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!
Who doesn’t love noodles dressed with peanut sauce? (I mean, other than the very unfortunate who suffer from peanut allergies…) Imagine such noodles accompanied by grilled fruit, greens and really really tasty tofu. This is one of those dishes that makes you crazy glad that you’re not opposed to meatless (or even vegan) dinners because those suckers who think you need an animal protein to complete a meal are so wrong.
