Eataly in New York

My friend Andrea Andi Palombo-Carpenter just visited New York and stopped by Eataly, the new grocery and restaurant by Mario Batali and Lydia Bastianich. Two of my favorite chefs.

She tried the "quattro stagioni" pizza and said it was so delicious.. and sent me a couple of photos! Thanks Andrea! Now I want to go.. why can't we have something like this here in California?

Outdoor Pizza Making

Last night we made 4 great pizzas on the grill with the help of a pizza stone and this other flat metal pizza grill pan with holes in it.

We built our pizzas on a peel..

Started them on the metal grill pan

Then transferred to the pizza stone. Keep the grill at approximately 450 or so. You will need to know your grill and turn the pizza if the back is hotter than the front. This will cook all your meats, onions, etc as if it were in a regular oven.

The result was amazing and this time we took a shortcut and used pre-made dough from Fresh and Easy. They were fantastic. My friend Campbell here is getting really good at this.

Grilled Pizza at a friend's house

These were really great!

We added bell peppers, mushrooms, artichokes, olives and fresh basil over the basic tomato mixture and drizzled some olive oil over them before serving.

You can add a lot of different toppings as long as they are cooked ahead of time and don't need to be eaten hot.

We did have one mishap when the grill was way too hot. Those 2 pizza doughs went up in smoke in no time flat.

Cooks note: You have to find your right temperature on your grill for success with this. I strongly suggest you practice once before doing for friends or have some extra dough handy.

Grilled Pizza! My new summer favorite

I have seen this done so many times and decided to try it this year. It couldn't be easier. You do need to have all your ingredients at the grill because it goes super fast. So far I have done it like this:

Basic Pizza Dough recipe ( I will post a new variation with bread flour and semolina that was inspired by Jamie Oliver)

Make sure to turn up your grill to high to preheat.

Cut dough in half if using 3 cups of flour for your recipe and roll it out on a board or peel.

Rub some olive oil on the top of the crust or spray with Pam.

Before you roll the dough or while it's sitting on the board cut up some really good tomatoes and toss with fresh basil and some extra good virgin olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Let them sit and the flavors will blend.

Have your cheese out of the fridge for about an hour if possible so it's not super cold when it hits the pizza. I use slices of provolone or mozzerella.. but you could be creative here. It is not a very cheesy pizza so use less cheese than normal.

I sliced some onions really thin and chopped up a clove or 2 of garlic really fine as well. Then I quickly saute them in a pan with a little oil or on a grill over the bbq till they get a bit soft.

You can also fry some bell peppers, mushrooms, and have some marinated artichokes, black or green olives.. use your imagination here.

Now get ready!

Lower your grill to medium to medium high heat. Put your pizza olive oil side down on the grill and leave it alone for at least a few minutes. Check the underside and continue to cook till you see some nice grill marks and it feels crispy underneath.

cooks note: This can be the tricky part. KNOW your grill. A too hot grill will burn the dough before it's cooked.. just experience this first hand last night at a friends house. It should be med to med-high..

Try this alone before you invite friends over just so you can make adjustments.

Turn it and immediately place your cheese on top. Close the grill lid for a few minutes. Then add your onion and garlic and cook a bit longer ( 1 to 2 minutes) and then top with your tomato mixture. You can also add peppers, olives or whatever else you want to put on. ( All ingredients must be pre-cooked as there is no time on the grill ) IT GOES FAST!

Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil on top before serving.

Get it off the grill and add some hot pepper seeds if you like them and start eating!

Try it and you will see how easy it is and no hot oven in the kitchen!

PIzza 911 Call

My friend Michelle was so inspired by our video that she tried to make pizza 2 times on her own. Both times she was disappointed that her pizza was soggy, and not well cooked. So, she invited a few friends and the other night I demonstrated how to do it. The video below is from when Mike aka Spike wanted to make a pizza for the kids .. it is pretty hilarious after a few glasses of wine and watching me make a few.. he wanted to do it on his own.

We determined that Michelle was putting too much sauce on her pizza and the oven wasn't hot enough. Here are a few pics of what we did that evening and she is now ready to try it again! It takes a little practice but anyone can do it!

Making Pizza with kids!

My good friend Campbell asked if I would help her and her friends make pizza for her birthday slumber party. Here are a few pics. They had a great time building their own pies!

Photos of some friends making pizza with their boys

How cool is this? Les and Julia have started a Sunday night make your own pizza and game night! Looks like fun.

Looks like everyone is enjoying their pizza creations!

So many pizzas.

If you need some ideas for pizza toppings or if you just like to look at pizza, check out this huge collection of pizza pictures.

Some friends came from Arizona last week...

My friend Laurie and her daughter Hailey, along with Hailey's best friend Amber were here, so I made  pizza.. The girls couldn't believe that I made the dough and everything and wouldn't let anyone touch their pizza! There were only 2 pieces left!
They spent their days at the beach so that must have made them extra hungry!They had sausage, mushroom and garlic.. Ours had yellow bell pepper, onions, garlic, sausage and mushroom with fresh basil... (sometimes I think my friends think I'm going to make them a pizza like they get at take out, they are always shocked at how delicious it is)

Veggie Pizza with fresh basil ( wheat and white crust)

Photos of some of my pizzas

Sausage Pizza in the oven with white crust

How to make homemade Pizza. Part 3.

Here is part three to our homemade pizza video. We finally get to eat our pizza!

How to make homemade Pizza. Part 2.

Here is part two to our homemade pizza video. This video shows how to top and bake a pizza.

How to make homemade Pizza. Part 1.

Here is part one to our homemade pizza video. This video shows how to make pizza dough with a mixer and by hand.

Pizza Dough Recipe

For 2 large thin pizzas

3 Cups White Flour ( or 1.5 cup white and 1.5 cup wheat flour)
2 T. Olive Oil
1 T. Sea Salt

1 Cup warm water ( should feel warm, not hot on your wrist)
1 package of dry yeast or 2 teaspoons dry yeast.  (Drew's prefers the cut the yeast in half for less of a yeast flavor.)
1/2 teaspoon sugar


Mix yeast and sugar into warm water. Let it sit for 5 minutes or so till it starts to foam.

Add flour, olive oil and salt into large mixing bowl or Cuisinart or processor.

Hand method: Add water slowly into your flour mixture and mix till dough ball forms. Knead by hand for 3 to 5 minutes till dough feels firm and not too sticky. Add more flour if too sticky, more water if too dry.
Put in a bowl to rest and rise for approx 1 hour. Cover with cloth or plastic wrap in a warm spot.

Cuisinart method: Add flour, salt and oil and pulse the mixture with dough hook attachment.
Add water slowly with while mixing and wait for dough to form a ball. Again this can take a little more water or flour depending on the weather and moisture in the air. Continue to mix for about 1 minute or so, then put on board and knead for a bit till elastic and smooth. Let rest covered in a warm spot till doubled in size.

Once dough has doubled, you are ready to cut in half and start your pizzas!