Grilled Pizza

One of my New Year's Resolutions was to make at least one new dish a month. Recently, I saw Bobby Flay make pizza on the grill and I decided to explore homemade pizza. However, it is not something that you can easily make for one so I invited Kath and Greg over to share my initial pizza venture. I think you will find many "layers of flavor" in this recipe. It got rave reviews so it is on the 'make again' list.

This is one of four small pizzas that the recipe made -- it was very filling so I had the final piece for lunch the next day (reheated at high temperature in the oven).

Grilled Pizza with Hot Sausage, Grilled Peppers and Onions and Oregano Ricotta (Bobby Flay recipe from Food Network website)

1/2 lb Italian hot sausage
1 large red onion, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices (keep rings together for grilling)
2 large yellow pepper and 2 large red peppers -- cored, seeded and quartered (I actually used 1 orange, 1 red and 2 green peppers)
Olive oil
salt and pepper
1 recipe pizza dough rolled into 4 (6 inch) rounds (I used Pillsbury in a tube and divided into four quarters)
1/2 lb grated fontina cheese
1 cup ricotta
2 T extra-virgin olive oil
2 T chopped fresh oregano
Basil vinaigrette, recipe follows

Preheat a grill. Grill sausage on both sides until golden brown and cooked through, about 10 minutes per side (I actually precook the sausage in water or beer so it takes much less time to cook on grill and tends to stay moister). Brush onions and peppers with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill until soft, about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove the sausage from the grill and slice into 1/4 inch thick slices. Remove the onions, separate into rings and roughly chop. Remove the peppers and slice into 1/8 inch thick slices. (My peppers were somewhat charred but that was fine -- they tasted delicious).

Heat grill to high. Brush dough with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and grill for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Turn over and grill for 1-2 minutes. Remove from the grill and place on a flat surface. (To get on the grill, I sprayed a piece of foil with cooking spray and then put the pizza dough on it. At the grill I flipped the foil over to get the dough on the grill -- I did have to rearrange the dough slightly but it wasn't a problem)

Divide the fontina cheese among the 4 pizza rounds. Divide the sausage, onions and peppers over the cheese. Place the pizza on the grill, close the cover and grill until the cheese has melted, about 3-4 minutes. (you can finish in the oven, but why??? -- 450 degrees for 5-10 minutes on sheet pan)

Mix together the ricotta, extra-virgin olive oil and oregano in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove the pizzas from the grill/oven and drizzle with Basil vinaigrette. Top with dollops of the ricotta cheese mixture and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice and serve.

Basil Vinaigrette
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 T honey
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 olive oil

Combine all ingredients and blend until smooth. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.