June 27th, 2008 §
As we sat in the grass biting into our hot-off-the-grill personal pizzas and looked out over the lake at the Chicago skyline, Andrew commented, “Why isn’t this a Chicago tradition? I mean, it has all these Chicago elements: pizza, the lake, summer grilling in the park…” I had no explanation. I couldn’t stop thinking about or congratulating myself for the chewy and crispy crust I was indulging in…or the fresh and delicious ingredients topping it.
I had a bunch of leftover items in the fridge and pantry that I considered throwing into a pasta: green garlic (I’d already roasted it), garlic scapes, bacon, half a tomato, and tarragon. When I saw how hot it would be yesterday, I immediately came up with an alternative that didn’t involve turning on the stove at 6 p.m., the time of day when our kitchen gets the hottest. So I began making a pizza dough and throwing ingredients into Gladware, then into a picnic basket, along with olive oil, salt and pepper, napkins, a plastic cutting board and a spatula, all with the intention of finally giving grilled pizza a try.
Top Left: Andrew getting the grill started; Top Right: The first crust to go on the grill! Bottom: Bacon, brie, garlic and arugula top the first two pizzas.
I wasn’t sure how it would work. I was slightly worried about the dough falling through the grill’s grates so I brought some aluminum foil just in case. My worry turned to joy and surprise when I learned that a hot grill begins cooking the crust so fast that it doesn’t have time to slip through! Also, this is why you get both the chewiness and gorgeous grilled-crunchiness.
Rather than wax on about how perfect these pizzas were (and only got better as we cooked more) and how there’s no need to go spend $13 on one tiny pizza at any of the trendy pizza spots and how I want to do this at least three times a week for the rest of summer experimenting with toppings, I’ll simply tell you the following:
• Make a pizza dough (I use the recipe for Basic Pizza Dough in Joy of Cooking; it’s yet to fail me, though I’d like to find one equally as delicious for a whole wheat crust).
• Get your toppings ready, i.e. pre-cook them if necessary and prepare them for travel if you are not fortunate enough to have your own outdoor space.*
• Start the grill, keeping the coals somewhat close to the top.
• Once the goals are good and hot and you have a medium to high heat, brush the grate with olive oil and throw on the dough (which, presumably, you’ve shaped and allowed to rest for 10 minutes).
• Turn the dough after a minute or two and put on your toppings (I start with a drizzle of olive oil, always).
• If you’re using cheese, cover the grill for a minute to get the cheese to melt.
• Remove pizza before it gets too charred (some charred spots are good though).
• Enjoy!
June 12th, 2008 §
Perhaps the only thing better than getting to bike too and from a fabulous farmers market is preparing (and eating!) a meal so fresh and delicious that even a skeptic’s eyes are widened with surprise as he chews what he expected to be a dry and bland slice of pizza.
This was a happenstance meal, my favorite kind, because they remind me that while I spend far too much time reading food blogs and cook book for recipes, that sometimes I am truly inspired and am able to cook with both heart and creativity. Not that I’m not already doing that, but occasionally I’ll wonder what happened to the days when I never used recipes and just threw things together for dinner. Granted, there were some real doozies, but the thrill of just trying to see what happens was pretty fun, too.
The salad is just a spicy mix of wild arugula and watercress, slightly wilted under a warm balsamic vinaigrette. Those little purple flowers are chive blossoms, which I promise to tell you more about some other time because it included a personal encounter with a celebrity chef. The boldness of the greens was mellowed slightly by the warm dressing, but not so much that it didn’t provide a nice foil to the rich, almost buttery pizza. I used a Joy of Cooking recipe for the crust and red spring onions from the farmers market, but I’m sure this would be nice with large red onions, too.
» Read the rest of this entry «
June 10th, 2008 §
Lunch for me can be either daunting or thrilling, or both. When we got back home from Georgia (I know, I know, enough about Georgia already), I vowed to make myself fresh, healthy, vegetarian lunches for the rest of the summer. This is daunting because there are always dishes to be done post lunch that can throw me off track for the rest of the day: while doing dishes, I always notice something else to be cleaned, creating a sort of spiraling frenzy of house keeping all day which puts me in a bad and resentful mood. It’s also thrilling because I am so fortunate to work at home and thus get to eat freshly made lunches.
I am somewhat embarrassed to reveal that the brown rice with peas was inspired by French Women for All Seasons, and so I should qualify why I have the book to begin with. Andrew sometimes brings home books sent to work for review that no one wants to review. He thought I’d be interested, at the very least, in the recipes and the approach to eating seasonal. I’ll save you from my own book review and just say that I appreciate the approach to eating.
So, where was I? Oh, yes, freshly made lunches. I pared down this recipe to be enough for one and, of course, adjusted it to my tastes and what I had around.
(recipe after the jump) » Read the rest of this entry «