Grilled pizza

 

 I've done a few blog posts about pizza over the years here on latent chestnut.  In fact, one of my very first posts was about pizza.  Ah, memories.  I've posted about my deep dish pizza, brick oven pizza, and Nonna's pizza.  I even took to Family Tree-Eats to talk about pizza once or twice.

 

Needless to say, I like pizza, and even though I love the classics, I like to change it up a bit every now and then.  Hence, my foray into the world of grilled pizza.  I got the idea from Alton Brown when he did a Good Eats episode on grilled pizza.  He gives instructions on how to make the dough and what toppings to use, but since I already have a 'go to' pizza crust recipe, I was really just more interested in technique.

 

Here's how I did it, based on AB's cooking instructions.  First, ignite all heating elements and pre-heat your gas grill to high, making sure the grill grates are clean and free of debris. Then, oil the grill grates and decrease all heating elements to medium. Brush one side of the dough with 1 to 2 teaspoons of olive oil and flip onto the hot grill. I can do two crusts at a time on mine.  Close the grill lid and cook until the bottom of the crust is golden brown, about 1 to 2 minutes. Brush the raw side of the dough with 1 to 2 teaspoons of olive oil, then flip using a peel. Top with your desired sauce and toppings, then sprinkle with cheese. Close the lid again and cook until the bottom of crust is golden brown and the cheese has melted, another 1 to 2 minutes. Using the peel, remove the pizza to a cooling rack and let it rest a couple minutes before slicing.

Things happen really fast when grilling pizza.  The crust can begin to burn very quickly, so I stage my sauce, toppings, and cheese at the grill prior to putting the dough on the grates.  The oil is really the key because you don't want the crust to stick to the grates; so make sure to brush the crust and grates with enough oil to fully coat each. 

Even though it's a frenetic pace, the results are well worth it.  The grill gives the dough a wonderful crunch and crispiness I have not experienced with any other cooking method, and you can almost taste the fire and smokiness from the grill.  The inside of the dough still has the soft chewiness that we all know and love, too, so there is that element of the pizza that's familiar. 

I've enjoyed experimenting with this new cooking technique for my pizza and I have tried some toppings I may not have reached for if I was just cooking it in the oven.  Not that pizza could ever be boring, but it is nice to shake things up a bit every now and then.

Tomato Basil Pizza

I really like this time of year because the fresh tomato and basil pizzas come fast and furious.  I took advantage of our newly ripened cherry tomatoes and our two abundant basil plants and threw together a pizza featuring the two remarkable toppings. 

I have become a fan of what we call 'brick oven' pizza lately; meaning I bake the pizza on a stone in the oven.  More and more of my pizza cravings are leaning this way.  I used to only make deep dish pizzas that yielded a thicker, doughier crust, but I'm hooked on the brick oven variety at the moment.  The crispy, yet chewy crust of a pizza cooked on a stone is just remarkable.  Plus, the kids really like to watch me throw the pizza dough!

I am also in the habit of letting my pizza dough sit in the refrigerator overnight.  I started doing this out of necessity so I could still make pizza after work and have it ready at a reasonable hour.  I soon discovered that the overnight fermentation added a lot more flavor to the finished product.  It just goes to show, there's always something new to learn in the kitchen!

The freshness of the tomatoes and basil makes this a pizza like no other, and it is a perfect summertime treat.  The fact that I have the ingredients readily available in my garden make it even more special.  Not to mention that I am always looking for a good excuse to make pizza!

Nonna's pizza

I posted about pizza last month and mentioned how Nonna and my mom inspired me to make my own pizza from scratch. I had no idea that post would create such a firestorm of pizza chatter that culminated with me, my mom, and Angela making pizza, as she so eloquently put it, 'Nonna style.'

It started when Eva left a comment on the pizza post stating that she had a recipe card with Nonna's pizza recipe on it. She offered to send me the recipe and I was eager to see it. As I read the recipe, I saw that it called for the cheese to go directly on the dough, then sauce and toppings on top of the cheese. I did not realize Nonna assembled her pizza that way, so I asked Eva if she remembered. She did not remember either, so we decided we needed to get the facts from more experienced 'Nonna's pizza' connoisseurs.

So, Eva emailed Aunt Sue and Aunt Mare, and I asked my mom. We heard back from Aunt Sue first, and she confirmed the cheese was directly on the dough. I learned the term "Where there's no cheese, put cheese," which was what Nonna told Nedra when she was helping her assemble the pizzas. I also learned that Nonna used slices of mozzarella and not shredded. We then heard back from Aunt Mare and she added that Nonna used a mixture of half whole wheat, and half white flour for the crust, and to sprinkle finely grated Parmesan or Romano cheese on top of the sauce and toppings. When I talked to my mom, she told me how Nonna made her own sauce, and some of the herbs and seasonings she used.

I felt better knowing how Nonna made her pizza, but I realized I really didn't really remember Nonna's pizza. I just had a vague recollection if it, perhaps an amalgam of different pizzas I have had. I couldn't even remember the cheese was under the sauce, for goodness sake. Then, I had a revelation, the best way to remember Nonna's pizza was to make Nonna's pizza.

