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Thursday, August 4, 2016

Revenge of the Magazine Challenge: Grilled Pizza with Asparagus and Sundried Tomatoes

So.
When we moved, one of the things we talked about was the fact that we might grill more, because the deck is off the open concept kitchen/dining room.  As opposed to our last house, where I had to walk around through the family room to the far end of the house to retrace my steps outside to get to the grill, this is just open the door and step out.
We've taken to grilling a lot.
Despite the fact that we don't often sit outside to eat because of the trains (We have 2 backyards between our deck and the tracks), we carry in things from the grill to eat at the dining room table.  And seeing as there's more to life than burgers, I'm always on the lookout for fun new things to try cooking over propane.
When we renovated the last kitchen, we discovered that you could make pizza directly on the grill.  When I saw this recipe in the June 2008 issue of Everyday Food, I knew I wanted to give it a try.  I was right.  It was worth it.  The was a fantastic change of pace on a Saturday night with a glass of cold white wine.
I present to you now from the June 2008 issue of Everyday Food, Grilled Pizza with Asparagus and Sundried Tomatoes:

Ingredients:
1 lb pizza dough (I make my own in my bread machine)
1 bunch asparagus, washed and trimmed
1 bunch green onions, washed and trimmed
1/2 c sundried tomatoes packed in oil, thinly sliced (Plus 3 Tbsp oil from the jar)
1 c ricotta
1 Tbsp dried basil
4 Tbsp Parmesan Cheese

Method:
1.  Preheat grill to medium.  In a medium bowl, toss asparagus, green onions and 1 Tbsp of the sundried tomato oil.  Season well with salt and pepper.  Grill vegetables, turning frequently until tender.  Remove from grill and chop into 1" pieces when cool enough to handle.
2.  On a foil-lined baking sheet, brush 1 Tbsp of the sundried tomato oil.  Divide pizza dough into pieces, and stretch each piece into a 10" oval.  Brush rounds with remaining oil.
3.  Transfer dough to the grill.  Let cook until the underside begins to char, about 3 minutes.  transfer to baking sheet, grilled side up, with tongs.
4.  Spread ricotta over dough rounds, leaving a border.  Top with grilled vegetables, sundried tomatoes, basil and Parmesan.  Return pizzas to the grill, rotating occasionally until the dough is cooked through and the cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.
From Everyday Food, June 2008

I forget how easy it is to grill pizza.  I didn't have any issues with the dough slipping between the grates, but if you look closely, you will see I lost a couple of spears of asparagus.
 But I really liked this with the grilled vegetables.  The onions, especially.  J and I eat a great deal of asparagus while it is in season.  I grill it frequently with whatever else we're eating.

Here are the pizzas, ready to go back on the grill and finish cooking.  It didn't take long, once the dough was made.
And we were ready to eat!  The sundried tomatoes were a nice little punch with the grilled vegetables.  Another summer winner that we'll have again!

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