & artichokes

grilled margherita pizza

store bought pizza dough (we use sciortino's bakery dough sold at sendik's)
log of fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced
2-3 roma tomatoes, sliced
fresh torn basil leaves
salt & pepper
olive oil

1. let dough sit on your kitchen counter for 2 hours prior to using.
2. put small amount of olive oil on a cookie sheet. stretch out dough to your liking and place on cookie sheet. brush the top with olive oil.
3. place dough olive oil side down on grill. close the grill and cook on low for 5-10 minutes or until bottom is lightly brown and crispy.
4. brush the top with olive oil and flip over. top with sliced tomatoes, sliced mozzarella, salt & pepper and basil leaves. close the grill and cook for 7-15 minutes or until lightly brown and crispy. turn off grill and let pizza sit for 3 minutes allowing cheese to set.

 

adapted from james olejniczak