The Night of Grilled Pizza

Isn't it great when something turns out better than you expected?


I fully expected that my first time grilling pizza would culminate in an utter disaster: singed eyebrows, charred dough, and undercooked toppings. Shockingly, I grilled 8 pizzas (with the indispensable help of my lovely sous chef, Kara), and each one of them was delicious in their own way.

I won't belabor this post, since the pictures really say it all (thanks to fab photog Josh), and there are many, many comments to sift through, but I will say that The Night of Grilled Pizza was most definitely one of the most successful, delicious, and all-around fun blogs to date! I hope it will become a summer tradition for some of you as well.

GRILLED PIZZA

INGREDIENTS

2 batches of fresh pizza dough, cut into 8 sections
olive oil for brushing
flour for rolling

Assorted sauces and toppings:

marinara (recipe follows)
pesto (recipe follows)
roasted red peppers
sauteed mushrooms
caramelized onions
kalamata olives
dried figs (sounds weird, but with chevre, is amazing)
ricotta cheese
chevre
fresh mozzarella
fresh baby spinach
grape tomatoes
parmigiano reggiano, freshly grated



EQUIPMENT

a grill (we used a charcoal grill)
ample surface area - we brought out two small tables, then had another one for the wine and glasses
rolling pin
pizza slicer
grill tongs
large spatula with a long handle
sharp grill skewers or a sharp paring knife to poke holes in the dough bubbles
brush (for the olive oil)
large tray (for setting grilled dough on, and used as a surface on which to top the pizzas)
cutting boards


DIRECTIONS & TIPS:

- Remember that there is no heat source above the pizzas, so all your toppings should be chosen with that in mind; things like onions, mushrooms, and the like, which aren't very good on a pizza when they're raw, should be pre-cooked - by caramelizing, sauteeing, and the like. Things like fresh baby spinach and tomatoes are fine raw, although you could pre-cook them if you wanted. We used only vegetarian toppings, although you of course have an assortment of meats, as long as they were all pre-cooked: crumbled bacon, Italian sausage, chopped chicken, etc.



- You need to grill one side of the pizza first (the side which will eventually have the toppings on it). Our method took tow people: Kara stood by the grill, tray ready, while I grilled two pizza dough rounds on the grill. When they were browning and had nice grill marks and bubbled up on the raw side (the side facing up), I poked holes in the bubbles with skewers and slid them off the grill with a spatula and onto Kara's tray.



We then turned them over, so they were grilled-side up, and brushed them with olive oil before we topped them (except when we topped them with pesto - they don't need any more oil than is already in the pesto). Then we returned them to the grill (topped side up, raw dough side down, obviously), and closed the lid, checking on them every few minutes.



Once they were nice and crispy on the bottom, and the toppings were heated, we put them back on the tray, then transferred them to a side table where we cut and served them. So basically, we had 2 pizzas at a time, adding up to 8 pizzas over the course of about an hour and a half. This was a good method.

- We found that most delicious combinations of toppings were the simplest: fig and chevre; pesto and ricotta. When you start to add too many toppings, not only can the crust become too weighted to be light and crisp, it can also get soggy; also, too many toppings tend to cause competing flavors.


- I think the key to having really delicious, simple pizzas, is the quality of the toppings. For instance, rather than buy pre-made pesto and marinara, I made my own (not as hard as it sounds). Check out the recipes below. Besides that, just make sure you buy good cheese (since cheese is integral to a great pizza), and fresh toppings. It's as simple as that. NOTE: we could only find SunMaid dried figs, which, out of the package, are crusted with sugar and much too sweet. I just soaked them in a warm water bath for about 10 minutes, then drained and dried them. They are much better that way.

QUICK MARINARA RECIPE:

drizzle olive oil
3 garlic cloves, mashed but kept whole
1 large can crushed tomatoes
2-3 T. balsamic vinegar
splash of wine (white or red is fine)
fresh chopped parsley
dried Italian herbs (oregano, basil, whatever you have)
salt and pepper
red pepper flakes

Heat the olive oil in a pot. Cook the garlic cloves for a few minutes in the oil, until fragrant (you will fish them out later). Pour in the rest of the ingredients and cook over medium-high heat until the sauce is reduced/thickened. Fish out the whole garlic cloves and discard.



