Thursday, June 30, 2011

Blacksmith Pizza

Many, many years ago before Maisie and even before Eammon, I remember visiting right around Christmas time (because it was wicked cold up in Massachusetts) with my Blacksmith friend George Martell and his family.  George made a wonderful dinner of grilled pizzas and I fell head-over-heels in love with them and dubbed them Blacksmith pizzas in his honor.  Grilled pizzas in this country are said to have started at Al Forno restaurant in Providence, Rhode Island and while I have enjoyed them there many, many times, I honestly like my own better as I tailor them to whatever flavor profile strikes my fancy.  I have been making these pizzas ever since George introduced me to them and they really are quite easy to make.  Because a lot of the preparation can be done in advance and because they are individual portions that can be customized, they are perfect for when we entertain or have guests, both those who love and are willing to try anything as well as those that are fussy with their food.

IMG_7906eMaisie adores Blacksmith pizza and this day she was eating one with tomato sauce and because it’s what I had on hand, Fiesta blend cheese. (That’s why it looks so orange)

IMG_7877eOne pound of pizza dough (homemade or store bought) portioned and rolled into eight balls.  Place a few tablespoons of olive oil in a 9x13-inch baking dish,.  Make sure to roll each ball of dough around in the oil to coat it completely.  Cover the dish with plastic wrap and then a dish towel and place in a warm area allowing the dough to rise.

IMG_7880eOnce the dough has risen, working one dough ball at a time, gently separate a dough ball and roll it in the excess oil in the bottom of the dish to coat and then with your hands, gently spread and flatten the pizza dough into an 8-inch free form circle or what ever shape it turns into.  I make sure that there is a good amount of oil on my dough so I just stack my flattened dough one on top of another on a plate.

IMG_7884eHave your grill blazing hot and quickly place your flattened dough on the grill.  Cover and cook for 30-45 seconds, just until the dough starts to bubble and the raw sheen of the dough disappears.  You will only be cooking one side of the dough at this time so remove the dough to a plate with the cooked side up.

IMG_7893eDough fresh from the grill with the one cooked side up.  At this point you can either continue making your pizzas or cool the half cooked dough and place in a zipper bag in the refrigerator for later use.  The partially cooked dough will stay for up to a week.

IMG_7895eIf you’ve refrigerated the partially cooked dough, bring it to room temperature before continuing.  To finish the pizzas, place the partially cooked dough raw side down and to the cooked side add your favorite toppings.  The pizza will only be on the grill for a minute or less to finish the cooking process so the pizza can’t be loaded down with toppings and all meats need to be cooked completely before putting them on the pizza along with any veggies that you may want cooked.  I often cook pepperoni and roast or sautĂ© veggies such as peppers, onions, garlic, tomatoes and mushrooms to use as toppings.  If you’re making these pizzas for a party you can have all your cooked and raw toppings as well as cheese set out as a pizza buffet and have each person customize their pizza.

IMG_7897eOnce you’ve added your favorite toppings, gently but quickly transfer your pizzas to an extremely hot grill.  I find using my favorite tongs and a spatula works the best for this process. 

IMG_7904eClose the lid on the grill and cook for 30-60 seconds just until the once raw bottom is cooked and crispy and the cheese has melted. 

IMG_7899eWhat’s great about these pizzas is that you can really use whatever you have on hand which was what happened this time as I didn’t plan so I hadn’t picked up a lot of our usual toppings.  This tray contains pizzas for Maisie and I.  Mine are in the top row and have a light coating of Roasted Garlic Onion Jam, very thinly sliced prosciutto and a light sprinkle of Fiesta blend cheese.  Maisie likes basic pizza so I reduced the juice from a can of fire roasted tomatoes (I used the tomatoes on Eammon's pizza) until it was thickened enough to spread on the dough and then Maisie topped her pizzas with a good amount of the Fiesta blend cheese

IMG_7901This tray was Eammon’s with all his pizzas being topped with Roasted Garlic Onion Jam, some very thinly sliced prosciutto and a light sprinkle of Fiesta blend cheese.  The top row pizzas also have the drained diced fire roasted tomatoes, thinly slice red, orange & yellow sweet peppers and diced Vidalia onion.  Because I was leaving the veggies raw I made sure to cut them very thin.

IMG_7912eMaisie gives Blacksmith pizza a big thumbs up…as do Eammon and I.  Give them a try, they’re easy and pretty darn awesome.

Here’s some food p@rn of the grilled pizzas that I’ve blogged about in the past.IMG_6167eMaisie’s favorite, tomato sauce and cheese.

