ARGENTINIAN SALSAS

With June right around the corner, and social distancing rules still in effect, I'm caught reminiscing about my birthday last year. We hosted friends for an afternoon BBQ, and it was an afternoon filled with little ones climbing on our furniture, an epic crudite platter with green dip and DIY crackers, my go-to rhubarb birthday cake, and sausages on the grill inspired by our time in Argentina. We recreated the meal this week and served it with a side of hot-honey roasted potatoes and a glass of red wine (preferably Argentinian).

PIZZA ON THE GRILL

I hesitated about sharing this recipe because there is really nothing glamorous about this pizza. Its simple and basic, which I often think means it doesn't deserve to be posted. However, having found a pizza dough recipe that works on grill, and tastes so damn delicious, I decided I had to share. So here you have it, for those warm spring/summer nights, when all one is craving is fresh pizza and a cold beer on the back deck.

PIZZA ON THE GRILL // makes 2 pizzas

Dough & BBQ technique adapted from Happyolks

Happyolk's original recipe describes a pesto, cherry tomato and burrata combination. I prefer my pizza to be topped with a standard tomato sauce (as described below) and simple veggie ingredients. Feel free to get creative with your sauce and toppings.

Ingredients:

Dough //
1 1/2 cups + 2 T lukewarm water
2 T olive oil
2 tsp yeast
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 3/4 cups all purpose white flour

Pizza Sauce // 
1 28oz can whole tomatoes
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp kosher salt
red pepper flakes
pinch of sugar

Toppings //
fresh whole tomatoes, sliced
1 ball buffalo mozzarella
fresh basil

What to do:

Start by making the dough. Combine the water, oil, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Whisk to combine, until the water is murky. Add both flours to the bowl and stir together (add a touch of oil if it feels too dry). Using your hands, form a large ball of dough and place it back in the bowl. Cover with a cloth and let rise for 2 hours.

While the dough is rising, make the sauce. Place the canned tomatoes in a colander and let strain for 30 minutes (you'd be surprised at how much liquid they hold). Transfer the tomatoes to a bowl and add the rest of the sauce ingredients. Stir to combine. Using a handheld blender (or magic bullet), puree the sauce to your desired consistency. I like to keep mine a little chunky, but feel free to add a little tomato juice to thin it out if need be.

Once the dough has sat for 2 hours, remove from the bowl and transfer to a well floured countertop. Punch the dough down a few times, divide into 2 pieces and knead a few times. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough to desired thickness. For a thinner crust, gently tug at the edges to stretch out the dough further. Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet for easy transport to the bbq.

Lightly grease the bbq grates with oil and then heat on medium-high. Once the temperature reaches 425, quickly transfer (or fling) the prepared dough onto the hot grates. Lower the lid and cook for 4-5 minutes, checking to be sure the bottom isn't burning.

Carefully, with all your bbq tools and/or the baking sheet, flip the dough (we cracked one is half - as you can clearly see in the photos). Lower the bbq to low and dress your pizza as desired.
Cook for another 5-7 minutes, until the edges are brown and the cheese has melted.

Serve immediately (with an optional cold beer).