grilled pizza

Main Course

November 4, 2015

Pizza ovens are convenient, sure, but not a must have…All you need for this delicious pizza recipe is a grill and an appetite! This grilled pizza made for one happy household of mine, and I’d reccomend this recipe to anyone that is looking for a fresh take on a classic dish—made with ease.
This pizza was legit and I’m enjoying every minute of #PizzaWeek. Hope you are too!

Start by adding 1 cup of warm water to a measuring cup.

Add 1 tbsp of sugar…

…3-4 tbsp olive oil…

…1 tbsp salt…

…and 1/2 a packet of yeast.

Mix for 2 minutes and then set aside for 10 minutes and allow the yeast to ferment.

When the yeast is done fermenting…

…go ahead and add 1 1/2 cups of bread flour to the starter mix.

Begin folding the mixture for 5-7 minutes.

Add additional flour if necessary.

The dough should be slightly thick and tacky in consistency.

Oil a medium mixing bowl with a tbsp of olive oil.

Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl and give in a quick toss to oil the outer portion of the dough.

Cover and let the dough rest in a warm/drak area for at least one hour, or until doubled in size.

As the dough rises bring 1 cup balsamic vinegar…

…and 2 tbsp brown sugar to a simmer.

Reduce for 3-4 minutes, or until the reduction generously coast the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and set to the side.

Once the dough has risen, generously flour your work surface and turn the proofed dough out on the board. Lightly flour the top of the dough.

Begin kneading the dough for 2-3 minutes…

…and then cut dough in half.

Roll out each portion of dough to your desired thickness, or about a 1/4″.

Transfer the dough to a grill on med-high heat.

Grill each side for 2 minutes.

Then remove from remove from the heat and transfer to a baking sheet.

Repeat steps for extra pizzas.

Start by seasoning the crust with salt and pepper.

Drizzle the top of the pizza crust with Olive Oil.

Top the pizza with a handful of torn basil…

…a shredded mozzarella and parmesan blend…

…sliced vine ripe tomatoes…

…fresh spinach…

…more of the mozzarella blend…

…several chunks of goat cheese…

…and a few dollops of ricotta cheese.

Bake at 400ºF for 7 minutes.

Remove from oven when the crust is golden brown. Top with fresh parsley…

…and a drizzle of the balsamic reduction.

Slice it up and enjoy!

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:61]

| Top Left: Boos Cutting Board | Top Right: Baking Sheet |

| Bottom Left: All-Clad Pan | Bottom Middle: All-Clad Grill | Bottom Right: Good Grip Containers |

Food for Thought

It’s All About The Mozzarella

November 24, 2015

The history of mozzarella is debatable, but delicious! As for who really made it first—we can’t be sure. Where was it made—Italy. How was it made—water buffalo. As to where the water buffalo came from in the first place and as to when they arrived to Italy…not a clue!

In fact, the water buffalo were discovered by the Italians at some point in the 12th century, simply wandering around abandoned farmland. They were new to the Italians and they were rare. Best yet, the Italians utilized them to create a new type of cheese. The same cheese that would go on (in a variation of recipes) to be the single most popular cheese in the United States; and one of the most popular cheeses to ever come out of Italy—Mozzarella.

Photo Credit: AmbitiousKitchen.com

Unfortunately, or fortunately, the recipe did have to evolve with the times. As the popularity of the cheese grew, so did the rarity of the water buffalo. By the time the recipe reached the United States in the 20th century, it has gone from being produced from water buffalo, to cows. A natural substitution, but certainly less efficient. It takes approximately 30% more cow milk, to produce the same amount of mozzarella than that of buffalo. Fortunately, you can still find the traditional recipe in some specialty stores and all over Italy; as over time they’ve increased their water buffalo population to maintain tradition.

Photo Credit: NoshOn.it

Milk type aside, there are several types of mozzarella: “Buffalo” Mozzarella, Bocconcini, and processed. Buffalo Mozzarella is the freshest and is made by stretching and kneading warm cow’s-milk cheese curds (buffalo in Italy) into large balls of of mozzarella cheese. They’re then packed in salt water or whey, and shipped to local specialty groceries. The biggest crowd pleaser of all the mozzarella’s and typically the most expensive, given it’s short shelf life. It should be soft, mild and tastes of fresh milk. Bocconcini, meaning “little bites” in Italian, are simply mini sized Buffalo Mozzarella balls, about the size of an egg. They originated in Naples and are often found marinated in oil and spices. Lastly, Processed Mozzarella, the most common of the three. It’s mozzarella that has been pressed, rather than stretched. This type of cheese is much drier (as much of the moisture is removed during pressing) and has an even milder taste. It can be found in blocks of cheese at almost any grocery store and is what we use for shredded mozzarella.

