Weekly Feature: Grilled Pizza

I bought a new cookbook. I amend that. Jason bought me a new cookbook that I've been eying for MONTHS now. "Grilled Pizzas and Piadinas" might just be the best thing that has happened to my kitchen. Well, other than Everyday Food and the Vitamix. Man, I'm just a conundrum when it comes to "my favorite things", kitchen edition.

I've always thought about grilling pizza. I've heard that it's delicious, but I've been a little hesitant to try, as the risk for failure seemed a little high. This book has changed everything, though. The author, Craig Priebe has written this book like a novel. Not only is it an interesting read, but it makes you feel as if your buddy is in the kitchen with you, telling you step by step how to make the perfect pizza. It is surprisingly easy, and I'm confident that in a few weeks, I'll be a regular pro!

Last night, we had Josh and Kirsten Krason over to try our first ever Pizza masterpiece: The Thai Pong Gari. While the name is slightly intimidating, the tastes were NOT! It was a Curried chicken with Peanut sauce and salad.

Ingredients:

Curry Glaze
1/4 c honey
2 teaspoons curry powder
Pinch of red pepper flakes (I omitted this, because I a wuss when it comes to spicy)
Pinch of salt

Peanut Sauce
4 tbs smooth peanut butter (I used chunky, because I didn't have chopped peanuts to sprinkle on top)
1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger (I LOVE ginger in my peanut sauce, so I used more)
1/4 tsp chili paste
2 tbs soy sauce (I use low sodium, so I used a little more)
4 tbs water- or until correct consistency

1 grilled pizza crust
1 tbs EVOO
1 tbs grated Parmesan
1 c shredded mozzarella
1/2 c Chunky Tomato Basil Sauce (I didn't have time, so I took a can of Fire Roasted tomatoes, added a little bit of salt, a little sugar, and some pepper, and food processed it a bit until it was chunky, but not too chunky)
One 6 oz Grilled Chicken Breast cut or torn into pieces (I simply seasoned it with Kosher and Pepper)

Salad
1/2 c thinly sliced red peppers (I used a little more)
1 c bean sprouts
1 tbs coarsely chopped cilantro
(Calls for scallions, but I don't like them, so I didn't use them!)

1. Make the Curry Glaze and Peanut Sauce and set aside

2. Brust the grilled side of the pizza crust with the EVOO. (Oh yeah, you're supposed to grill the first side for a few minutes) Dust with the Parmesan and sprinkle the mozzarella on top. Next, drop spoonfuls of the Tomato Sauce onto the pizza. Add the chicken and drizzle the Curry Glaze over all

3. Grill the pizza. Just before serving, top the pizza with the salad ingredients. Drizzle the Thai Peanut Sauce over the salad.

Enjoy!!

I invite you to join me as I grill pizza until I'm blue in the face this summer! It's a refreshing, light, but FILLING change of pace!