We love delicious homemade pizzas with a great crust and awesome toppings, and grilling with friends is one of our favorite pastimes. So this month we decided to combine these two things for an evening of pizzas on the grill.
Grilled pizzas have been all over cooking magazines this summer. But we wanted to add our own take on this trend and give you some tips and tricks to make grilled pizzas an easy, fun interactive meal to enjoy with your friends and family.
We have included a simple from-scratch pizza dough recipe. However, if you are pressed for time or just don’t feel like going to the trouble of making your own dough, there are several local places where you can buy pre-made dough that is ready to roll out. Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods are just a few places that offer ready-made dough. We also recommend using prepared marinara sauce and pesto to make your grilled pizza night hassle free. We like to buy fresh mozzarella, herbed goat cheese, and feta to boost our pizzas’ flavor. We also look for ingredients like heirloom tomatoes, roasted peppers, marinated artichokes and fresh herbs, as well as specialty meats like pancetta to make our pizza combination possibilities endless.
Go here for tips on tools and ingredients to buy locally.
The Menu
Recipes by Tracey Koch
• Baby Arugula with Lemon Vinaigrette and Shaved Parmesan • Whole Wheat Pizza Dough • Pancetta, Caramelized Onion and Herbed Goat Cheese Pizza • Greek-style Pizza • Pepperoni, Fresh Mozzarella and Marinara Pizza • Margherita Pizza with Heirloom Tomatoes and Fresh Mozzarella • Dessert Pizza with Sweet Ricotta and Fresh Cherry and Black Pepper Compote
Baby Arugula with Lemon Vinaigrette and Shaved Parmesan
We always like to serve a tangy salad to go along with our grilled pizzas. In this recipe, we used baby arugula because it is a little spicy and works as a palate cleanser. However, this salad is also delicious with mixed greens or baby romaine.
Servings: 6
1 bag baby arugula
¼ cup sliced red onion
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1 clove minced garlic
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper 1⁄3 cup olive oil
¼ cup fresh shaved Parmesan
1. Place the arugula and sliced red onions in a large salad bowl.
2. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil until well incorporated.
3.Toss half the dressing over the salad. Top with the shaved Parmesan. Serve the salad immediately. Save the remaining dressing in an airtight container in the fridge for later use.
Whole Wheat Pizza Dough
Many times when making this delicious pizza dough, we double it and freeze half to use later. The dough is made with a combination of whole wheat and all-purpose flour, which gives it a nice texture. However, if you prefer, this pizza dough can be made using only all-purpose flour.
Yields: 6 to 8 6-inch pizzas, depending on thickness preference
2 tablespoons sugar
1 ¼ cups warm water
1 packet or 2 ½ teaspoons of active dry yeast
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon salt 1⁄3 cup olive oil
1. Dissolve the sugar in the warm water and sprinkle the yeast into the mixture. Allow it to sit for 5 minutes or until it becomes frothy.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flours and the salt together.
3. Pour the yeast mixture into the dry ingredients along with the olive oil.
4. Use a wooden spoon to stir everything together until a sticky ball forms.
5. Place a large piece of parchment on a work surface and sprinkle it with all-purpose flour.
6. Turn the dough out onto the floured surface and sprinkle the top of the dough with a little more flour. Knead the dough 3 to 4 minutes to make sure everything is well incorporated and the pizza dough is very smooth with a lot of elasticity.
7. Rub the dough with a little olive oil and place it into a large bowl. Place a kitchen towel over the bowl and set it in a warm draft-free area to allow the dough to rise until it has doubled in bulk. If you want to make this dough a day or two in advance, after rubbing it with oil wrap it in plastic wrap and store it in the fridge. When you are ready to make the pizza, remove the dough from the fridge and remove the plastic wrap off. Set the dough in a large bowl with the kitchen towel over it and allow it to rise until it has doubled in bulk.
8. Once the dough has doubled in size, punch it down and divide it into 6 to 8 pieces depending on how thick you wish to roll your pizzas.
9. Heat your grill to 400 degrees. On a floured surface, roll out the individual pizzas, and brush each one with olive oil on both sides.
10. Place the pizza dough on the grill and close the lid. Allow the pizzas to grill on one side for 3 to 4 minutes or until the grilled side is golden. Remove the pizzas from the grill. Top the grilled side of the pizzas with your favorite ingredients. Place the pizzas back on the grill to cook for an additional 4 to 5 minutes.