Photo Credit: WalksOfItaly.com

Now as to which version of mozzarella you prefer: buffalo, cow, fresh, or pressed—or how your like to eat it: freshly sliced on tomatoes, baked, or simply by itself—one thing is clear. We love it for #PizzaWeek! Not to say the nuttiness of Asiago, the smokiness of Gouda, or the savory aspects of Gruyère couldn’t make for one epic pizza, and have…but there’s something so natural and so right about topping a pizza with with fresh mozzarella. It’s mild and it’s milky. Always fresh and bakes like a dream. And who could argue that the best part of eating pizza isn’t the race to gather all the strings of ooey gooey melted goodness before someone else does?! It’s basic fact and I love it.

Food for Thought

Top 10 Food Trends of 2014

January 9, 2015

Let me start off by wishing everyone a Happy New Year!

This year treated me very well with the arrival of my first child, another amazing year with my beautiful wife, a growing business, and a new home with a MASSIVE kitchen!!

All-in-all, 2014 left me feeling very blessed; so before I go full speed ahead in 2015, I’d like to pay homage to the “Top 10 Food Trends of 2014!”

Reinvented Classics:

In 2014, I saw a ton of popular dishes re-imagined with a contemporary twist! I got to experience Buffalo Chicken Fried Cauliflower, Fried Green Tomato BLT’s, a Deconstructed Salt and Vinegar Potato Chip (self explanatory) and I made Sloppy Joe SLIDERS!

This is a trend that I truly appreciated.

Classics are popular for a reason. They tend to be simple to make and are timelessly delicious; but like any good thing, the same dish over and over again can lose its charm. Re-imagining the classics is a great way to keep culinary enthusiasts excited about a dish they’ve had many times before.

Food Fusions:

Some chefs, myself included, chose not only to reimagine one classic dish at a time, but to combine multiple favorites into a single conglomerate of TASTY goodness!

And why not?? Who can resist Bacon Pancakes, or Grilled Cheese Pizza??

Umami:

Also known as the “fifth taste, was also a HUGE hit in 2014.

Taste is made up of certain components: Sweet, Salty, Sour, Bitter, and now Umami; which is the savory aspect of taste (found in food like olives, tomatoes, parmesan, anchovies, ect.).

#FoodPorn:

It was everywhere! Thanks to Instagram, we all know what’s for dinner tonight and I love it. It has been a great way to get everyone excited about food, and really invested in what they’re eating.

I also think food can be quite stunning, so why not share your visual experience with the world??

VeggieMania:

Veggies made a MEGA comeback in 2014! This has to do a lot with the growing popularity of vegan and vegetarian diets, which have restaurants serving more veggie based dishes, as well as the growth of societies’ consciousness of what they’re consuming. Everything has nutrition labels now days and I believe that makes people think twice about what they’re eating; hence 2014’s veggie rich diets.

Kale:

Of all the vegetables that graced our plates this year, Kale was probably the biggest fad of them all. Kale salad, kale chips, kale smoothies, kale in omelettes, kale with lunch, kale with dinner, kale, Kale, KALE! It was everywhere in 2014.

Do we think it will remain a fad in 2015, or will we find a new Super Food to take its place?

Regardless, kale is certainly good for you. Of all the greens it packs one of the mightiest nutritional-punches, but I have to tip my hat to marketing teams around the world. They took something that has been under our noses for generations, shined a spot light on it, and made it the hottest trend of 2014!

Acaí Bowls:

They’re light, energizing, healthy and above all delicious. I became a big fan of the Acaí Bowl this year after my wife asked me to make her one. I’ve been hooked since. It’s the perfect way to wake up, fuel your body, and get the day going without too much fuss.

And the best part of them being a trend, is that you can find them anywhere and everywhere.

Cold Pressed Juice:

Another 2014 discovery that my wife introduced me to, was Cold Pressed Juice. Traditional juices are certainly still packed with nutrients, however, by cold pressing vegetables or fruits into juice, the juice is never allowed to reach room temperature. This does two great things: Its prevents the juice from oxidizing and protects live nutrients from dying off. So by cold pressing you’re ensuring the maximum about of nutrients remain in the juice, for our consumption. I’m a fan.

Nutella:

If raw fruits and veggies are NOT your thing, you can always sweeten some apple slices with a heap of Nutella.

I’m such a Nutella fan that I did an entire #NutellaWeek where I made: Nutella (from scratch), Nutella Lava Cake and Nutella Ice Cream!

I’m certainly not alone in this obsession. Not only were those videos some of my most popular uploads, but I’ve seen Nutella based desserts all over restaurant menus in 2014, and it makes perfect sense. Nutella has set a new precedent for chocolaty-goodness. Lets see if 2015 can top it!

The Cookie Cup:

Dominique Ansel, the creator of Cronuts, unveiled his 2014 creation, The Cookie Shot, and had an overnight hit. It’s simply genius. Take two components that are famously good together, cookies and milk, and make them into one self-contained dish.

It’s one of those things that you ask yourself “Why didn’t I think of that?” Hats off to Ansel. He did it again.

That wraps up the trends that I noticed in 2014, but I’m really curious to see what trends you took note of this past year.

Let me know in the comment section, and HAPPY NEW YEAR!