Baby It's Hot Outside & Grilled White Pizza with Greens

It is hot. 

It is so hot, I have taken to getting up early just to walk the dog. Any later than 10:00 am and that fur coat Holly Bear wears everyday is enough to kill her. 

It hasn't rained in some time and the ground is rock hard - I swear the heat is seeping up from the ground AND down from the sky. 

Every morning, I set the sprinklers out to give the tomatoes a drink. When Holly Bear and I return from our walk-about, I set her out in the yard. This is how a very smart puppy (10 months old on Sunday) deals with the heat:

Just like a 4 year old kid, she is jumping through the sprinkler. 

If it's hot where you are, you may enjoy this "keep your kitchen cool" white pizza that you make entirely on the grill. It is sophisticated enough for company appetizers or simple enough for dinner for two. 

Grilled White Pizza with Greens*: makes appetizers for 6 or dinner for 2 to 3

Flour for rolling dough

1 ball (8 oz) prepared pizza dough (store bought, homemade or purchased from your local pizzeria)

2 tablespoons olive oil plus extra for drizzling on arugula

1/2 cup roasted garlic paste (recipe follows)

2/3 cup mozzarella cheese, grated

2/3 cup Asiago cheese, grated

2/3 cup ricotta cheese

1 cup baby arugula, rough chopped and drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with sea salt

4 ounces thin sliced prosciutto

Sea Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the grill to medium high. Turn off the center burner, leaving the outside burners at MH.

Roll out the dough and gently brush 1 tablespoon olive oil on one side. Grill oiled side down for 2 to 4 minutes in the center of the grill with the grill cover down. 

Brush ungrilled side of dough with olive oil. 

Flip over to reveal grilled side of dough. Spread garlic paste all over grilled side. 

Top with mozzarella:

Then the Asiago:



Then dollops of ricotta and put back on grill for 2 to 4 minutes,:


When the crust is crisp and the cheese is hot, remove from grill. Top with rough chopped arugula:

And finally the prosciutto and fresh ground black pepper.

Slice and serve hot! 

Roasted Garlic Paste:

2 heads garlic.

olive oil

Kosher Salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. 

Cut heads off of garlic (top 1/2 inch). Place on a piece of aluminum foil big enough to wrap both heads in (tightly closed). Drizzle each head, cut side up, with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. 

Roast in oven for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool in the foil packet. (about an hour)

When cool, unwrap and take the entire bulb in your hand, cut side down, over cutting board. Squeeze gently and all the cloves of garlic will come out. Repeat with second head of garlic. 

Sprinkle the cloves with a little salt and using the back side of your knife, smash the heads into a paste. This is easy to do and doesn't require a lot of muscle. 

Can be made 2 days in advance. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. 

Have to go now and join Holly Bear in jumping through the sprinkler... 

*Recipe adapted from Fine Cooking, Summer Issue 2009