Pizza, is one of (Wo)mankind’s favorite foods! No matter when or where, pizza is the number one food to cure the munchies. It is also the number one ordered take-out food during the Super Bowl. That is why Mango is suggesting that nothing beats take out more than a home-made, from scratch pizza, “Your-Own-O”. Yea, sure there are a ton of frozen pizza’s, but honestly they are loaded with sodium, sugars and stuff that you did not order on your pizza!
Now at some of the local grocers you can usually find “fresh” pizza dough. All you have to do is roll it out, top it with your “Fav” toppings and cheese and you are off to a super pizza or you can start from scratch, making your own dough, which is always better if you feel a little ambitious.
The following recipe can be grilled as shown but will work equally as well baked in a 500 degree oven, on top of an upside down heavy duty sheet pan. The trick is to make the crust in advance and then on game day, all you have to do is top them, pop them into the oven to bake and VIOLA! Your guest will be saying “WHAT” and you my friend will be the MVP host for the season! Go for it and make a few extras because they will go fast!
GRILLED PIZZA’S
The Dough:
- 1/3 – cup olive oil
- 1 – Tablespoon fresh chopped garlic
- Fresh herbs (like thyme, oregano, marjoram, basil, rosemary)
- 1 – package dry yeast
- 1 – cup cool water
- ¼ – cup water, heated to about 112-115 degrees
- 1 – teaspoon sugar
- 2 – cups all purpose flour
- 1 – cup whole wheat flour
- ¼ – cup cornmeal
- 1 ½ – teaspoons salt
In a sauté pan, heat the oil, garlic, herbs and seasonings. Remove from heat and strain the oil and reserve. In a separate bowl put the warm water, sugar and yeast and let rise. It is ready when the yeast is foamy. When the yeast is ready, add the rest of the water and the flavored oil. In the bowl of a food processor, mix the flours, cornmeal and salt. With the machine running, add the liquid mixture a little at a time and process until dough rises on top of the blades. You may not use all of the liquid; if the dough is too wet or sticky, add a little more flour. You want to be able to knead the dough without it sticking to your fingers.
At this point, remove from processor and knead on a floured surface until the dough is nice and elastic, not sticky to the touch. Oil a metal bowl and place the dough inside the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm dark area and let the dough rise until it has doubled in volume. Push the dough down and let rise until doubled again. Remove the dough and knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic. Cut into 4 oz. dough balls and wrap each ball individually in plastic wrap and place the wrapped balls in a freezer bag. You can freeze for future use or if it is time of service, roll out the dough on a floured surface (or corn flour surface) to about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thickness, on a wooden cutting board if possible. Then you can use the board as a way to slide the crust onto the grill, without burning your fingers or damaging the dough.
With the grill hot and the grill grate clean and NON-STICK coating on the grates, place the crust on the grill. Cover but check frequently, for the crust cooks quickly. After a minute or when the crust is marked on the one side, flip the crust over and finish grilling. At this point you can cool them and store them for game day in a Ziploc baggie in the refrigerator or you can top the pizza crust with your choice of sauces like pesto, your favorite pizza sauce, BBQ sauce or olive oil and garlic (or anything else you can dream of). Then top off with your favorite toppings and cheeses. You have yourself another “vegetarian” dish, if you leave off meats. Then you can load the meats on the others for the “Meat Lovers” in the crowd! So as you can see, this recipe is a total crowd pleaser!
Finish baking on the grille with the lid closed or you can pop them into a 350-degree oven until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Wow, pair these pizza’s with some good local crafted beers or a nice red or white wine and you will have a party even if you are not watching the Super-Bowl! Add this to your collection of recipes prior to this one and you will have a major “Half-time” munch out, with a variety of super “Mouthgasms”!
Life is such a beast at times. Sometimes we have to be like “Samson and Goliath”. We have to believe in ourselves so that nothing is too big or too hard to tackle! YOU can do anything that you apply yourself too! There is nothing that GOD and you cannot DO, if you believe and never GIVE UP! The teams that made it to the “Super-Bowl” never, ever gave up! In the beginning of the season, they all set goals, then each day they took action, i.e. practicing, working out, praying, playing each game to their best ability and then when it all ends, they will be the teams marching onto the field on “Super-Bowl” game day!
So, my friends remember that everyday is your “Super-Bowl”. If you do not have a game plan yet, make one! Then set a course and take ACTION! Dreams stay on shore and wash away in the waves, if you never set sail and take action! Be a dreamer and be a doer, too!
O.K. remember to SMILE, because someone is always watching. Have GLADITUDE, because you really do have so much to be thankful for and most of all, approach everyone and everything with LOVE! Love heals, love soothes, love conquers all! Be a peaceful warrior as you travel down the road called “LIFE”! Peace
It is better to look ahead and prepare than to look back and regret! Jacki Joyner-Kersee, athlete
