Pizza on the grill pt 1

1 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
1 cup Warm Water; (105 to 115 F Degrees)
1 tablespoon Granulated Sugar
1 Envelope Dry Yeast
3 tablespoons Olive Oil
3 cups All-purpose Flour
1½ teaspoon Salt
1 tablespoon Fresh Rosemary or Oregano; chopped
¾ cup Olive Oil
6 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
3 tablespoons Garlic; minced
2 tablespoons Fresh Rosemary or Oregano
1 pounds Spicy Italian Sausages or Chicken Breasts
2 Sweet Bell Peppers; (Yellow or Red); seeded, cored, and cut lengthwise
1 large Red Onion; Peeled and cut into 1/2 inch thick wedges
2 cups Mozzarella Cheese; grated
½ cup Parmesan Cheese; grated
2 cups Romano Cheese; grated
4 Plum or Romano Tomatoes; halved; seeded, and coarsely chopped
¾ cup Green Onion; chopped

Directions

PIZZA DOUGH

TOPPING

Hello, Pizza Enthusiasts!

Pizza? Now, wait a minute . . . The Cook and Kitchen Staff were in the middle of their salute to National Barbecue Month at Recipe-a-Day! Are we going to barbecue pizza? Sure! And we're going to prepare it from scratch.

Perhaps a bit unexpected, but pizza on the grill is a relatively easy, albeit time-consuming, treat to prepare . . . You've probably served up you fair share of hot dogs, hamburgers, and chicken on your grill already this barbecue season. Now it's time to shake up the coals a bit and prepare pizza on the grill!

Prepares Four 8-Inch Pizzas

Combine water and sugar in a large mixing bowl or food processor. Sprinkle yeast over and let stand until foamy, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add oil, then flour and salt. Process with a bread mixer until dough comes together, about 1 minute –– or blend all ingredients until thoroughly combined by more traditional means: the wooden spoon.

Turn dough out onto floured work surface. Sprinkle with rosemary or oregano. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic (about 5 minutes), adding more flour by the tablespoonful if dough is sticky. Lightly oil a large glass bowl. Add dough and turn once to coat with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, then a towel. Let stand in warm area until dough doubles, about an hour. To test that the dough has risen sufficiently, push two fingers into the dough. The imprint will remain when the dough is ready.

Punch down the dough. Knead it in the bowl until smooth, about two minutes.

Divide dough into four equal pieces. Stretch out each piece on a well-floured surface to about the size of a 9-inch round cake pan. To prevent the dough from sticking as you stretch it, use flour, but sparingly; using too much flour will produce a tough pizza crust.

To season the toppings, whisk together in a medium-sized bowl the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, minced garlic, and rosemary or oregano. Let vinaigrette stand for about 15 minutes at room temperature, or refrigerate for up to 2 hours.

Prepare the grill to medium heat, about 350-F degrees. Arrange sausages or chicken, peppers and onion on a baking sheet. Brush with some of the vinaigrette, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill until meat is cooked through and peppers and onion are slightly charred, making sure to turn and baste occasionally.

Transfer cooked sausages or chicken and vegetables to a clean cutting board. Cut meat into ½-inch pieces and peppers into thin strips. Cut onions to a smaller size, or leave as they are.

Add more coals to the grill, if necessary. Place two dough rounds on the grill. Grill over medium heat until top of dough puffs and underside is crisp, about 3 minutes. Turn rounds over and grill a minute more. Transfer to a baking sheet with the well-grilled side up. Repeat with the remaining two dough rounds.

Sprinkle each pizza round with ¼ of the Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.

Top each with ¼ of the cut sausages or chicken, peppers and onion, then with ¼ of the Romano cheese, tomatoes, and green onions. Drizzle each with 1½ teaspoons vinaigrette.

Using a large metal spatula, return pizzas to the grill, two at a time.

continued in part 2

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