Grilled Pizza with White Beans, Spinach, & Yellow Cherry Tomatoes

I've mentioned my love of grilled pizza before when we hosted a grilled pizza party for friends. It's fun to make, a cinch to throw together thanks to fresh pizza dough at the grocery store, and ridiculously versatile. Whenever warm weather and grilling season arrives, it's one of our favorite things to add back into our dinner rotation, but since this spring has been so rainy in Texas, the grill has been a bit neglected. Until now! This week has been sunny and beautiful, so when I saw this White Bean and Spinach Pizza recipe from The Kitchn, I knew it was the perfect inspiration for our first grilled pizza of the season! So without further ado, let's get to the pizza.

Ingredients

1 ball of fresh pizza dough

Flour for rolling out dough

1/3 cup olive oil

1 large garlic clove

4 oz taleggio, rind removed

Grated mozzarella

1 can of cannellini beans (though you wont need the whole can)

A handful of fresh spinach

6 or so yellow cherry tomatoes, halved

Directions

Light the grill, and let it get as hot as possible.

(Warning: my grilling instructions will be a bit lacking, as my husband is in charge of the grill at our house).

While the grill heats, toss and roll out your pizza dough.

(We try to get ours as thin as we can and as round as we can, though it usually ends up pretty oddly shaped. There's no judgment here. It'll still taste good).

Also, heat the olive oil in a small pan on the stove over medium heat. Once hot, toss in the minced garlic and let simmer for a few minutes to infuse the olive oil with the flavor of the garlic.

Once the grill is hot, toss on the pizza dough. Close the lid, and cook for 1.5 to 2 minutes.

(We use a wooden pizza peel dusted with semolina to prevent sticking. One good quick jerk of the arm should slide it from the peel to the grill).

Once the bottom has crisped nicely, remove the dough from the grill, and flip it over so that you can decorate the cooked side with the toppings.

Brush the crust with the garlic-infused olive oil, and top with roughly torn pieces of tallegio and the grated mozzarella. Scatter with a good handful of white beans, tomato halves, and fresh spinach leaves.

(Try to avoid overloading the pizza too much so that everything will heat through and melt nicely in the quick amount of time required to cook the bottom of the crust)

Return the pizza to the grill, close the lid, and cook for another 1.5 to 2 minutes. The bottom should be cooked and crispy (a few charred spots are fine), and the cheese should be melted.

Cut into pieces (I use kitchen shears), and serve immediately!

Grilled Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Steaks

Can I share one more summery recipe with you before we wean ourselves from the grill and return to simmering stews, roasts, and all things fall? I'm a huge fan of roasted and grilled vegetables, and I need you to know about these beautiful grilled cauliflower steaks.  You cut a large head of cauliflower vertically to create thick slabs (or steaks). They're liberally seasoned with lime and smoky chili powder, grilled, and garnished with cilantro, cotija cheese, and another good squeeze of lime. It's a great side dish (or heck, main dish).

Now, you also end up with lots of loose florets in the process. I tossed them onto a piece of foil, drizzled them with oil, seasoned them with a curry salt blend (use any spice mix you like!), and folded the foil into a packet. We roasted them on the grill for about 15 minutes while we cooked the cauliflower steaks, and I served them over with couscous the next day for lunch. If that doesn't float your boat, just save them in the fridge for another meal.

Happy grilling!

(Based on The Kitchn's Grilled Chipotle Lime Cauliflower Steaks)

Serves 2-4

Ingredients

1 large head of cauliflower

2 Tb olive oil

1 lime, zested and juiced

1 lime, cut into wedges for serving

1/2 tsp agave syrup (or honey)
1 Tb smoked paprika

1/2 Tb ancho chili powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup cilantro leaves, finely chopped

2-3 Tb crumbled cotija cheese

 

Directions

After trimming away the leaves, set the cauliflower head flat on the cutting board. With a large knife, slice down through the cauliflower. First, loose florets along the sides will fall away, but when you get closer to the center of the head (which is attached to the thick stem) slice it into 3-4 one inch thick steaks. The amount of steaks you can get will vary based on the size of your cauliflower.

 

In a bowl, whisk together the lime juice, agave syrup (or honey), and olive oil. In a separate bowl, mix the lime zest, paprika, ancho chile powder, and salt.

 

Brush each side of the cauliflower steaks generously with the lime juice, oil, and agave mixture (be sure to get the sides of the steaks as well. Then sprinkle each side of the steaks liberally with the spice and lime zest mixture.

 

Grill the cauliflower steaks over high heat for about 5-6 minutes per side until done and slightly charred. (If you don't have a grill, place the steaks under a broiler preheated to High. Just keep a close eye on them, as the timing will probably differ)

 

Remove the cauliflower from the grill, and sprinkle with chopped cilantro and cotija cheese. Serve with lime wedges.

