August 14, 2017

Why You Should Try Grilled Pizza

As you probably already know, we are pizza fanatics at DITALIA. We love its incredible versatility and creative potential. Got a great new balsamic? Put it on pizza. Have a little pesto in the fridge? Best make a pizza with it! Pizza is the perfect test bed for all our favorite ingredients, and a great excuse to gather the DITALIA family together on a Friday.

In this latest installment of our pizza making adventures, we decided to try something new: grilled pizza.

Wait…why should I grill my pizza?

The quest for satisfying pizza starts with the crust: voluminous, a little crispy, slightly charred. The traditional Napolitano wood-fired oven heats pizza between 800 and 1000 degrees Fahrenheit, cooking pizza in around a minute. Of course, not everyone has access to these ovens, and kitchen ovens can’t reach this temperature. This is where your grill comes in. A gas or even a modest, kettle-style charcoal grill can yield fantastic results.

Grilling the pizza

We lit a chimney full of charcoal and placed the coals right in the center of the grill. The grill needs to be very hot (about 600 degrees F).
We used a pizza stone on top of a brick to prevent the bottom from burning.
We then put the lid on the grill and let the pizza cook for about 8 minutes, making sure to adjust the pizza on the stone to prevent sticking.

Brian’s Pizza Dough Recipe

Brian Reed, DITALIA’s Wholesale Manager, is our resident pizza dough master! He has spent many a weekend perfecting his dough recipe, and is now revealing his secrets. He swears by Caputo 00 Flour, a soft wheat flour from Campania with a low-protein content.

See Brian’s Pizza Dough Recipe

The Sauce

Our strategy for perfect pizza sauce is simple: fresh ingredients, no cooking, season to your taste. We mix together crushed D.O.P. San Marzano Tomatoes, Partanna Extra Virgin Olive Oil, salt, and crushed red pepper. If you love your sauce spicy, try adding a little D’Aragona Spicy Chili Pepper Oil!

The toppings

This is where the creativity comes in! We created 3 pizzas inspired by fresh herbs from our garden and amazing cured meats by Levoni (coming soon to DITALIA!).

Mortadella and Pesto

We got inspired by pesto season and whipped up this pizza with cubed mortadella, mozzarella and caciocavera, and a homemade pesto with pistachios, Olio Tre Casi, basil, parsley, parmigiano, and a little mint. Brian added pistachios in the pesto to complement the pistachios in the mortadella. We used Lovera’s Aged Caciocavera cheese for a rich, nutty flavor.

Rustica Salami, Pancetta Cotta, and Garlic

Because two cured meats are better than one. The first is Levoni Rustica Salami, a classic salami with a coarse grind, accented with “Garza” Merlot. We also added Levoni Pancetta Cotta. It’s a unique pancetta that is made with three (yes, three) overlaid pork bellies and is oven-steamed for a supple texture. Finally, we added a little garlic as a finishing touch and Caciocavera cheese.

Sage, Caciocavera, and Pancetta Cotta

We clearly couldn’t get enough of this Pancetta Cotta! This time, we sliced the Pancetta Cotta thinly and added it to the pizza after it was cooked on the grill. We topped it off with fresh sage from our garden.