PIZZA AND FOOTBALL

We are so much about gathering with our family and friends, and it seems that there are no shortages of opportunities for getting together.  That great Canadian football tradition, the Grey Cup was being played this weekend, which means that the Schumacher’s barn was filled with football fans.  The “barn” is a great informal gathering spot for large celebrations. Traditional fare for celebrating football in our part of the world includes chili and pizza and most of us have our own recipes for making chili the day ahead.  This week we share with you our recipe and tips for Grilled Pizza. It may surprise you to learn that pizza cooked on the grill is soo-o-o simple, quick and delicious that you will never use your oven again. We love the ease of getting the dough ready, assembling the toppings ahead of time, heating up the pizza stone on the grill and enjoying the game until half time.  When you are ready to eat, slide the pizza onto the pizza stone, and 10 minutes later, you have a thin, crisp, gooey crowd-pleaser!!

Some tips for making stress-free pizza:

1.       Buy the frozen dough at the supermarket or bakery. Let it thaw and then rest for 2 hours before using.

2.       Caramelize onions and roast red peppers and mushrooms in the morning.

3.       Grate your cheeses and store in a plastic bag until ready to assemble pizza.

4.       Have your pancetta sliced very thinly at the deli, so that you do not have to pre-cook it.

5.       Use pesto instead of tomato sauce on the pizza – it is an easy substitution and makes the dish seem like you’ve put in a lot of extra effort to make it special.

6.       Pre-heat the pizza stone in the barbecue set at MEDIUM-HIGH for at least ½ hour before grilling.

7.       Use a wooden pizza paddle sprinkled liberally with corn meal to slide the raw pizza onto the pizza stone.  This ensures a smooth transfer, without spilling your toppings all over the barbecue.

Grilled Pizza with Pesto , Caramelized Onions, Roasted Red Peppers and Pancetta

1 frozen pizza dough, thawed

2 large onions, roughly chopped

2 sprigs fresh thyme

2 tbsp olive oil

1 roasted red pepper, sliced

½ cup mushrooms, grilled

3 tbsp pesto sauce

1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

8 very thin slices pancetta

                        coarse salt

To caramelize onions: Heat olive oil in a large saute pan and add onions and thyme.  Cook on medium/low for 30--40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are very soft and golden brown. 

Roast red peppers and grill mushrooms in advance.

Preheat pizza stone by placing in cold barbecue and set to MEDIUM-HIGH, allowing it to heat up for at least 10 minutes. 

Prepare pizza dough by gently kneading and stretching thawed dough into desired shape and placing on a wooden pizza board or rimless baking tray, which has been liberally dusted with corn meal .

Spread pesto evenly over surface of dough and arrange caramelized onion, roasted red pepper slices and mushrooms over sauce. Evenly sprinkle grated cheeses  and lay pancetta slices on top.

Using a quick movement , slide the pizza onto the hot pizza stone, reduce heat to MEDIUM and close the grill lid. Cook for 10 minutes, or until dough is crispy. Check half way through cooking to ensure that pizza crust does not burn.