I love making my own pizza. I get the toppings and the thinness of the crust I love without the cost. However, in the middle of summer I don’t want to turn my oven on and heat up the whole house. Using the BBQ is a great option during the summer months. Not only do you keep your house cool, cooking pizza on the BBQ gives it a “fire wood oven” taste. So good and so easy. I pair the pizza with a light and crisp salad to round out the dinner.

To get this meal to the table all at the same time:

• Make the pizza dough earlier in the day.
• Prepare your toppings earlier in the day and keep them covered and refrigerated until ready to build the pizzas.
• Prepare the dressing for the salad earlier in the day and have it covered and at room temperature.
• The fennel can be prepped up to 1 hour before serving but leave the prep of the cucumber and tomatoes to the last minute.
• The berries should be done earlier in the day as they are better if they sit for 3 hours before serving.

To get this meal to the table all at the same time, I start by making my pizza dough. Then I shred the cheese and prep all the toppings. Next I make the dressing for the salad and prep the salad ingredients. By then my dough is ready to roll out. I let everyone build their own pizza with the toppings they want – fun and easy.

2 cup lukewarm water
2 tsp active dry yeast

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and let it sit until the yeast bubbles up. This is to be sure the yeast is still active.

4 cups all purpose flour, plus extra for handling the dough
2 tsp salt
2 Tablespoons olive oil

Add all of the dry ingredients together in the bowl of a food processor. With the machine running, add the water and the olive oil and process until you have a smooth dough. This can also be done by hand or with a stand mixer.

Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl and cover with a dry clean cloth. Allow the dough to rise until double, approximately 1 hour, then punch it down and cut the dough into 4 even pieces. Shape each piece into a round. Cover with the towel and allow it to rest for 5 more minutes. This will allow the dough to relax enough so that it is easier to roll out.

Pasta sauce of your choice

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Toppings of your choice – here are some suggestions:

• Almost cooked bacon cut into strips
• Tomatoes, sliced thinly
• Mushrooms, sliced thin and sautéed until dry
• Peppers cut into thin strips or diced
• Fresh spinach leaves
• Pepperoni, ham or salami
• Fresh pineapple
• Crumbled feta, blue or other cheeses
• Onions, thinly sliced
• Sun dried tomatoes
• Olives, pitted and cut into slices – I love kalamata olives for my pizza
• Roast chicken

Meanwhile, heat your BBQ to approximately 400°F.

Place the dough on a flat service and roll into a round shape as thick or thin as you like. Cover with a towel and let the dough rest for another 10 minutes. After this last 10 minutes you can stretch the dough out a bit more if you (like me) like your pizza crusts very thin.

You can work long and hard to get the dough into perfect round shapes but I don’t usually bother as I like a more rustic pizza.

Place the dough directly on the BBQ. Grill the pizza just until the dough is starting to turn brown and crisp. Remove the pizza from the BBQ and put the dough on a working surface with the cooked side up. Spread the pizza first with the sauce and then some of the cheese. Add toppings as desired, but don’t overload the pizza. Top with a bit more cheese and place the pizza back on the BBQ. Grill the pizza just until the cheese has all melted and the toppings are hot, approximately 7 minutes. Keep a close eye on the pizza and move it if necessary to prevent the crust from becoming over cooked.

Fennel and Tomato salad

2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
½ tsp honey

Whisk all of the above into a bowl large enough to hold all of the salad ingredients.

2 small fennel bulbs
1 pint cherry tomatoes – mixed colours if you can get them
½ small English cucumber, peeled or not depending upon your preference
1 small yellow pepper

Remove any wilted or marked outside leaves of the fennel and then cut into quarters. Remove the center core and cut into thin slices. Cut the tomatoes into halves. Cube the cucumber and the pepper into ½ inch squares. Add all of the veggies to the dressing and toss well just before serving.

Boozy berries over frozen yogurt

I really like these berries over yogurt instead of ice cream but that is my tastes. You can use ice cream if you prefer.

If you can get fresh local strawberries they are the best. If you have to use the large imported ones, you will need to cut them into at least 8 pieces.

2 cups strawberries, washed, hulled and quartered – see the note above
1 cup blueberries, washed, stems removed
1 cup raspberries¼ cup orange liqueur
Zest and juice of 1 orange

Place the prepared berries into a bowl and add the liqueur, zest and juice. Let the berries marinate for 3 hours at least.

Scoop the frozen yogurt into attractive glasses and top with the marinated berry mixture. Garnish with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream and a sprig of fresh mint.

Cathie Hamilton
Certified Culinary Scientist
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