Grilled Pizza With Grilled Fennel And Parmesan Recipes

GRILLED PIZZA WITH GRILLED FENNEL AND PARMESAN

Steps:

• Prepare a hot grill. Place the sliced fennel in a bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Place a perforated grill pan on the grill and let it get hot, then add the fennel and cook, tossing in the pan or stirring with tongs, for about 5 minutes, just until it softens slightly and begins to char. Remove from the grill and return the fennel to the bowl.
• Oil the hot grill rack with olive oil, either by brushing with a grill brush or by dipping a folded wad of paper towels in olive oil and using tongs to rub the rack with it. Place a round of dough on a lightly dusted baker's peel or rimless baking sheet. Slide the pizza dough from the peel or baking sheet onto the grill rack. If the dough has just come from the freezer and is easy to handle, you can just place it on the rack without bothering with the peel. Close the lid of the grill - the vents should be closed --- and set the timer for 2 minutes.
• Lift up the grill lid. The surface of the dough should display some big air bubbles. Using tongs, lift the dough to see if it is evenly browning on the bottom. Rotate the dough to assure even browning. Keep it on the grill, moving it around as necessary, until it is nicely browned, with grill marks. Watch closely so that it doesn't burn. When it is nicely browned on the bottom (it may be blackened in spots), use tongs or a spatula to slide the dough onto the baking sheet or peel, and remove from the grill. Cover the grill again.
• Make sure that there is still some flour on the peel or baking sheet and flip the dough over so that the uncooked side is now on the bottom. Brush the top lightly with oil, then top with a thin layer of marinara sauce (no more than 1/4¼ cup) and a layer of fennel. Arrange the olives, if using, here and there, and sprinkle with thyme and Parmesan. Drizzle on a little more olive oil. Slide the pizza back onto the grill. If using a gas grill, reduce the heat to medium-high. Close the lid and cook for 2 to 3 more minutes, until the bottom is brown. Open the grill and check the pizza. The top should be hot and the bottom nicely browned. If the bottom is getting too dark but the pizza still needs a little more time, move it to a cooler part of the grill and close the top. Use a spatula or tongs to remove the pizza to a cutting board. Sprinkle with torn or cut basil leaves. Cut into wedges and serve. Repeat with the other two crusts.

GRILLED FENNEL

Steps:

• Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat and lightly oil the grate.
• Slice a very thin layer from the bottom of each fennel bulb using a vegetable peeler or paring knife, leaving the core in place to help hold bulb intact. Remove fennel stalks, reserving fronds. Slice bulbs vertically into 1/4-inch slices. Brush slices with 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with ground black pepper and salt on each side.
• Grill fennel slices until charred, about 5 minutes per side; transfer to serving platter.
• Whisk remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, basil, parsley, lemon juice, lemon zest, freshly ground black pepper, thyme, and reserved fennel fronds together in a bowl. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese and drizzle lemon mixture over fennel.

GRILLED PIZZA WITH COPPA, FENNEL, ONION, BURRATA AND RICOTTA

Steps:

• Prepare a grill for medium-high heat and add a pizza stone (if your grill has a thermometer, look for temperatures above 600 degrees F). Alternatively, position a pizza stone on a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat the oven to 525 degrees F. (If your oven only goes to 500 degrees F, that's fine.)
• Oil 2 large baking sheets, or if you have a pizza peel, dust it lightly with flour and cornmeal. Working with 1 ball of dough at a time, gently stretch or roll the dough into a 12-inch round on a lightly floured surface. Transfer to the baking sheet or pizza peel to carry to the grill or oven. Transfer to the pizza stone and cook until the dough is lightly charred and set on the bottom, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and toast the other side, 1 to 2 minutes more.
• Return to the baking sheet, top with the All-Purpose Red Sauce evenly over the top, sprinkle with the burrata and top with the coppa, fennel, ricotta and Parmesan.
• Return to the pizza stone and cook until crisp and brown on the bottom and around the edges, about 5 minutes more (about 12 minutes or so in the oven). Sprinkle with flaky salt, pepper and red pepper flakes, top with the greens and drizzle lightly with more oil. Serve warm.
• Pulse the tomatoes, anchovies if using, garlic, oil and basil in a food processor or blender until mostly smooth (some texture is okay). Season with red pepper flakes if using, salt and pepper. Makes 3 1/2 cups.
• Pour the milk and cream into a large pot and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, add in the lemon juice and stir gently a few times (too much stirring yields a grainy ricotta). Once the curds start to separate and set, after about 1 minute or so, let the mixture stand without stirring for at least 5 minutes.
• Line a colander with cheesecloth and set it over a large bowl. Drain the ricotta, 5 to 10 minutes for a looser, wet ricotta, or up to 1 hour for a tighter, firm ricotta (I go somewhere in the middle for pizza, depending on how patient I feel).
• Taste the ricotta and season with sea salt and fennel seeds if desired. Scoop into clean jars or airtight containers with lids and use at room temperature or refrigerate for up to 5 days. Makes 1 1/2 cups.