What’s Cookin’ in the Country?

If you say, “You’re invited for dinner” you’ll probably get a happy groan or two.  Say, “You’re invited for dinner and we’re having Grilled Pizza,” and folks will come running!  Trust me.  I speak from experience!  I recently invited “someone” to dinner and they said they’d think about it.  I told them I was grilling pizza and the immediate response was, “Okay!  I’m coming!”  

It works.  It works because it’s not just pizza – it’s pizza baked on the grill!  The grill gives it great extra flavor that puts it over the top!  

This recipe is fantastic because most homemade doughs take f o r e v e r  to make.  This one is mixed up, kneaded for 5 minutes and is then ready to be rolled out and placed on the grill!  You bake up the shells, which takes about 10 minutes.  Then you top the pizzas and place them back on the grill to melt the cheese.  Here’s what the final outcome looks like…

Could you say “no” to that?  See what I mean?  Grilling pizza with company is just fun!  Everyone gets involved and it makes for a great time!

Look up close at the crust:

Browned, a little charred from the grill and crispy…that’s the result of a grilled pizza!

Here’s the simple recipe:

Grilled Pizza 
Ingredients

Original recipe makes 8 pizzas

 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, or as needed
 1 envelope Fleischmann’s® Pizza Crust Yeast
 1 tablespoon sugar
 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
 1 1/3 cups very warm water (120 degrees to 130 degrees F)*
 1/3 cup oil
 Additional flour for rolling
 Additional oil for grilling
 Pizza sauce
Other toppings as desired

 Shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

Start charcoal fire or preheat gas grill to medium-high heat.

Combine 2 cups flour, undissolved yeast, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Add very warm water and oil; mix until well blended, about 1 minute. Gradually add enough flour to make a soft dough. Dough should form a ball and will be slightly sticky. Knead** on a floured surface, adding additional flour if necessary, until smooth and elastic but not sticky, about 5 minutes.

Divide dough into 8 portions. Pat or roll dough on a well-floured counter to about 8-inch circles; they do not need to be perfect.

Brush both sides of crust with additional oil. Using hands, lift each crust carefully and place on grill. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until bottom is lightly browned and top looks set. Using long handled tongs, remove crust from grill, grilled side up, to a platter or baking sheet.

Lightly add sauce and top the grilled side of each pizza crust. Excess sauce or toppings makes the pizza hard to handle. Repeat with remaining pizzas.

Carefully slide each pizza onto the grill. Cook an additional 3 to 4 minutes until bottom of crust is browned and cheese is melted. Remove from grill and serve immediately.

I have tried two different pizza sauces.  Here are both recipes:

Pizza Sauce
Ingredients
2 cans (15 ounces each) tomato sauce
1 can (12 ounces) tomato paste
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 to 2 teaspoons fennel seed, crushed
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions
In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine tomato sauce and paste. Add remaining ingredients; mix well. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Cool.
Pour into freezer containers, leaving 1/2-in. headspace. Freeze for up to 12 months. Yield: about 4 cups.

Tomato Topping Sauce

1 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 tsp pepper
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 bay leaf
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
10 ounce sliced kasseri cheese

3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon olive oil to pan. Add onion; sauté 3 minutes. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt,  1/4 teaspoon black pepper, garlic, bay leaf, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes or until thick. Remove from heat; discard bay leaf.

This is a a great idea on a hot day when you don’t want to heat up the kitchen.  Make a batch of the first sauce and freeze so it’ll be ready the day you want to skip cooking inside.  I’ve serve it twice to guests in the last week and everyone gave it rave reviews!  

Have you ever grilled pizza?  Will you try this?

With love from my country kitchen,