Vegetable and Halloumi Skewers

How was everyone's 4th of July? This year we celebrated with good friends who were nice enough to grill for us, as our grill is currently on a truck somewhere between Massachusetts and Texas. We had a wonderful time and had way too much food, as we usually do when we get together -- burgers, sweet corn, roasted radishes, curly fries and onion rings, salad, chips with guacamole and salsa, watermelon, these vegetable and halloumi skewers, and chocolate chip cookie ice cream sandwiches. We powered through so valiantly that our forefathers would have been proud.

These skewers and especially the halloumi were a huge hit. Halloumi is a Mediterranean cheese, originally from the island of Cyprus, that is firm and wonderfully salty. It has a high melting point, so it's perfect for grilling. It's a little pricey and hard to find, but if you can splurge a little, it's a treat that's well worth it! Happy grilling!

(Recipe based on the Halloumi and Vegetable Skewers from Serious Eats)

Makes ~8 Skewers

 

Ingredients

3 medium zucchini, sliced into 3/4" rounds

2 orange bell peppers, seeded and cut into roughly 1" squares

8-10 cremini mushrooms, halved

8-16 oz halloumi cheese, sliced into ~3/4" cubes
(I made do with 8 oz to be a little more frugal)

1 medium yellow onion, peeled, quartered, and pieces separated

2 Tb red wine vinegar

2 Tb lemon juice from 1 lemon

1-2 Tb fresh mint leaves, finely chopped

salt and pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
Optional: 1 lemon sliced into wedges for garnish

 

Directions

Note: If you're using wood skewers, be sure to soak them in water, at least 30 minutes, prior to placing the vegetables on them and grilling. This will keep the skewer from burning up on the grill.

 

In a large bowl, whisk together red wine vinegar, lemon juice, mint, and salt and pepper until the salt dissolves. Then whisk in the olive oil until combined.

 

Add the vegetables and halloumi to the bowl, and toss with the vinaigrette until well coated. Let sit for a couple of minutes and toss again (I repeated this a couple times). 

 

Thread the vegetables and halloumi onto skewers, alternating as you go. Thread the halloumi gently in an attempt to prevent it from splitting.

 

Grill the skewers over medium-high heat for about 4 minutes. Flip and grill for another 4 minutes, or until the cheese is beginning to brown and the vegetables have slightly charred and begin to soften.

 

Serve immediately and enjoy! (For a little extra flavor, you can squeeze a couple lemon wedges over the skewers once they come off the grill and before you serve them)

Grilled Flank Steak Chimichurri Pinwheels

To kick off my birthday weekend, my husband and I teamed up to make these flank steak pinwheels rolled around a good slathering of chimichurri inspired by a beautiful recipe from the new "Canal House Cooks Every Day" cookbook. As I still have a lot of chimichurri in my freezer, I figured it would be a delicious substitute for pesto (though I think my Swiss Chard and Brussels Sprout Pesto would be great here as well). 

We served the sliced steak along with roasted red potatoes and green beans (simply toss both with a little butter, olive oil, salt, and pepper and grill in foil packets for about 25 minutes). It's a simple yet impressive meal that's great for a special occasion. 

Serves 2-3

Ingredients

1 to 1 1/3 lb flank steak

~1/2 cup chimichurri (see recipe)

salt and pepper

Directions

Heat the grill to high heat.
(For our three burner gas grill, we turned all burners to high)

Place the flank steak on a large cutting board with the grain of the meat running vertically.

Using a very sharp knife, butterfly the steak by slicing through the middle of the meat from the right side to the left, stopping about 1/2 inch away from the left side (don't cut all the way through the meat). 

Fold it open like a book, and press flat.

Sprinkle the meat with salt and pepper and then spread the chimichurri generously over the surface, leaving about 1/2 - 1 inch of space around the edges.

Roll the meat from right to left until it forms a long log, and tie with kitchen twine every inch or two. Rub the exterior of the meat with any chimichurri that squeezes out onto the cutting board.

Grill for about 10 minutes, searing the meat on all sides.

Reduce the heat on the grill such that one side of the grill is still hot and one side is cooler. 

(We accomplished this on our three burner gas grill by setting the front burner to high, the middle burner to medium, and the back burner to low.)

Move the seared meat to the cooler side of the grill, close the lid, and let it roast for about 20 minutes until the center reaches the desired temperature (we opted for ~140 F for a medium steak).

When the desired temperature is achieved, bring the meat inside, and let it rest on the cutting board for about 5-10 minutes. 

Remove the kitchen twine, and slice in about 1-inch pinwheels. Serve immediately, and enjoy!

