August 31, 2012 | Pasta & Pizza
My “baby” girl is home from Hawaii and started culinary school this week. It’s so good to have here back in Colorado after her 7 months in Hawaii, and it’s nice when she drops by for a day or two like she did last weekend. She said it was because she had a job in the area (food demos for Greenspoon), but I think she likes the glass of bubbly I greet her with and the love our pup Ellie surrenders to her upon entry (it helps that she lets Ellie sleep on her bed with her). She called as she was on her way here, starving, and so I set about scavenging for a quick dinner for us since her dad was out golfing.
There are many great things about pizza on the grill. First, in the summer months it doesn’t heat up your kitchen. Second, the charred crust is to die for. But perhaps most importantly, if you just keep a ball of dough in the freezer, you can make it out of just about anything in minutes. Jenny’s favorite pizza ingredient seems to be sliced canned artichokes. But since I didn’t have any on hand, she asked what seemed a bit spicy. She used up a smoked sausage I found in the back of the freezer with just a little zip in it along with some jalapenos, onion, garlic, tomato and basil – and topped the whole thing with mozzarella. After hers was nearly cooked, she added some arugula to just barely wilt.
I kept mine simple – onions, tomatoes, basil and mozzarella. Both were fast, and both were delicious, although I must say hers had a bit more interest to it. We never even took out plates or silverware – just put the pizzas back on the baking sheets we had used to carry the dough out, cut them up with a pizza cutter, and enjoyed them in front of the fire pit with a glass of cava. For those of you sad right now that your birds have flown the nest for college or their first jobs away from you, rest assured that visits from your adult kids are simply the best!
‘Nuff said, this is absolutely delicious!
The charred crust of this recipe is to die for! We love the bitter taste it gives. The photos are magnificent btw.
I couldn’t agree more Michele. Once you have pizzas prepared on the grill you are hooked. I have a favorite crust recipe from a restaurant on Maui that you can find in my fridge every weekend in the summer. So glad your daughter is back home.