Haven't you heard? Pizza ovens are out, barbecues are in. Though this may not be a year-round trend, when you need a creative, fun, and "smokey" way to entertain your hungry guests for Labor Day Weekend, consider this delicious pizza recipe (below). It is from the Vegan Culinary Experience, August 2009 issue (which is available for free download on the VCE website), and as you might have guessed, this is a vegan (dairy-free, egg-free, meat-free) recipe.

As a presentation tip, the recipe's creator, Chef Jason Wyrick, suggests the following, "I prefer to let all my guests see the pizza whole before I cut it into slices as I think it looks very nice and appetizing that way. When you cut it, use a wet knife or a pizza roller. This keeps the ingredients from sticking to the blade and dragging the ingredients across the pizza."

Grilled Pizza

Recipe from the August 2009 Issue of the Vegan Culinary Experience, a free online e-zine.

Type: Main Dish, Flatbread
Serves: 4
Time to Prepare: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

• ½ cup of warm water
• 1 tsp. of active dry yeast
• ½ tsp. of sugar
• 2 tbsp. of corn meal
• 1 cup + 2 tbsp. of flour
• 1/8 tsp. of salt
• 3 tbsp. of olive oil
• 1 tsp. of oil for oiling the dough
• ½ cup of GimmeLean soy sausage
• 1 tsp. of olive oil
• 1 cup of thick tomato sauce
• ¼ cup of loosely packed basil leaves
• 6-8 black olives

Instructions

Mix the yeast and sugar into the warm water, checking to see if the yeast is active (it will be frothy.)
Combine the corn meal, flour, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
Pour the water/yeast solution and the oil into the dry mix and gently work everything together until it is all combined.
Knead the dough until it is silky smooth and no longer clings to your hands.
Roll it into a ball, lightly oil it, and place it in a large mixing bowl.
Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rise for 1 hour.
While it is rising, break up the soy sausage.
Sauté it in 1 tsp. of olive oil over a medium heat until it browns.
Set it aside.
Once the dough has risen, punch it down and roll it into a ball.
Lightly flour a flat surface.
Roll the dough out into a ½” disc.
Lay the dough in a deep dish iron skillet, circular baking pan, or pie dish.
Roll the edge over to make the outer part thicker than the inner part.
Bake it on 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
Remove it from the oven and transfer it to a cookie sheet.
Spread the tomato sauce on top, followed by the soy sausage, basil, and olives.
Light the grill and allow the flames to die down.
Grill the pizza until the crust is crispy.

Option: Continue baking it for another 10 minutes instead of grilling it.

Low-fat Version: Omit the soy sausage and olives and use roasted red peppers, artichokes, and eggplant instead.

Kitchen Equipment

2 Mixing Bowls
Measuring Cup
Measuring Spoon
Towel to cover the dough
Rolling Pin
Baking Pan
Grill
Metal Spatula
Saute Pan
Stirring Spoon

Time Management: Light your grill just before you roll out the pizza. This should give the flames just enough time to die down.

Complementary Food and Drinks: Serve this with a side of tomato sauce or garlic oil to dip the crust of the pizza into.

Where to Shop: The GimmeLean soy sausage is available at Sprouts, Whole Foods, and some of the more vegetarian friendly grocery markets. You’ll get the best price on basil at Trader Joe’s. The rest of the ingredients are readily available. Approximate price per serving is $2.00.

How It Works: The dough used in the pizza is a rising dough, which helps make the crust thick and fluffy. It is important to cook the dough in the oven before placing it on the grill to give it some structure. Without that preliminary cooking, the dough will start to fall through the grill before it cooks into a crust. Baking it without the ingredients also allows the top of the crust to firm up and obtain a crisp texture. If the sauce was put on first, the top of the crust would end up too moist.

Chef’s Notes: A couple friends of mine usually make grilled pizza when I visit and I am addicted to the crispy, smoky quality of this dish.

Nutritional Facts (individual servings in parentheses, does not include any options)

Calories 917.9 (229.5)
Calories from Fat 381.8 (95.4)
Fat 42.4g (10.6g)
Total Carbohydrates 118.2g (29.5g)
Dietary Fiber 5.2g (1.3g)
Sugars 0.4g (0.1g)
Protein 15.9g (4.0g)
Salt 295mg (74mg)
Vitamin A 0% (0%)
Vitamin B6 6% (1.5%)
Vitamin C 0% (0%)
Calcium 4% (1%)
Iron 42% (10.5%)
Thiamin 65% (16.3%)
Riboflavin 40% (10%)
Niacin 49% (12.3%)
Folate 61% (15.3%)
Phosphorous 18% (4.5%)
Potassium 5% (1.3%)
Zinc 9% (2.3%)
Magnesium 12% (3%)
Copper 11% (2.8%)

Interesting Facts

The original pizza was called shield bread and was baked on soldiers’ shields.
Traditional Italian style pizzas are almost always made with a thin crust.