Carmelized Onion, Sun dried Tomato BBQ Pizza

I have figured out the secret to a happy marriage: agreeing on pizza toppings.  Think about it.  What meal do you eat more in your adult life than any other?  Pizza.  Loving the same one makes for far less arguments about what the pizza will have on it this time.  Both Don and I love our crust super thin and crunchy off the grill. Thankfully, he has also come to appreciate a good veggie version when it comes to toppings.   Pizza on the BBQ is one of our family's summertime favourites.  The kids love to make the dough and open "pizza store" where each person chooses their own toppings. 

Making the dough takes a bit of time, but the actual pizza assembly and cooking is relatively quick.  The dough recipe uses a little semolina flour which makes for an even crunchier bite!  It will seem dry and crumbly at first, but with a little tough love (kneading) it all comes together.  I've skipped the use of tomato sauce on this one and didn't miss it a bit.  The carmelized onions become almost jam like and spread across the crust in place of the red sauce.

One trick for making sure your dough is not soggy is to grill both sides of the dough.  Indirect heat is the trick to keep things hot without charring the bottom of your pizza.  The addition of a raw kale salad on top of the pizza provides a freshness to cut the rich cheese and onions.  It makes eating the pizza with your hands a little trickier, but even if you have to break out the knife and fork for this, it is worth it.

Make sure you have all your ingredients nearby when you get to the grilling stage because the pizzas cook quite fast.  Our pizza was simple one on this occasion but it could easily have had some olives, mushrooms or peppers added to it.  Hope you give this pizza a try and who knows, it might even make for a happier marriage. 

Carmelized Onion, Sun dried Tomato BBQ Pizza

Pizza Dough:

adapted from Tyler Florence Family Meal
1 pkg of yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 cup warm water
1 Tbsp salt
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup flour
1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup semolina flour

In a small bowl combine the yeast, sugar and water and let sit for 5-10min until the yeast starts to foam.
In a large bowl, combine the flours and salt.  Stir in the yeast mixture and olive oil.  Stir with a wooden spoon until too tough to mix, then knead by hand.  If it's too crumbly, add a little more water.  If it is too moist, add more flour, 1Tbsp at a time.  Knead for about 5min until smooth. 
Form the dough in a bowl and put into a large oiled bowl, ensuring all the dough is covered in oil.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for about 1hr in a warm spot (until doubled in size).

Toppings:

2 cups carmelized onions (see below)
1 Tbsp sherry vinegar
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes chopped
2 cups mozzarella shredded
To make onions: Begin with 3 cups raw onion and saute over low heat for 30-40min.  Stir frequently and add small amounts of water if it begins to stick.  In last 5min of cooking, stirring in vinegar until absorbed.

Kale Salad:

1 head lacinato kale de-veined and sliced

2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp minced garlic
salt/pepper to taste
Toss kale with olive oil, vinegar, garlic and spices and set aside.

Assembly:

Oil the grill grates of the BBQ with olive oil.  Set to high heat. Divide pizza dough into 4 balls.  Roll out each ball of pizza dough to about 1/4" thick.  Lower heat on one side of BBQ and put pizza on this side for about 3min.  Just enough to get grill marks on each one.  Return pizza dough to work area and top each with carmelized onions, sun dried tomatoes and mozzarella.  Place each one on BBQ low side for about 5min.  Keep an eye to ensure they don't burn.  Remove from heat and top with kale salad.  Enjoy!