BY-HAND PESTO RECIPE:

1 bunch parsley, finely chopped
lots of fresh basil, finely chopped
3/4 c. nuts (I used walnuts, but pine nuts are traditional)
big handful grated parmesan cheese
a few garlic cloves, finely minced
glug olive oil
salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients. The mixture, when left sitting, will have a tendency to separate, so just stir it before putting it on the pizza. You could of course use a blender or food processor, but I like the by-hand method; I think it tastes fresher, and I like it a little chunkier.



I didn't realize until I was rolling out the dough, with Adam watching intently over my shoulder, that he would be an especially tough judge of my abilities. Why? Because his family owns and runs a pizza joint in the Chicago suburbs! Adam has been lobbying to come over for a blog for forever, and of course it would be my luck that I chose to cook the one thing he probably knows best. Of course, we had a pizza-throwing contest (he was the clear winner). I was, however, successful at getting flour on myself from head to toe.




THE FINAL EIGHT (topping combinations), plus JUDGES' COMMENTS:

Pesto/ricotta/parmesan (2) (I made it a second time because it was so popular the first time)

"This is everything I love about the earth on pizza dough." - Kara

"NIce, thin crust that's not too crispy - it still has a nice chew to it." - Kara and Josh

"It's like if dessert had salt in it. But my slice had a bite taken out, so that was annoying." - Jess

Marinara/spinach/mozzarella/tomato

"A little plain." - Jess

"To be able to anticipate the simplicity of this is great." - Sarah

Olive oil/fig/goat cheese/parmesan

"Ooh, this is a weird one...what's going on here?" [Me: "Fig and goat cheese."] "I did not expect to like the fig one, but it's good." - Adam

"Rustic. Authentic." - Sarah

"This is surprisingly good." - Josh


Marinara/mozzarella/olives/mushrooms

"Loved it, but maybe the olives and mushrooms were competing." - Sarah

"I think you should lose the olives." - Kara

"Love the spice! Dig it!" - Jess

"I continue to not like olives." - Adam

Marinara/Pesto/Caramelized onions/ricotta

"The taste of the marinara and the pesto slightly competes. I enjoy them both so much on their own, I didn't need the combo." - Kara

"Loved it. Perfectly rich." - Jess

"I loved it because of the onions." - Sarah

"I really liked the mix. Loved the onions. Anything with goat cheese, though, has me sold." - Shawn


Marinara/roasted red peppers/mushrooms/mozzarella

"Good combo. I love soft cheese." - Sarah

"Favorite so far, although something about it made the crust soggy." - Jess

"It was just 'eh' to me." - Kara

Olive oil/goat cheese/fig/carmelized onion/parmesan

"Decadent." - Sarah [NOTE: my favorite comment of the night.]

"Oh, I thought it was really good. I'm trying to think of something cool to say...mmmmmmm." - Kara

"I still like the original fig one better. I love the simplicity of the first one. It wasn't even like pizza. Just, whatever the hell that was, I liked it." - Adam

"I liked it." - Josh

"The perfect combination of sweet and savory." - Jess (?)

GENERAL COMMENTS:

"I've been reading about these dinners forever, and it exceeded my expectations." - Adam

About Shawn's delicious salad:

"Pleasantly surprised." - Adam

"Coming from someone who doesn't eat salad, I loved it. When I first saw the onions in there I was skeptical, but I ate it all and it was soooo good." - The Fearless Cook

"Refreshing and light." - Kara and Sarah

"This entire night has opened my eyes to a whole new world of culinary experiences which I never knew existed....which basically means figs and grapes." - Adam

Thanks to Jess, who recorded all this with aplomb, and also looked totes adorbs in her tiara:



My vote on my dish(es): 9 stars. I'm giving myself extra credit for A.) fearlessness, and B.) not completely screwing up the whole process. The pizzas were all delicious in their own way, and I'm really glad I decided to try grilling pizzas in the first place! Who'd a thunk?

Thanks so much to photog/grillmaster Josh, court reporter Jess, pizza expert Adam, salad creator extrordinaire Shawn, brave out of town guest Sarah, amazing sous chef Kara, and to everyone for reading! More soon...

