GRILLED PIZZA
If you've been lurking around my blog for any length of time, you'll see a trend developing. This week on "PIZZA ON THE GRILL". I'm gonna try and make this a regular feature, maybe weekly, perhaps biweekly, but probably definitely regularly. Is that vague enough for you? I try to confuse, I really do!
We've been doing this - Grilling Pizza thing - for quite some time now. Check out my other posts under Pizza & Libations! At least once a week, sometimes twice a week at the top of the dock. People are starting to notice. Friends, family, dockmates, passersby, people that don't know who the heck we are or what the heck we're doing, and last but not least, you, the blogging world, my blogging peeps!
Have Pizza Will Travel!
Since we still don't have our own grill (we're so cheap, we're waiting for the stores to have their closeout end-of-season sales before we buy!) we rely on others at the marina, or we take the PIZZA ON THE GRILL thing on the road! Uh huh, you heard that right! We literally pack up absolutely everything, excluding the kitchen sink, but definitely including the aluminum foil and cutting boards, and we take it to the people! We have a waiting list and a regular following waiting to be put on the waiting list again.
How Many Pizzas Can We Dream Up?
There's only so many GRILLED PIZZAS that we can think up. The books on the subject have quite a selection of ideas and we'll likely depend on some of those old standbys. But, I can't wait to show you some of the bizarre and off the wall pizzas we've come up with! So, I'm not sure how long this will last. Maybe you'll get tired of all my Pizza photos and start screaming at me to PLEASE STOP WITH THE PIZZA ALREADY!
Whine, Whine Wine!
And, because wine is a BIG part of my life - and I do mean BIG - I'll most assuredly be including a bottle of wine with my selections. Pizza & Wine Pairings! Maybe even Pizza & Beer Pairings! Who knows?
No More Pizza!
So, without further ado, more fireworks and pizza farts, I'll show you what we did the last two weeks, which by the way, included four culinary works of art (pizzas) each time, three gigs in a row! You do the math! Note: I use I, me, my, we and us in all my Tall Tale Grilling Fibs, Lies & videotapes because I do most of the work planning, prepping, delegating and decorating. John does most of the actual standing-at-the-grill-drinking-beer-and-wine-and- often-flipping-a-pizza-or-two, three or four stuff! It's a good deal for you! You get a Two-fer for the same price!
Quick Pizza Primer 101
Most of the time I start off with whole wheat pizza dough. Sometimes I'll throw an authentic Italian pizza dough in there as well. Federal Hill Pizza Company from Cranston, Rhode Island makes fantastic whole wheat and white pizza dough. Four ingredients - unbleached flour, water, salt and yeast, that's it! I get it from my local market - Dave's Marketplace. Then I flatten it out on a board sprinkled with corn meal.
Federal Hill Pizza Dough
Next, I rub a good amount of flavored olive oil on the dough. This could be Basil Oil, Roasted Garlic Oil or Roasted Chili Oil or whatever I have on hand. I need to stop at Whole Foods again and stock up on some more tantalizing flavors to stimulate (can I say that on my blog?), tickle or burn our taste buds! Turn it over and place it on a piece of heavy duty aluminum foil. Oil and corn meal the other side too. Crank up that oven! It has to be HOTTER than hell when you slap that baby on there. You know what? I have this all written on an earlier post. Go there and it will tell you how to finish it. Next time when I have more space, I'll write it all out for you again. Promise!
Sun-dried Tomato & Basil Pesto Asparagus & Artichoke Pizza
I love pesto of any kind and I've been experimenting with new and exciting combinations. Last weeks "Pesto of the Week" was a Basil Pesto base with sun-dried tomatoes. That was over-the-top yummy! It looked like mud (green and red make mud!) but it sure was tasty! I started with whole wheat pizza dough and smeared it good with the pesto. Next, I put down some tender grilled and seasoned asparagus spears. I opened a jar of marinated artichoke hearts and threw those on top too. It smelled so good before it was grilled, we couldn't help drooling thinking of how much better it would be when it was finally done! Freshly grated parmesan and mozzarella and a sprinkle of Mrs Dash and it was back on the grill. I wish you could have been here to taste it! You wouldn't have gone home!
Barbecued Chicken, Carmelized Onions, & Fresh Basil Pizza
Our friend Paul (we stormed his kitchen and deck this time) had some leftover BBQ'd chicken on a ziploc bag We grabbed that and plopped it on top of red sauce, added some carmelized onions, topped it with a mixture of cheeses and finally some fresh basil from his herb garden. It was a BIG hit with my Dad who doesn't really like pizza??? I think we changed his mind that night because he ate more than his share of mix-and-match pizzas
Plain Old Pepperoni and Cheese Pizza
Because we had my non-adventurous Dad, my Mother-in-Law and the grandkids with us (Hey! What was I thinking?) we had to do at least one boring...I mean traditional pizza for them. Turns out, they liked all the eclectic pizzas too! I used Boars Head Pepperoni on red sauce, topped with fresh parmesan and mozzarella and spices. I may have thought it was boring, but it tastes so much better when you use the good stuff!
The Frankenstein Pizza
This is Garbage Pizza at its finest! Everything from leftovers to scraps of red peppers, mushroom slices, odd olives and cheeses that I could find in my fridge. No one cared in the least and it was all gone before I could get to my second Loaded Homemade Lemonade...and I do mean Loaded!
So, that's it for the pizzas of the week. Stay tuned for the next installment of "As The Pizza Spins!" Send in your comments and requests for your favorite pizza and we'll try to accommodate your every wish...pizza, silly!
WOW this looks great - I confess I have not tried pizza on the grill and I am not sure why. This seems like a no brainer and it beats heating up the kitchen this time of year.
Cheers
Cathy
www.wheresmydamnanswer.com
PS - Great wine selection to go with your great pizza
Posted by: Cathy C | July 31, 2008 at 01:32 PM
Hi there...you have me DROOLING OVER HERE!!! And it's like 8:30 in the a.m. My man and I just moved into our new home and we too are sans grill...perhaps wait til closeout time too!!!
These look awesome...especially the sundried tomato basil asparagus artichoke one...all my fave things!
thanks
jodycakes
Posted by: jodycakes | August 02, 2008 at 09:31 AM
I am hungry!! The pizzas look fantastico!
Great way to make pizza!
Posted by: Liliana | August 02, 2008 at 09:41 AM
Donna I love that you have a grilled pizza addiction! I do too!!! I LOVE doing pizza on the grill--that was actually our New Years Eve dinner party meal! I'm doing pizza on the grill today as a matter of fact! Basil Pesto with caramelized onions and feta! Yum! The dough is rising as I type! Also, FAB picture of the Viognier!!!!!
Posted by: danielle | August 03, 2008 at 12:02 PM
I ESPECIALLY like the concept behind the Frankenstein pizza. Same name different toppings every time, nothing beats a delicious surprise!
Posted by: Lore | August 04, 2008 at 06:37 AM
We would like to feature this recipe on our blog. Please email [email protected] if interested. Thanks :)
Posted by: Sophie | August 05, 2008 at 10:35 AM
We would like to feature this recipe on our blog. Please email [email protected] if interested. Thanks :)
Posted by: Sophie | August 05, 2008 at 10:35 AM