Chimichurri (and Chimichurri Grilled Potatoes)

When I was in college, I spent two summer internships in LA before moving there following graduation.  During one of those internships, I joined my friend Diana for a cookout at the home of an Argentenian co-worker. It was a beautiful California summer day, and they had sausages on the grill. The grill master happily placed one on my plate and pointed to a large bowl of green sauce next to the grill. As he drizzled a large spoonfull over the grilled meat, he told me it was called Chimichurri. I immediately fell in love, never having tasted anything like it.  Following the cookout, he was kind enough to share his recipe, and I'm still using it six years later!

While his original recipe called for two bunches of parsley and 1/4 cup of red wine vinegar, I tweaked it a bit. In some regions, cilantro and lemon juice are used, so I added a little bit of both (a great addition for a cilantro lover like me). It's a versatile sauce, good with any grilled meat (or vegetables)!.  Monday, I made a batch to drizzle over steak and then tossed a little bit with grilled potatoes for a wonderful side dish.

Chimichurri

Ingredients

1 bunch of parsley, roughly chopped 

1 bunch of cilantro, roughly chopped

1 large clove of glaric, roughly chopped

2 cups of olive oil

1/8 cup of red wine vinegar

1/8 cup lemon juice

1 tsp salt 

1/8 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (or more if you like things spicy)

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until it comes together into a sauce. Taste and add more salt and pepper to taste.  It's as simple as that! 

This makes a big batch, so store leftovers in the fridge (should last a week or so) or in the freezer (should last a few months).

Chimichurri Grilled Potatoes

Ingredients

1.5 lbs small potatoes, washed and halved (I used a bag of red, purple, and yukon gold potatoes)

~1/4 cup + 2 Tb chimichurri

salt (for parboiling the potatoes)

Directions

Place the halved potatoes in a medium sauce pan and cover with cold salted water. 

Bring to a boil, and let the potatoes simmer for about 8 minutes, until they are almost done (you should be able to insert a paring knife into a potato half fairly easily but still meet some resistance).

Drain the potatoes and toss with about 2 tablespoons of the Chimichurri.

Grill over med-high heat for about 2 minutes. Flip and grill for another 1-2 minutes until lightly golden brown.

Serve topped with the remaining Chimichurri.

It's Grilling Season: Grilled Mushrooms & Asparagus

It's starting to feel more like Spring around here, and it's been sunny and mild this week, which is more than enough excuse to get out the grill.  I flipped through Bobby Flay's Grill It! for inspiration, and two recipes caught my eye  One was Grilled Asparagus with Green Peppercorn Vinaigrette, and the other was Grilled Portobello Mushrooms with Hazelnut Pesto and Goat Cheese. Though I usually do exactly what Julia Child tells me, I can't disagree with her more when she says, "there is nothing worse than grilled vegetables."  To me, slightly charred, perfectly grilled vegetables are the delicious epitome of the warm, sunshine-filled months.

For the asparagus, I used Red Wine Vinegar in place of White Wine Vinegar, threw in a little whole grain mustard, and opted for capers instead of green peppercorns. For the mushrooms, I used some of my Swiss Chard and Brussels Sprout Pesto that I made and stashed in the freezer a couple weeks ago. We bought some pretty rib-eye steaks to go with the grilled vegetables, and we had a springtime feast!

Grilled Portobello Mushrooms with Pesto and Goat Cheese 

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 portobello mushroom, wiped clean and stems removed

~2 Tb olive oil + salt and pepper

1/3 c Swiss Chard and Brussels Sprout Pesto

1/4 c crumbled goat cheese

1 tsp lemon zest

Directions

Drizzle olive oil over top and bottom of the mushroom caps, and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper.

Place the mushrooms on the grill cap side down.  Grill over high heat for 4-5 minutes, until slightly charred. Flip and grill for 3-4 more minutes, until cooked through.

Remove mushrooms to a platter, cap side down. Top with crumbled goat cheese and a dallop of pesto, and garnish with the lemon zest. Serve immediately.

Grilled Asparagus with Caper Vinaigrette

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 bunch of asparagus, tough ends trimmed

~2 Tb olive oil + salt and pepper

3 Tb Red Wine Vinegar

1 tsp dijon mustard

1 tsp whole grain mustard

2 tsp honey

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

3/4 Tb capers, drained and chopped

1/4 c + 2 Tb olive oil

Directions

Whisk together the red wine vinegar, dijon mustard, whole grain mustard, honey, salt, pepper, and capers. Slowly drizzle in olive oil, whisking constantly to emulsify.

(You can make this a couple days in advance, storing it in the refrigerator, but let it sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before serving.  I make mine in a little glass jar so that I can give it a good shake before serving, and the jar works nicely for storing leftover vinaigrette in the refrigerator)

Drizzle olive oil over the asparagus, sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper, and toss to coat.

Grill asparagus over high heat about 3-4 minutes.  Roll the stalks over, and grill 3-4 more minutes, until slightly charred.

Remove the asparagus to a platter.  Drizzle with the vinaigrette, toss, and serve immediately.