IMG_6174eMy all time favorite pizza...Ever!  Roasted Garlic Onion Jam, figs picked fresh off my neighbor's tree (with their permission of course) and goat cheese.

IMG_6171eOne of my longtime go-to pizzas, pesto, caramelized onions, goat cheese and sun dried tomatoes.

IMG_6176eEammon likes more ingredients and this is one of his favorites, tomato sauce, olive tapenade, caramelized onions, prosciutto, sun dried tomatoes and cheese.

IMG_6178eThe always delicious Roasted Garlic Onion Jam, prosciutto, caramelized onion and cheese

IMG_6197eAnd just because I love her and think she’s stinkin’ adorable, Maisie eating her Blacksmith pizza way back in August 2009.

No real recipe, just some pizza dough, olive oil and your favorite sauces and toppings.  For planning serving sizes, Maisie and I will eat one pizza with a side or salad or maybe two pizzas by themselves.  Eammon can easily finish four pizzas as a meal. 

Enjoy!!

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23 comments:

  1. Oh my!! This looks so yummy! I want mine with the sun dried tomatoes and onions please. Can you toss some spinach on it too? ;) Thanks for the great idea!

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  2. Wow those look great. They remind me of the mind blowing pizza we ate at the Italian place in GZ...oh how I miss that. We will try this on vacation next week at the beach.

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  3. I haven't yet tried pizza on the grill. So much fun!

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  4. Ohhh pizza on the grill... YUM!

    New blog follower! Come follow back and enter my great giveaways! http://www.peacelovepoop.com

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  5. This looks soooo good and very cute taste testers. I would love it if you stopped by tomorrow for "Turning the Table Thursday" to share some of your recipes. (link opens at midnight EST on Weds)

    Thanks,

    Wendy
    Around My Family Table

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  6. Love your post - so delicious!!!
    Your daughter is absolutely adorable! Thank you for sharing!
    <><
    Concetta

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  7. cute pics! newest follower ! hey hon! found ya on the blog hop at victorias voice! would ya follow me gfc back, I am now following you! Thanks so much! Be sure to visit my blog @ http://1caseycolette.blogspot.com . I have a giveaway for a 12pk of Peter Rabbt Organics, PLUS a 6mo free advertising on my blog! :)
    Just say no to captcha

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  8. Great pictures. Your girls are beautifil. This recipe looks fantastic. I cannot wait to try it out! We are new to your blog and just love it. Come over and visit us!

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  9. How fun!!! Can't wait to try your Blacksmith Pizza:)

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  10. This is genius! Your pizzas look wonderful! Too bad my husband keeps a ridiculously disgusting grill :( I won't be trying this on his grill

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  11. Hi! Visiting from Foodie Friday @ Little Brick Ranch. Thanks for sharing the story of how this pizzas got its name. Great way to remember your friend. Love the thumbs up pic! And the many pizza variations.

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  12. They look really good and the kiddies are adorable.

    Thanks for sharing with us at
    Simply Delish.

    Have a great weekend and we hope to see you again next weekend.

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  13. We came over from Friday Potluck. Your pizzas look fabulous. Grilling looks like the way to go for great char!

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  14. So varied! You get my thumbs up also!

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  15. Hi Lisa,
    Maisie is just adorable, what a precious personality. The pizza looks awesome. Great post! Thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday and hope to see you again real soon!
    Miz Helen

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  16. Such a cute little girl. Love that the crust is grilled.
    Thanks for linking to Fat Camp Friday, enjoy your weekend and see you next time! http://bit.ly/mTxy7l

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  17. Awesome!! Roasted Garlic Onion Jam...oh man, if only I had some of that right now- fantastic. I love grilled pizzas and really, REALLY wish I had one after reading this delicious post. Thanks so much for sharing :D

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  18. I love grilled pizzas but have never made them at home! Thanks for the inspiration & Thanks for sharing at this week's Sugar Free Sunday!

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  19. I love those cute blue shoes! What wonderful photos, and what a great tutorial as well. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe with Let's Do Brunch.

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  20. Hi, I just wanted to thank you for visiting Cast Party Wednesday and I hope you join me again tomorrow and share more of your great recipes!
    Thanks,
    I hope to see you tomorrow!

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  21. What a cutie you have to eat the pizza. This is just fabulous. Wow! I love it.

    We are featuring it at Let's Do Brunch so visit, tomorrow and see it and please do bring another amazing recipe.

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  22. What a delicious variety of pizzas, they all look so tasty.

    Thank you so much for submitting this to my monthly recipe collection for July - Cookout Food.

    The new theme for August will be posted tomorrow, and I hope you will submit again. :)

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