"grilled pizza" news and stories

• Pizza on the grill? Heck yes.
• Philadelphians have a can-do attitude about fruits and veggies...
• ...but they really love a good meatball.
• Joe Sixpack has a few words to say about beer records.

Grilled pizza is a pure summer pleasure -- and easier than you think. Here's how to do it.

Grilled eggplant and olive oil pizza. Photo: Smitten Kitchen.

A slew of youngsters are heading back to school this week, lugging backpacks, breaking in new shoes, sharpening pencils and, if they're lucky (at least a few days out of the year), forgoing the brown-bag lunch in favor of a pizza party. It's enough to make us nearly jealous, except that one of the many joys of adulthood is that we can have pizza whenever we please -- and booze to wash it down with -- no matter the circumstances (or caloric consequences).

For example, when Deb from Smitten Kitchen was craving grilled pizza and the weather didn't agree with her plans for dinner al fresco, she still found a way to make it happen, "Weather be damned!" She busted out a cast-iron panini pan, doused the dough with garlicky extra-virgin olive oil, and piled on the grilled eggplant, olives and provolone. The result, reports the cook, was "hearty, smoky and delicious."

So how'd she get those beautiful cheesy bubbles with her indoor "grill?" Well, since she was "grilling" inside anyway, she put it in the oven for a few minutes. They don't teach that in school.

[Via Smitten Kitchen]

Gena's grilled pizza. Photo: Erica George Dines Photography

My husband and I grill out pretty often through out the summer, but after a while I just get bored with the traditional meat or fish on the grill and the various side dishes that go along with it. That's why I love grilled pizza.

We spent last weekend at a friend's lake house in north Georgia, and I served "make your own"-style pizzas. You'd be surprised at how much fun the adults had making and grilling their own.

I opted to spread out various toppings in small bowls and made an easy dough, pre-grilling the pizzas for everyone. All they had to do was top the pizzas with their own signature toppings and finish them off on the grill.

Get my pizza dough and pizza sauce recipes after the jump.

Bowl of ramen. Photo: irrational_cat, Flickr

• Instead of hitting the spaghetti aisle, the Courant suggests browsing the shelves of Asian noodles.
• Connecticut enters the grilled pizza craze.
• As part of the Taste of Hartford restaurant week, you can find many dishes for 2009 ... or rather, $20.09.
• Almost anything from a fast food place will pack on the pounds, but this handy gallery features the worst offenders. ...
• ... and one more handy gallery, this time rife with commentary, for tasty cocktails in the Hartford area.
• When picking up summer beers, Newport Storm Summer Ale, Saranac Summer Brew and more will do the trick.
• Recipes: Greek Yogurt with Apricot Compote and Pistachios and Grilled Sausage and Peppers.