Make the Pizza Yourself

Here are the recipes for the pizza from episode 11.

Grilled Pizza with pesto and grilled vegetables

This can be made with either the regular dough or the gluten-free dough

Regular Pizza dough

Makes 2 10-inch pizzas
2 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons sugar or honey
1 ¾ teaspoons kosher salt)
½ teaspoon instant yeast
1 Tablespoon olive oil
3/4 to 1 cup room-temperature water

Extra flour for dusting

In a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment on, add all of the ingredients and mix till incorporated. Let it knead for 5 minutes. Put the dough into a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap and let rise till it doubles, about an hour.

Gluten-free pizza dough

Makes 2 10-inch pizzas

2 TB dry yeast

2 cups brown rice flour

1 cup tapioca flour

½ cup white rice flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 teaspoon unflavored gelatin powder (Knox)

2 teaspoon Italian herb seasoning

1 1/3  cup warm milk (110 degrees F.) or non-dairy liquid

1 teaspoon sugar

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 teaspoons cider vinegar

Extra white rice flour for dusting

In a medium bowl mix the yeast, flours, salt, gelatin powder and Italian seasoning together till mixed. In stand mixer with the paddle attachment on, add the milk, sugar, olive oil, and cider vinegar on medium. With the mixer still going slowly add in the dry mixture and let mix till fully incorporated. Put the dough into a greased bowl and cover. Let it set for 45 till it slightly rises (it will not rise nearly as much as the regular dough does).

Pizza toppings

1 red pepper thinly sliced

1 zucchini sliced into rounds

1 summer squash sliced into rounds

3 large portabella mushroom caps sliced into long strips

1 cup grated fontina or fontinella

1 cup grated mozzarella

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

(Optional) 3 tablespoons thinly chopped fresh basil

Toss the sliced vegetables with a little olive oil, salt and pepper. Over medium high heat, grill the vegetables till nice grill marks appear and they are tender.

Pesto recipe

Makes 1 cup

2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano or Romano cheese

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts (toasted)

3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Toast the nuts till light golden brown. Combine the basil in with the pine nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor. (If you are using walnuts instead of pine nuts and they are not already chopped, pulse them a few times first, before adding the basil.) Add the garlic, pulse a few times more.

2. Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Assembling and grilling the pizza

Get the grill going to a low to medium low heat (too much will burn and cook the pizza too fast). Make sure the grill is well oiled up. Have the grilled vegetables, pesto and cheeses ready to go.

Spilt dough into 2 portions. Using rolling pin (or empty wine bottle in a pinch) and extra flour for dusting, roll out the dough balls till about ½ inch thickness all around (this will make two pizzas).  Carefully put dough onto a well floured back of a cookie sheet. This will work like a pizza peel. Quickly and carefully side the dough straight out onto the grill. Do this for both. Keep the heat fairly low, so the pizza won’t burn too quickly. Put lid down. Let the dough cook till nice grill marks appear, anywhere from 3-7 minutes depending on your grill. Once the one side is ready, flip the dough over and put back on the cookie sheet. Quickly brush the edges with olive oil. Spread the pesto over the cooked dough side. Add the grilled vegetables and top with the cheeses. Slide the pizza back onto the grill and cover. Grill for 3-7 minutes on the other side till nice grill marks appear.

Take off the grill and let the pizza rest for a moment. Slice and serve.

(Optional) Top finished pizza 3 tablespoons of fresh basil thinly chopped

Take Pizza Out of the Oven!

Let’s throw a twist into homemade pizza and throw it on the grill. Grilling pizza gives it a nice char like the restaurant wood-fired pizza has. It cooks much faster and it’s even tastier than oven-made pizza (at least to me). Here's a gluten-free dough that is nice and crisp and perfect for your gluten intolerant friends. The gluten-free crust is super flavorful and crispy--you just might prefer it for yourself.

What really makes this grilled pizza stand out is the fresh pesto sauce and the fantastic cheese. The Fontina and Mozzarella cheeses melt so seductively down the pizza that you will just about lose your mind. All this with the fresh grilled vegetables makes for an amazing new twist on pizza. This grilled pizza might just render a FOODGASM for you and your special friends.