Grilled Pizza

This was submitted by Belly Buddy John Ott.  This recipe seems more difficult than it actually is. The pizza comes off of your grill flavorful and crispy. The lack of yeast in the recipe is no mistake… yeast would make the dough too fluffy and it would just ooze into the grate on your grill. This recipe make one 10-12 inch pizza, but plan on making more than one, they go fast.

The Crust:
• 1 1/3 cup flour
• 2/3 cup of water
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• a dash of salt

Put everything in a food processor and process until dough forms a ball. If too dry add water, if too wet, add flour. If you don’t have a food processor (this is for The Belly you know) mix the ingredients in a bowl and use a flat silicone spatula or spoon. Dump the dough onto a floured surface and knead until it feels smooth, a couple of minutes. Wrap in plastic and put in the fridge.

You can used canned or jarred sauce but you’ll score more points with this simple recipe (plus the food processor is already dirty so keep using it).

The Sauce:
• 3 tomatoes
• small can of tomato sauce
• 1/2 onion
• garlic to taste
• dash or crushed red pepper
• handful of fresh basil chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

Put onion and garlic in food processor and chop fine. Heat oil in a large frying pan and add onions, garlic and red pepper. Cook until it smells good and the onions are soft, a couple of minutes. Quarter the tomatoes, remove the stems and place in food processor. Chop until smooth (or chunky if you like it that way). Add to cooked onions. Add tomato sauce. Bring to boil and then reduce to simmer. As the sauce simmers, pink scum will float to the surface. The more of this you remove, the sweeter your sauce will be. After about 15 mins, add basil, simmer a couple of more minutes and remove from heat.

IMPORTANT: The sauce must be cool before you put it on the crust or you will end up with a soupy mess.

Fire up the grill, keep the heat low.

Take the dough out of plastic and put on a floured surface. Roll with rolling pin or your hand into pizza shape (really any shape- let the dough decide. If anyone makes fun they get no pizza). Keep adding flour to the surface so it doesn’t stick. You want to try to make a 10-12 inch pizza… any bigger (thinner) and your fingers will poke through.

Place the rolled out dough on a cookie sheet or pizza pan that has been floured or has corn meal on it. Transfer it to your grill and slide the dough directly onto the grill (trust me). After a couple of minutes, the dough will release from the grate. Cook for about 10 minutes then take a spatula and carefully flip it over.

Add sauce, cheese and whatever other pizza accouterments you’d like and shut the lid. It’s done when the underside of the dough releases and is crisp (about 6-10 minutes). The top should look like a cooked pizza. Slide the pizza pan under the pie and pull it off the grill. Slice and enjoy.