Eva and I continued emailing each other about what we found out about Nonna's pizza. Meanwhile, I asked my mom if Nonna still had her pizza pans, and she said she would check. If I was going to make Nonna's pizza, I wanted to make it as authentic as possible, right down to the pans she used. My mom asked Uncle Lee if he knew where the pans where and he was able to find them. I wanted to make the pizzas with my mom, so we decided to make them for my birthday party at her house.

We each made a batch of dough using Nonna's recipe that Eva sent us. My mom got the sauce simmering early in the day, and by the time I got there in the afternoon we were ready to make the pizza. We decided to make one cheese pizza, one with pepperoni and sausage, and one supreme.

Angela helped us too, and my mom showed her how Nonna cut the slices of mozzarella. We then placed the slices of cheese on the dough remembering the adage 'where there's no cheese, put cheese.'

Then came the sauce and toppings with a sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese.

We baked the pizzas at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes, and when they came out of the oven I thought to myself, 'these look like Nonna's pizzas.'

Complete with the crispy edges.


The proof was in the eating, though. The cheese pizza brought back what I remembered Nonna's pizza to be. My mom said is best when she took that first bite and said, 'This is my mom's pizza!" She looked stunned, and said she didn't think it would be so close to the original. I asked Angela, and she said it was just how she remembered, too.

It was a little surreal eating that pizza again after so many years. It was also very rewarding because we were able to introduce it to Valerie, Michael, and Marty. Watching Ari, Emilie, and Piper eat it was also special, since this pizza was so much a part of my childhood. Ari even asked for seconds, which is something he rarely does.

I loved using Nonna's pizza pans, and I am so glad I was able to borrow them. Seeing all those marks from the pizza cutter on the bottom of the pan, I knew these pans were special and got a lot of use. This recipe is definitely a keeper, and I look forward to breaking in my own pizza pan and revisiting Nonna's pizza for years to come.

Precisely Pizza

Pizza. It's in my blood. Nonna made excellent pizza, my mom makes excellent pizza, and I do my best to follow in their footsteps. They set the bar pretty high, and I am happy that I was able to learn from the best.

I remember eating Nonna's pizza when I was little. The whole wheat crust was light and fluffy, there was not too much cheese, and the topping I remember most is black olives. I always loved eating the edges because the cheese went all the way to outside and it was a little crispy where the cheese met the pan.

My moms pizza isn't quite the same as Nonna's, but still delicious nonetheless. My mom's pizza crust is thicker and she loads it up with cheese. I have to say the cheese on my mom's pizza is the best, I don't know what she does to make it taste so good. There is really nothing like it.

As for my pizza, I like to think it is a cross between Nonna's and my mom's. My crust is more like Nonna's, except I use bread flour instead of whole wheat, and my toppings and the amount of cheese I use us more like my mom's, except not quite as much cheese. I love making pizza; whenever we don't know what to have for dinner, I usually just make a pizza.

I've become better at it over the years and haven't really made any changes to my technique for the past year or so. My favorite toppings are pepperoni, mushroom, and black olives, and I usually opt for a thicker crust. Though, I've started making the crust a little thinner on occasion. Sometimes, I even like to go really thin and bake the pizza's on a pizza stone. Now that's good pizza.

We don't really do frozen pizza or delivery anymore because it usually ends in disappointment. I am lucky to have grown up on homemade pizza, making everything from scratch. When done right, I really can't think of a more satisfying meal.

Friday Night Frenzy

We took a detour from our normal Friday night get-togethers at my house and went over to my Mom & Marty's because Aunt Sue was in town. It was great to see her and everyone else. We ordered Pizza King pizzas, played Wii Sports and had a jolly ol' time. Plus, last night was Michael's birthday so Marty bought him a Pizza King shirt when we went to pick up the pizza's. Needless to say, Michael loved it.

It was fun to see Uncle Lee play tennis on the Wii, he did really well. We had a mini-tournament, which was a blast, and my mom kept challenging me to another match. It was a raucous event, indeed. Ari finally got the hang of golf and was driving and putting the ball like a pro. The look on his face was priceless the first time he made a putt. That's just what we need, another video game for him to play. Oh, well.

Ari and Emilie started to "crash" about 8:30, which is when we heard a knock on the door. I opened the door and it was Katie! Seeing her revived Ari for a few minutes, but Emilie was too far gone, so we had to leave. As Valerie and I were loading the kids into the car, Aunt Mare, Uncle Dave, and Tim pulled into the court. We were leaving just as the party was really heating up! I was bummed. But, it was a wonderful evening full of food, family, and fun. And, thanks for the pizza's Mom & Marty!

Pizza anyone?

Last Friday we took on an ambitious endeavor. We decided to do brick oven pizza's and let each person choose his or her own toppings for their own pizza. It was quite a feat ans we ended up with a lot of pizza left over, but it sure was fun. As you can see, we had eight different kinds of pizza, the likes of which included:

Mozzarella and provolone
Sausage and pepperoni
Pepperoni and pepperocini peppers
Sausage, mushrooms, and black olives
Sausage, mushrooms, olives, and anchovies
Artichoke hearts, mushrooms, olives, and anchovies
Mozzarella, provolone, Gouda, and blue cheese
Sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, black olives, and bacon

It was a wonderful evening and everyone got to take some left over pizza home to enjoy. Just another Friday night at our house. What a blast! Food, family and fun...what more can you ask for?