Summer may be winding down, but keep that grill fired up! Labor Day weekend is the perfect excuse to enjoy some great food and Anna Rossi has some delicious and easy ideas to enjoy more time outside.
RICOTTA AND SUN-DRIED TOMATO PIZZA WITH BURRATA AND BASIL
INGREDIENTS:
Pizza dough, store-bought dough balls from the freezer or deli section work well
1 cup part skim ricotta
1 cup sun-dried tomato mixture*
1 ball fresh burrata
10-20 fresh basil leaves, chopped
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
PREPARATION:
- Lay a ceramic pizza stone over direct heat and preheat your grill on high for 10 minutes. *The porous material of the pizza stone naturally wicks moisture out of the dough giving you a great crunch on the crust however, an upside down baking sheet is an effective alternative.
- If using a store-bought dough ball, divide it into 3 equal parts. Roll each one out on a floured work surface until it is about 1/8" thin and place on the pizza stone for 3 minutes until an outer shell forms and the interior is still gummy. This is called "par baking" or "flash baking" and will allow you to stack multiple pizza "shells" on your work surface to give you great control topping the pizza and moving back onto the pizza stone.
- On your work surface, drizzle about 2 Tbs of Extra Virgin Olive Oil onto the prepared dough and spread generously with ricotta cheese. Top with sun-dried tomato mixture*.
- Place back on the pizza stone for 5-10 minutes until outer edge of the crust turns golden brown and toppings begin to bubble in the center.
- Using a pizza peel, pull pizza off the stone and place on a cutting board or serving platter. Pull apart burrata and evenly distribute. Sprinkle with chopped basil and an extra drizzle of olive oil.
- Slice and serve hot.
*"SUN DRIED TOMATO" Preheat oven to 200*. Take a quart of your favorite cherry tomatoes (sun peach are my favorite this year) and slice them in half. Place them on a baking sheet and generously drizzle with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and 1/2 tsp kosher salt. Bake approximately 4 hours. The skin should start to blister and the moisture will reduce giving the tomato juice a syrupy consistency. Remove from the oven and pour into a small mixing bowl. While the tomatoes are still hot, fold in 1 clove of crushed garlic and more 3 TBS of extra virgin olive oil. Use as a spread, pasta sauce, or pizza topping. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 1 week. End of summer awesomeness!
Chef's Pantry
SKILLET COOKIE INGREDIENTS:
Your favorite cookie dough
12" Cast Iron Skillet
PREPARATION:
Turn out your favorite cookie dough into a seasoned cast iron skillet and place on a hot grill over indirect heat. Bake approximately 30 minutes or until the center has a slight bounce to the touch. Keep the hood down, opening only to rotate halfway. If you're using a charcoal grill, move the coals over to one side so no direct heat is under the skillet. This could burn the bottom of your cookie before it has the chance to bake through. By keeping the lid or hood down, you create airflow and take advantage of all that great heat that's perfect for baking.
