Grilled Pizza: A Nonconformist’s Dream

GRILLED

182CT FOOD & FARM / SUMMER 2019

PIZZA

A Nonconformist’s Dream by Jennifer C. LaVoie Lisa Nichols photos

CTFOODANDFARM.COM 183

GRILLING PIZZA IS A NONCONFORMIST’S DREAM:IT ALLOWS US TO CREATE WHAT WE LOVE TO EAT,

piled on top of a yeasty, char-grilled dough, without all the trappings and rules of pizza making. Don’t despair, conformists: grilled pizza still respects the customs of traditional pizza making. While it may seem unconventional, this method makes sense once you understand the process, and we’re sharing some simple, delicious recipes courtesy of Molly Baker, owner of Lets Start From Scratch. In fact, Molly says it best: “It’s your pizza. Live your best life.”

Lets Start from Scratch offers healthy in-home cooking classes, personal chef services, boutique catering and healthy meal preparation with delivery, while emphasizing the use of fresh, seasonal ingredients. I spent an afternoon with Molly and her two adorable daughters making our own grilled pizzas. We made

four different types on the grill: Shahi marinated paneer; lemon honey herbed ricotta with balsamic reduction; a “kid’s” version with broccoli, marinara and mozzarella; and a dessert pizza.

Why grill your pie? Pizza needs scorching heat to achieve the kind of crust that we all crave, and most home ovens just don’t have the conditions to generate the same type of heat that a pizzeria oven can, but using a grill gets us as close as we can to the heat needed to make a really great pizza. Molly explained the benefits of putting the dough on a grill as opposed to an oven: “The dough achieves the complexity of flavor from the grill that you don’t get when it’s in the oven, and the dough itself takes on a life of its own – serving as the vessel for all the things you want on a pizza.”

184CT FOOD & FARM / SUMMER 2019

CTFOODANDFARM.COM 185

– SERVING AS THE VESSE you want on

“THE DOUGH ITSELF TAKE

186CT FOOD & FARM / SUMMER 2019

S ON A LIFE OF ITS OWNL FOR ALL THE THINGS a pizza.”

CTFOODANDFARM.COM 187

188CT FOOD & FARM / SUMMER 2019

GRILLED PIZZA IS A TERRIFIC WAY TO INCORPORATE YOUR OWN STYLE WHILE EMBRACING A CLASSIC FOOD.

The dough recipe we provide is very simple, but we know this fundamental step can be intimidating to some. Some tips for making a truly great dough: first, the ingredients. Use good quality olive oil and flour. Make sure the water temperature is between 105 and 110 degrees. If the water is too hot, it will kill the yeast and you won’t get the rise you want. This dough will keep in the refrigerator overnight; just make sure it’s covered with a little olive oil and then covered in plastic wrap. After taking it out of the refrigerator, let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes on the counter. And remember: the dough is quite forgiving.

Molly’s philosophy on grilling pizza - and

her approach to achieving a balance of healthy eating - is to be “creative, have fun, and just be you.” As for toppings, there are endless possibilities - and the best resource for diverse, fresh ingredients is your local farmers’ market. Pro tip: get your kids or guests involved in making the meal by bringing them to shop for ingredients. This makes the “farm to table” concept more interesting - and encourages creativity, too.

Grilled pizza is a terrific way to incorporate your own style while embracing a classic food. It allows you to be creative, take advantage of fresh, healthy ingredients - and brings excitement to the ultimate comfort food. Live your best life and get grilling!

CTFOODANDFARM.COM 189

“The dough ACHIEVES THE COMPLEXITY OFFLAVOR FROM THE GRILL THAT YOU DON’TGET WHEN IT’S IN THE OVEN.”

190CT FOOD & FARM / SUMMER 2019

Dough Recipe

(makes 3 to 4 pies depending on the desired size)

INGREDIENTS

1 package dry active yeast (or if not using pre-packaged yeast use 2 1/4 teaspoons)

1 1/2 cups warm water (105 to 110-degree F)

3 1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted (use good quality flour such as King Arthur)

2 tablespoons good quality olive oil (extra for bowl)

2 teaspoons salt1 teaspoon granulated sugar

DIRECTIONS

Take a large bowl and grease the sides with olive oil and set aside.

In a mixing bowl with a dough hook add all the dry ingredients.

Mix the dry ingredients slowly until combined.

Add the yeast to the warm water and mix thoroughly.

Add olive oil and then water slowly until the dough comes together and forms a ball.

If the dough is too sticky (if you can’t pick up the dough ball without pulling it off your fingers to transfer) add a tablespoon of flour, one tablespoon at a time. If the dough is too dry add 1 tablespoon of water until you get the consistency needed.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead dough until it is a smooth ball, but don’t over-knead.