Prairie Fruits Salad & Veggie-Stuffed Mac 'n' Cheese

This is a salad I actually enjoyed. Need I say more?


I'm calling it Prairie Fruits Salad because I used chevre from Prairie Fruits Farms - delicious. If you wanted to, you could toast the walnuts. I also used regular spinach, but baby spinach would probably be best.

PRAIRIE FRUITS SALAD

Big handful raw washed spinach leaves
grape tomatoes, halved
raw walnut halves and pieces
crumbled fresh goat cheese
apple slices

fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
honey
a squeeze of mustard
olive oil
salt and pepper



STEP ONE:

Assemble the salad. Squeeze one half of lemon around over the apple slices to keep them from turning brown.

STEP TWO:

In a small bowl, mix the honey, mustard, the rest of the lemon juice, and salt and pepper. Whisk in a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Drizzle over the salad. Enjoy!


And for my next trick, mac 'n' cheese that is - arguably - healthy! Yes, it still involves copious amounts of cheese, but it also is overflowing with fresh, colorful vegetables. I don't want to say I'll never go back to traditional macaroni and cheese, but this is certainly a delicious way to enjoy it with a smaller dose of guilt. You could add any veggies you want.

VEGGIE-STUFFED MAC 'N' CHEESE


INGREDIENTS

1 lb. macaroni elbows
1 head broccoli, cut into small florets
1 carrot, halved and thinly sliced
5 oz. frozen peas
big handful grape tomatoes, halved
2 c. "classic melts" blend - American and Cheddar, shredded
2 c. chihuahua cheese (or other melty white cheese), shredded
3 c. skim milk
3 cloves garlic
3 T. butter
1/4 c. flour
salt and pepper
dash of cayenne pepper

STEP ONE:

Boil the noodles in salted water until al dente. About 3-4 minutes before the noodles are done, toss in all the veggies except the tomatoes to par-boil. Drain the noodles/veggies. Set aside.



STEP TWO:

In the same big pot, melt the butter. Saute the garlic for a minute, then whisk in the flour to make a roux. Whisk in the milk and bring the heat up until it begins to thicken. Add the classic melts cheese and about half of the other cheese. Stir until thickened and melty.

STEP THREE:

Preheat the oven to 350. Stir the noodles and veggies into the cheese sauce. Pour into a deep casserole dish. Spread the rest of the cheese on top. Bake for about 25 minutes, until the cheese on top is melted and lightly browned, and the edges are bubbly. Enjoy!


The reason for the mac 'n' cheese (not that you NEED a reason for mac 'n' cheese, mind you) was my dear friends' The Bigwoods' Andersonville BBQ, which was an excuse to pre-game before we headed down to MidsommarFest to see Sixteen Candles, a band that plays all 80's cover songs. It was a truly transformative experience.


Not only was the band pumping out such great hits as "New Sensation," "Like a Virgin," and "Summer of '69," the crowd was totally into it, jumping around and dancing just as much as the band was. Viva la 80's!


Thanks to Kira for hosting us in her adorably grown-up house (delicious food provided by her and John, as always), and to Sixteen Candles, who rocked my FACE OFF!

Thanks for reading! More soon...

Potato & Carrot Sweet Yellow Curry with Bulgur

There is an Alcoholics Anonymous idiom that goes, "If you hang out in a barber shop long enough, sooner or later you're bound to get a haircut."


This is what came sailing out of my subconscious when I joined my friends at - of all places - Northcenter's annual RibFest yesterday evening. If you have ever had the pleasure of being within inhaling distance of smoked barbeque pork ribs on a summer night, you know what I mean. And RibFest is about a 3/4-mile-long corridor of just that.

I made this delicious curry for dinner, filling up on purpose before I went to the festival. But there's a reason you don't find many priests roaming around whorehouses: temptation. Since I am a FLEXitarian after all, it wouldn't have been the end of the world if I'd tried a rib - as it turned out, I only had enough money for a Bud Light, and this time, alcohol won out over rib meat as the Eden's apple of my Friday night.

