I had posted a pizza bucket list on my Instagram quite some time ago and I thought why not pay tribute or homage to one of my pizza heroes? I do not own nor can I afford a pizza oven. If I cannot replicate wood fire oven pizzas at home, I wouldn't bother.
And perhaps, the only way I know how is by grilling or frying pizzas. I thought, let's start with the epiphany of Grilled Pizza: George Germon's Grilled Pizza Margherita Al Forno in Providence, Rhode Island.
George has perfected grilling pizza, but sadly, he passed on in 2015 at the age of 70, RIP. :(
The pizza is grilled into a thin crisp crust with just dollops of tomato sauce, a blend of 3 kinds of cheese and a combination of 3 greens: basil, parsley and scallions. George probably put scallions on top of anything on his menu. To my surprise, scallions sorta add that oniony crunch at the back of my mouth which compliments the whole pizza beautifully.
After many attempts and experimenting, I'd finally get the thin cwisp crust right. As mentioned in my "My Grilled Pizza Journey and Beyond" page, too many toppings will ruin the grilled pizza.
Less is always more which makes grilled pizza so delicate, simple and yet sophisticated. I am not saying that my Margherita is as perfect as George Germon's, but this is just my metaphor; my painting on grilled pizza dough.
Ingredients:
Inspired by George Germon
(Makes 2 grilled pizzas)
Grilled Pizza Dough, 2 Dough Balls
Toasted Sesame Oil, For Brushing
Fontina
Parmigiano Reggiano
Pecorino Romano
Tomato Sauce Homemade, 1/4 Recipe
Fresh Basil, A Handful
Fresh Italian Parsley, A Handful
Scallions, A Handful
Equipment:
Griddle / Grill Oven
Directions:
Please visit my "My Grilled Pizza Journey and Beyond" page for more information.
Please visit my "Grilled Pizza Dough" page for the recipe.
Please visit my "How To Make Tomato Sauce" page for the recipe.
Once you have rolled out your pizza dough, brush the dough with sesame oil using a pastry brush.
*Remember to use a fork and gently poke all over. This is crucial as it will prevent the crust from puffing.*
In a griddle over medium heat, gently place in the dough oiled side down.
*If you have a grill oven, use it.*
Carefully and gently, use your hands to press down the dough to make sure the whole dough sits fully on the griddle.
Brush the top with sesame oil.
Grill until the bottom is lightly charred.
Flip the dough.
Immediately turn the heat down to medium-low.
Grate fontina, parmigiano and pecorino over the dough.
Dollops a few TBSP of tomato sauce onto the dough.
Lastly, drizzle some more of that sesame oil over the top.
Immediately cover the griddle to generate steam so that the cheese will melt.
As soon as the cheese melts and the bottom is lightly charred, uncover and remove the pizza from heat.
Transfer onto a serving plate.
Immediately using a pair of scissors coarsely cut the basil, parsley and scallions over the pizza.
Repeat the steps for the remaining pizza.
Serve immediately.
My metaphor...
Took me a while to get this thin cwispy crust right...