Place dough in the greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 1 hour. While dough is rising, this is a great time to prepare your toppings!

After the dough has risen for 1 hour, punch the dough down and divide it in half. The

dough can be divided into smaller balls if you prefer a smaller pie. Roll each piece into a ball and let it rest, loosely covered with plastic wrap, for 10 to 15 minutes.

Flatten each ball of dough 1 at a time on a lightly floured work surface. When rolling, turn the dough slightly after each roll. This allows the dough to naturally stretch its shape. Don’t worry about it being perfectly round. This is supposed to be fun!

Place each dough on a baking sheet to transfer out to the grill and brush the dough with olive oil.

A clean, hot grill is a must! Scrape whatever is left on your grill from previous grilling and get your grill temperature high, then bring the temperature down a bit.

Place the dough on the grill (olive oil side down). Check the doneness of the dough by taking tongs and lifting gently to see if it’s browning nicely. When browned nicely, flip it over, brush a little more olive oil and grill on the other side.

Place prepared toppings on the dough and then put the cover down on the grill. Check frequently, but most pizzas take 5 minutes or so until done.

CTFOODANDFARM.COM 191

192CT FOOD & FARM / SUMMER 2019

Shahi Marinated Paneer Grilled Pizza

The Shahi Marinated Paneer Pizza provides a juxtaposition of bold spices, and rich sauce to the creaminess of the paneer. To those who are unfamiliar with paneer, it is a cheese most often used in Indian or other South Asian food. It is a very versatile cheese that is mild in flavor and will absorb the spices or seasonings that you are using. In this grilled pizza recipe, what makes paneer perfect is that it doesn’t melt like most other cheese and allows for a perfect counterbalance to the rich sauce.

This pizza is a great option for vegetarians. The squeaky, fresh cheese of the paneer is the highlight of this dish, but you can add a protein or extra veggies if you wish. For the sauce base you can use a Saag or Masala base - both are equally delicious.

Fenugreek is a very bold spice that is bitter with a slight butterscotch/maple syrup aroma. When cooked in oil it mellows, and the bitterness is cooked out. Use the powder form of fenugreek (it’s much easier to work with) as opposed to fresh/dry leaves or seeds, and use it sparingly as it can overpower your sauce. As Molly was spooning the sauce onto the pizza, the aroma of the spices and the rich, deep color of the sauce literally made my heart race. “I just have a love affair with paneer,” Molly said - and I can certainly understand this. This pizza is just like a great love affair: spicy, exciting, and delicious.

CTFOODANDFARM.COM 193

Paneer Marinade

INGREDIENTS

Paneer (12-ounce brick). Fresh or frozen (if frozen allow it to soften up in the refrigerator before marinating)

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped1 teaspoon fresh ginger, or ¼ teaspoon dry½ teaspoon salt½ teaspoon pepper½ teaspoon turmeric½ teaspoon cumin1 tablespoon lime juice2 tablespoons olive oil3 tablespoons chutney (homemade or store bought)

DIRECTIONS

Cut the paneer into small pieces, place in a bowl and fill with lukewarm water. Set aside to soften the paneer for about 30 minutes.

In a bowl combine the spices, lime juice, olive oil and chutney.

Drain the water from the paneer and add it to your marinade. Let it marinate for at least an hour, but overnight really lets the flavor deepen. Paneer will take on whatever flavor is added to it, so the longer you let it marinate the better.

Pro Tip: There are many really good chutneys, so pick your favorite, or make your own. Molly used a homemade apple/ginger chutney for our recipe, but a mango chutney would also work wonderfully with this recipe.

194CT FOOD & FARM / SUMMER 2019

Shahi Sauce

INGREDIENTS1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon fresh ginger, or ¼ teaspoon dry

¼ teaspoon coriander

¼ teaspoon red chili powder

1 tablespoon fenugreek1 tomato, chopped

1 Serrano chili pepper, finely chopped

¼ cup onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic

2 to 4 tablespoons garam masala

Salt and pepper to taste

Optional: ¼ cup raisins and ¼ cup lightly toasted almond slices

PREPARE THE SAUCE

Sauté the dry ingredients on low until lightly fragrant; then, add the oil. Add the onion, fresh ginger (if using), Serrano chili pepper, garlic, tomato and garam masala.

The sauce should be thick so that the grilled dough does not get soggy. If it needs to be thinned out add a small bit of milk or Greek yogurt. A vegan option to thin the sauce is to soak raw cashews, blend into a creamy consistency and add almond milk.

After thinning out the sauce, cook for another minute or so and taste to see if additional spice(s) are needed.

Optional add-ins are raisins (soak them for about a ½ hour in warm water) and toasted almonds for texture. These can be added to the sauce in the last minutes of preparation.