That said, this is a delicious, filling, and simple curry recipe that would be delicious with beef, chicken, tofu, or anything else you want to add to it. I think when I reheat the leftovers, I'll add the bit of broccoli that didn't go into my veggie-stuffed mac 'n' cheese (rest assured, the recipe for that is coming soon).


POTATO & CARROT SWEET YELLOW CURRY WITH BULGUR

INGREDIENTS

1 baking potato, peeled and chopped into large pieces
1 carrot, peeled and chopped into medium pieces
1 red chili, seeded and cut into smallish pieces
1/2 red onion, cut into chunks
1 medium tomato, cut into large chunks
2 T. olive oil
2-3 T. sweet yellow curry powder
2 T. brown sugar
1 can lite coconut milk
2 T. smooth natural peanut butter
1/4 c. white wine (optional - can replace with water)
1/4 c. water
1/2 c. bulgur, according to directions on package (basically just simmer it - 2 parts water to one part bulgur - until it's chewy but not mushy; season with a little salt)
salt to taste

STEP ONE:

Par-boil the potato and carrot until tender, but not mushy. Drain and set aside.




STEP TWO:

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute the onion and chili until softened. Add the tomato, seasoning all this with a little salt, cooking until the tomato starts to break down, about 3 minutes. Pour in the white wine and stir, letting it boil until the alcohol evaporates. Add the curry powder and stir to combine.



STEP THREE:

Add the potato and carrot, coconut milk, peanut butter, brown sugar, and water. Stir to combine. Bring the heat to a low boil and let it cook until the curry thickens a bit. Serve over the cooked bulgur. Enjoy!




Thanks for reading! More soon...

Fresh, Local Pasta in a Tomato-Red Chili Sauce

What is it about labels that makes us feel so comfortable?


We define ourselves as Protestant, Catholic, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, Atheist, Agnostic, or simply "Spiritual." We're Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians, and Independents (interestingly, a label for those who are anti-label; a group for the anti-group). We laugh about how we were a "nerdy drama geek" or " the shy artsy kid" in high school.

And we even group ourselves according to culinary preference: omnivore, meat-lover, vegan, picky eater, garbage disposal. I even met someone this weekend who declared himself "not really a food person" (needless to say, we didn't have much to say to one another).


I might as well make public the ongoing personal battle that has been waging inside my head for several months now: I am considering becoming a vegetarian. I've hesitated to talk about it much, only because I don't want to declare myself henceforth a non-meat-eater, only to one day stumble drunkenly (or soberly) with ten of my friends into Taco Bell and order a Grilled Stuffed Beef Burrito. The fear of hypocrisy is a major concern of mine.

However, I have been earnestly mulling this over, reading up on the lifestyle, and talking to my vegetarian friends about why they made the decision and how it's been going for them. I was truly ready to make the leap - until I read Michael Pollan's excellent "In Defense of Food," where he delineates a group of people called "flexitarians" - loosely defined as people who eat meat less than once a day. I had a visceral reaction; it was something between a deep sigh of relief, and the indescribable joy of having found one's tribe.

Why it took a word - a label - to make me feel OK about what I've been most of my life anyway, I have no idea. But I now feel comfortable about the way I've chosen to eat as of late. My personal reasons for going veg have a lot to with health, and according to Pollan's book, flexitarians enjoy the same health benefits as full vegetarians. I am pleased that consuming less meat will have a positive impact on the environment, but to me personally, that is secondary to reaping the physical benefits.


Some years ago, I would've made a horribly unhealthy vegetarian; I'm sure I would've noshed on little more than Doritos, Snickers bars, and cheesy pasta. Nowadays, I trust myself to eat actual vegetables, building my meals much as I currently do - around a whole grain and vegetables, with meat or dairy used sparingly to accent the flavor of the meal, but not star in it.

That said, I'm going to share with all of you my first week of official Flexitarianism, recipes and all.

Yesterday, I treated myself to a (vegetarian) meal of Indian-spiced fare at Whole Foods, then bought a not-very-well-thought-out (but super healthy) assortment of non-meat goodies. I have a pack of pepperoni in my fridge that never made it onto a pizza, but will show up later in the week in calzones, hopefully. Other than that, I may have meat occasionally if I eat out, but I'll be eating lots and lots of veggies this week.

