Recipe Mon Aug 20 2007

Grilled pizza: keep it light

When our garden runneth over with tomatoes and basil, which happens ever year around now, we like to eat them up in the freshest, most unadulterated way possible. The quick answer is to slice up the 'mater, sprinkle on some kosher salt, and layer on some freshly cut basil. If I can manage to find myself a hammock to swing on while I leisurely snack on them, I'm in heaven.

The longer and possibly more rewarding answer is to make grilled pizza. The recipe we use is from Cook's Illustrated, and we agree with their rule of keeping the pizza as lightly topped as possible. Whereas an oven-baked pie is usually smothered in a layer of parmesan or mozzarella, the grilled kind should be considered an oversized bruschetta, with a few flavorful toppings that really pop.

When you're following the Cook's recipe, keep in mind that the dough comes out more like a cracker than fluffly pizza dough. If it doesn't rise as much as expected, don't fret. It'll be enough to roll out into four pizzas, and it'll stil bubble up and crisp on the grill. We upped the recipe by 50%, to have enough for six pizzas. There were only five of us, so we left the toppings off the final one and ate up as flatbread while we waited for the rest to cook.

The only downside to a dish like this is that the pizzas have be cooked serially. We usually keep them in the oven, but if you want to gather everyone outside around the grill while you cook, you can slice and serve them up as soon as the leave the grill. Pair with a pitcher of freshly made aqua fresca, and pray for summer to never end.

— Sandy Weisz / Comments (0)