It’s a cool, crisp September morning here in the Midwest. With any luck we’re in the final throes of summer and the leaves will begin turning soon. In the meantime, I’m enrolled in Pizza 101 (self-taught course); today’s lesson involves the grill.
You can bake your pizza in the oven as well. What you want is a steady 500 degree heat source and a pizza stone. Better yet, if you want to make several pizzas at once, heat up both the oven and the grill and bake them simultaneously.
The following recipe is adapted from Cooks Illustrated and has become our favorite summer pizza. Fresh arugula is tossed in lemon juice and olive oil and piled atop the pizza just as it comes off the grill. The combination of cool, tangy greens and hot pizza is surprisingly refreshing. Even Tom the carpenter loves it. We’ve taken to topping every pizza we’ve made, regardless of its ingredients, with arugula!
I haven’t given quantities for the topping, as you may want to make more than one pizza. You’ll need about one to two ounces of prosciutto and 1/2 to 1 cup of mozzarella per pizza.
Toppings: Fresh tomatoes, sliced thin Olive oil Thinly-sliced prosciutto Mozzarella cheese Arugula, tossed lightly in lemon juice and Extra-virgin olive oil and seasoned with salt and pepper
Prepare pizza dough. Heat grill and/or oven to 500 degrees and place a pizza stone on grate.
Place prepared dough on a well-floured pizza peel (or the back side of a baking sheet). Arrange tomato slices in concentric circles over pizza dough. Drizzle with one tablespoon of olive oil.
Slide pizza onto hot pizza stone, cover grill and cook for approximately 7 to 8 minutes, or until just beginning to brown. Uncover and add sliced prosciutto and mozzarella. Re-cover and continue to cook until crust is well browned and cheese is bubbly.
Remove pizza, allow to cool for a few moments, slice into single slices and top each slice with dressed arugula.