grilled pizza with kale and prosciutto

is it too hot to cook indoors where you live? make some pizza on your barbeque grill, man! it’s easy and tasty, and you won’t have to heat up that oven to it’s max temp. also, you might just Food Destroy at the next cookout you go to — pizza, instead of hot dogs or ribs? heck yeah. mix it up!

i love pizza, i love it a lot. i can’t bear for the entire summer to pass by without making a lot of it at home, so the grilled version is my jam these days.

a small, portable gas grill is what suits our loft-living situation, and it was a little tricky to get the hang of grilling pizza dough to a nice doneness without over-charring over a gas flame. if you have a charcoal grill or a smoker, you will have even more control over temperature. my mom bakes amazing pizzas on an old pan in her smoker for about 15 minutes. epic and so flavorful! my gas grill gets these babies cooked in about 7 minutes total, so experiment with your grill.

start with a hearty pizza dough, such Jim Lahey’s (amazing and simple) No-Knead Pizza Dough with half the all-purpose flour swapped for whole wheat (link to recipe below). i’ve found it holds up better to grilling than the same dough made of all white flour. use a light hand with the toppings, and the possibilities are limitless! below is a flavor combo we’ve tried: the kale gets crisp and crackly like kale chips, and the prosciutto is a wonderful smokey contrast that also crisps up a bit (kinda like bacon). the pie in these pictures didn’t have any red sauce, and i honestly thought it was a bit dry without, so i noted that in the recipe. try your favorite pizza flavors — fire up your grillz!

• pizza dough, store-bought or homemade (such as Jim Lahey’s no-knead pizza dough, which makes enough for 4 – 6 pizzas depending on size and thickness of crust. try swapping half whole-wheat flour for the all-purpose!)
• big stems of kale from a bunch
• olive oil
• crushed tomatoes, or a favorite marinara sauce
• as much or as little mozerella cheese as you prefer (low-moisture works best), grated
• prosciutto (cured, thinly-sliced pork), torn into pieces
• coarse salt and ground pepper

first, after making sure the kale is clean and dry, drizzle leaves lightly with olive oil and toss/massage with your fingers to evenly coat. sprinkle with coarse salt and pepper and grill until lightly browned, flipping once. when cool, remove tough stems and chop or tear kale into bite-sized pieces. set aside.

take one pizza’s-worth portion of dough and begin to stretch it gently in your hands, letting gravity help do the work. give it rests occasionally if it resists.

when it’s the size and thickness you prefer, place it directly onto lightly-oiled grill grates, over medium-high heat. watch carefully; when underside is browned, use tongs to remove it to a cutting board or other portable prep surface. spread browned side of dough (raw side down) with tomatoes or marinara, cheese, and then prosciutto and kale. brush edges of crust with olive oil; sprinkle everything with salt and pepper (depending on how salty your prosciutto is). slide carefully back onto grill, and cook with lid closed until cheese is bubbling and underside is browned and crisp.

enjoy!

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