Grilled Pizza with Fire-Roasted Tomato and Olive Topping

[b-man]

Grilled Pizza with Fire-Roasted Tomato and Olive Topping

This zesty, savory topping is well suited to the smoky flavor of the pizza.

Makes two 12 to 15-inch pizzas or four 8-inch pizzas

Ingredients:

Food processor pizza dough:

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup semolina or cornmeal
2 tablespoons instant yeast
1 cup warm water (about 110 degrees F)
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for brushing
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
toppings of your choice

Topping:

chop 1 recipe grilled tomatoes (recipe follows) or one 28-ounce can drained Muir Glen fire-roasted tomatoes
1 large grill-roasted red bell pepper or 1/2 cup jarred roasted red peppers cut into strips
2 tablespoons drained capers
12 small green olives, chopped
12 oil or brine cured Kalamata olives, drained, pitted and chopped
1 cup fontina cheese, finely shredded


To make the dough, combine the flour, semolina and yeast in a food processor. Combine the water, olive oil, honey and salt in a measuring cup and stir to blend. With the machine running, pour the liquid mixture through the feed tube in a steady stream. Process until the dough forms a mass and pulls away from the side of the bowl.

Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead by hand until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Place in a large oiled bowl, turn to coat and cover with plastic wrap. (The dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days at this point. After that, it will taste bitter. Let the dough come to room temperature, then let it rise the final time before continuing.) Let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Divide the dough in half and press or roll each half into the desired size pizza.

Prepare an indirect fire in a grill (a medium-hot fire on one side and no fire on the other).

To grill using a pizza stone, place the pizza stone on a grill rack over medium-high heat, cover and let preheat for 10 minutes. Sprinkle cornmeal on 2 large baking sheets and place a round of dough on each sheet. Have olive oil for brushing and the toppings ready and bring everything out to the grill. Slide a round of pizza dough onto the preheated stone. Brush with olive oil and arrange the toppings on the dough. Cover and grill until the dough is golden brown and the toppings are hot, 10 to 15 minutes.

To grill directly on the grill grate, sprinkle cornmeal on 2 large baking sheets and place a round of dough on each sheet. Have olive oil and the toppings ready and bring everything out to the grill. Brush one side of the pizza dough with olive oil and place, oiled side down, on the grill grate. Grill for 1 to 2 minutes, until you see the dough start to bubble.

Brush the top side with olive oil and flip the dough, using tongs, back onto the baking sheet. Arrange the toppings on the pizza. Use a grill spatula to place it on the indirect side of the grill. Cover and grill until the toppings are hot, about 5 minutes.

Topping:
Combine all topping ingredients except the cheese in a bowl. Prepare the pizza dough as described above. Spoon the topping over the dough, spreading it evenly, then sprinkle evenly with the cheese. Grill as described above.

Grilled Tomatoes

Ingredients:

2 large ripe but firm beefsteak tomatoes
extra virgin olive oil
fine kosher or sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste


Prepare a hot grill.

Remove the stemmed cap from the tomatoes. Cut them into 3/4 inch slices and lightly coat with olive oil to keep from sticking to the grill grate. Place directly over the heat and cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a platter and season with salt and pepper.

B-man