SAUTÉING THE PANEER

Heat a small to medium sauté pan. Drain the paneer from the marinade. I added the marinade with the paneer because I wanted to incorporate the marinade into the sauce. The paneer was still able to get nice and brown even with the extra marinade.

Sauté the paneer in the pan, tossing regularly so it browns on the sides. You can skip this last step, but the browned edges add a depth of flavor to the paneer.

Add paneer to the prepared sauce.

Cook the dough on each side until desired grilled coloring is achieved. Build the sauce slowly and evenly so you can tell what the dough can handle.

Close to warm. Garnish with fresh cilantro.

CTFOODANDFARM.COM 195

Lemon Honey

Herbed Ricotta Pizza

WITH BALSAMIC REDUCTION

On the other flavor spectrum of the Shahi Paneer is the Lemon Honey Herbed Ricotta Pizza. This pizza uses the same idea of balancing flavors, but in a much subtler way. The lemon and honey perfectly complement each other and when added to the ricotta - which has a tangy, slightly salty taste - it gives the pizza a depth of flavor that will surprise you. Add your favorite fresh herbs to the ricotta, a sprinkling of crumbled bacon and the final flourish of the balsamic reduction and you’ve got a masterpiece.

196CT FOOD & FARM / SUMMER 2019

INGREDIENTS

½ to ¾ cups ricotta 2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 to 2 tablespoons honey ½ cup parmesan cheese Handful finely chopped parsley

Splash of milk to loosen the ricotta Bacon, cooked and crumbled

BALSAMIC REDUCTION: 1/2 cup good-quality balsamic vinegar 5 teaspoons sugar

DIRECTIONS

Mix ricotta, lemon juice, garlic, honey, parmesan and parsley. Add a splash of milk to loosen the ricotta.

To make the balsamic reduction: In a small saucepan, place the balsamic vinegar and the sugar. Heat over medium-low heat and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to a simmer until the vinegar is reduced to 3 to 4 tablespoons and is the consistency of honey. The balsamic reduction has a caramelized, sweet-mellowed vinegar flavor.

Cook lightly grilled pizza on both sides until a nice brown color is achieved. Add the ricotta, close the grill to soften. Add extra honey and sprinkle bacon on top. Close briefly then drizzle balsamic reduction.

Close to warm.

CTFOODANDFARM.COM 197

198CT FOOD & FARM / SUMMER 2019

Dessert Pizza

The desert pizza’s combination of peanut butter/honey mix and chocolate chunks on a thin, crispy crust is like a really homey Kit-Kat bar. Let this pizza sit for a bit if you would like a less messy pizza, giving the peanut butter a chance to cool. However, we couldn’t wait - and relished the gooey, hot deliciousness of it all.

INGREDIENTS1 cup fresh ground peanut butter (or any nut butter you like)1 to 2 tablespoons of local honey (more if you like)¼ cup chocolate chips or roughly chopped chocolate barBacon, cooked and crumbled

DIRECTIONS

Cook lightly grilled pizza on both sides until a nice brown color is achieved. Build your pizza with peanut butter and chocolate. Close to let melt.

Add bacon. Close to warm.

Let the pizza sit for a bit if you would like a less messy pizza. The peanut butter will cool and should remain on the pizza.

CTFOODANDFARM.COM 199

MOLLY’S PHILOSOPHY ON GRILLING PIZZA IS TOBE “CREATIVE, HAVE FUN, AND JUST BE YOU.”

Get Your Kids to Eat

Their Veggies Pizza

– AKA “KIDS” PIZZA

The “Kids” pizza appeals to both kids and parents because the dreaded broccoli is incorporated in a way that is fun and not some hulking piece of green that no kid wants to eat. Molly gets her girls to eat their broccoli by chopping it into very small pieces, or - as her girls call it - “smooshed,” and sautéing the broccoli with a little butter and a dash of salt. By cutting it up into smaller pieces you can incorporate the stalks, too (just remember to cut the tough outside of the broccoli stalks before chopping them up). Add some marinara, fresh mozzarella and voilà - veggie pizza is devoured!

INGREDIENTS1 cup of fresh broccoli, stems included1 to 2 tablespoons of butterDash of saltFresh ground pepper¼ cup to ½ cup of marinaraFresh mozzarella torn into chunksBacon, cooked and crumbled (optional)

DIRECTIONSCook lightly grilled pizza on both sides until a nice brown color is achieved.

Build your pizza by spooning on the marinara, the fresh mozzarella and “smooshed” broccoli. Add cooked bacon if desired.

Close to let the cheese melt.

200CT FOOD & FARM / SUMMER 2019

CTFOODANDFARM.COM 201