THE PIZZAS
Pancetta, Caramelized Onion and Herbed Goat Cheese Pizza
Makes one 6- to 8-inch pizza
2 ounces chopped pancetta
1 small red onion sliced thin
1 tablespoon olive oil
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 ounce crumbled herbed goat cheese 1⁄6 of the prepared pizza dough, prepared and grilled on one side
1. In a small skillet, sauté the pancetta until it is golden. Remove the pancetta onto paper towels to drain. In the same skillet, place the sliced onions and olive oil, salt and pepper.
2. Sauté the onions until they are very soft and golden in color.
3. Arrange the onions on top of the grilled side of the pizza, along with the pancetta and crumbled goat cheese. Place the pizza back on the grill for an additional 4 to 5 minutes or grill until the cheese begins to melt and the bottom is golden.
Pepperoni, Fresh Mozzarella and Marinara Pizza
Makes one 6- to 8-inch pizza
¼ cup marinara sauce
6 to 8 slices of pepperoni
2 ounces fresh mozzarella 1⁄6 of the prepared pizza dough, prepared and grilled on one side
1. Spread marinara sauce over the grilled side of the pizza.
2. Arrange the pepperoni and mozzarella on top and place the pizza back on the grill.
3. Grill the pizza for an additional 4 to 5 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and melted and the bottom is golden.
Greek-style Pizza
Makes one 6- to 8-inch pizza
1 cup pesto (store-bought is fine)
1 jar marinated artichoke hearts
1 jar roasted red peppers
1 jar Kalamata olives
1 cup fresh chopped spinach
2 ounces crumbled feta cheese 1⁄6 of the prepared pizza dough, prepared and grilled on one side
1. Spread a couple tablespoons of the pesto over the grilled side of the pizza.
2. Top with some of the artichoke hearts, peppers, olives and spinach.
3. Sprinkle with the feta and place the pizza back on the grill for an additional 4 to 5 minutes or until the cheese begins to melt and the bottom is golden.
Margherita Pizza with Heirloom Tomatoes and Fresh Mozzarella
Makes one 6- to 8-inch pizza
¼ cup marinara sauce
4 to 5 slices of fresh heirloom tomatoes
2 ounces fresh mozzarella
1 teaspoon chopped fresh basil 1⁄6 of the prepared pizza dough, prepared and grilled on one side
1. Spread marinara sauce over the grilled side of the pizza.
2. Arrange the slices of tomato and fresh mozzarella on top of the pizza.
3. Place the pizza back on the grill and grill for an additional 4 to 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly and the bottom is golden. Top with a little chopped fresh basil and serve.
Dessert Pizza with Sweet Ricotta and Fresh Cherry and Black Pepper Compote
This dessert pizza is sweet enough to satisfy any sweet tooth but isn’t overly heavy. The sweetened ricotta is fresh and creamy—it reminds us of the filling in a cannoli. The fresh cherry compote has a hint of lemon that complements the cherries. It finishes with a little kick from the black pepper, making this dessert pizza a wonderful way to end your grilled pizza experience.
Makes three 6-inch pizzas
2 cups fresh cherries pitted and cut in half
¾ cup sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
2 cups ricotta
¼ cup honey
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ of the prepared pizza dough
½ cup melted butter
1. Combine the pitted and sliced cherries with half a cup of the sugar, the lemon juice, lemon zest and the black pepper. Mix well until it is all combined. Set it aside for 30 minutes.
2. In a separate mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, honey and vanilla. Mix well until it is all combined. Set this aside as well.
3. Take the remaining sugar and mix it with the teaspoon of cinnamon to be sprinkled over the pizza dough.
4. Heat the grill to 400 degrees. Divide the dough into 3 pieces. Roll out the pizza dough into 6-inch rounds. Brush both sides with the melted butter. Place on the grill for 3 to 4 minutes or until the grilled side is golden.
5. Remove the pizza from the grill and turn them over to the grilled side. Sprinkle the grilled side with the cinnamon sugar.
6. Divide and spread the ricotta mixture between the 3 pizzas and top with the cherry compote.
7. Return the pizzas to the grill and allow them to cook for an additional 3 to 4 minutes or until the cherries begin to bubble and the ricotta is melting. Remove the pizzas and allow them to cool slightly before slicing and serving.