My shopping cart included:

- collard greens
- ricotta cheese
- natural peanut butter
- a slew of tomatoes
- carrots
- turnips
- chevre from a local farm
- bananas
- walnuts
- bulghur
- red lentils
- mozzarella cheese
- broccoli
- coconut milk
- curry powder
- a potato
- red chili peppers
- peaches
- apples
- a lovely pineapple
- and my one real splurge: fresh tri-color fettuccine made by a local pasta company

I got right to work when I got home baking a loaf of bread for the week (subbing in soymilk for regular); I forgot to add the butter to the bread dough, so we'll see how my dairy-free concoction comes out.

Day One:

Breakfast: 2 scrambled eggs

Lunch: heirloom tomato sandwich on the homemade soy-milk bread*, peach, carrots, and walnuts

*The bread, by the way, came out much better last time. The soy milk made it a bit too sweet, and I don't know if it was the soy milk or the lack of butter, but it basically refused to become loaf-shaped, baking instead into a strangely mashed loaf-like lump. It's definitely edible, and I'll use it anyway. However, I think I might put bread-making aside for awhile and go back to buying the amazing Seeduction bread at Whole Foods. I'm going to focus on perfecting my pizza dough technique instead.

And now for dinner: I call this dish "The Local" - locally made fresh tri-color fettuccine in a spicy tomato, chili, red onion and spinach sauce, topped with chunks of fresh mozzarella.

THE LOCAL (feel free to sub in non-local ingredients if you have to)

INGREDIENTS

(makes about 3 servings)

1 lb. fresh fettuccine or other pasta
1 c. dry white wine
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 red chili, seeded, ribs removed, and finely sliced
1 pint grape tomatoes
8-10 kalamata olives, sliced
4 T. olive oil
1 T. butter
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
handful fresh spinach leaves, chopped
2 small balls fresh mozzarella, halved and sliced
freshly chopped Italian parsley
coarse kosher salt

STEP ONE:

Put the pasta water (salted) on to boil. Meanwhile, in a nonstick skillet, heat 2 T. of the olive oil over medium heat. Saute the chili until it's tender. Remove from pan and set aside, leaving the oil in the pan. Add the butter and let it melt.




STEP TWO:

Cook the onions over medium heat, seasoning with salt, until lightly caramelized. One minute before they're done, stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the white wine and bring to a boil, cooking for a few minutes. Add the tomatoes, parsley, olives, and the cooked chili and cover. Cook until the tomatoes have almost all burst, making a very rough, chunky tomato sauce (break up some of the tomatoes with a wooden spoon as they begin to cook more, but leave some whole for texture if you want).



STEP FOUR:

Boil the fettuccine until it's just less than al dente (where it will only require about 1 more minute of cooking to get perfectly done). Stir the spinach leaves into the sauce until they're lightly wilted. Then toss in the pasta, and cook for another 1-2 minutes, covered, until it's al dente. Stir in the remaining olive oil, and another splash of wine if all the liquid gets absorbed, tossing to coat. Season with a little more kosher salt. When you place it in serving bowls, nestle some mozzarella pieces into each dish and allow to melt from the heat of the pasta. Enjoy!


The Local came out delicious! It was light, fresh, and had just a hint of heat running throughout. Fresh basil would take this to over-the-top incredible territory. You could of course leave out the cheese (and the butter) and sub in a non-egg noodle to make it a stunning vegan treat. If you wanted to add meat, Italian sausage, chicken sausage, pancetta, or grilled chicken would all be nice. You could also keep it vegetarian but pump up the protein by adding cannellini beans.

After my first official day as a "flexitarian," I feel great. Everything I ate today was fresh, wholesome, unprocessed, and - the best part - delicious.

I'll leave you with a quote from "In Defense of Food" that really hit home with me:

"The cook does not need to know, as the scientists have recently informed us, that cooking the tomatoes with olive oil makes the lycopene in them more available to our bodies. No, the cook already knew that olive oil with tomatoes is a really good idea....The cook in the kitchen preparing a meal from plants and animals at the end of this shortest of food chains has a great many things to worry about, but 'health' is simply not one of them, because it is a given."


Thanks for reading! More soon...