Grilled Pizza with Slow-roasted Tomatoes, Fresh Mozzarella, and Fresh Basil

My Carolina Kitchen

1 pound ball of pizza dough, homemade or store bought, brought to room temperature if refrigerated

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut or torn into small pieces

4 tablespoons freshly grated Italian Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Slow-roasted tomatoes, recipe below

Fresh basil leaves, torn or if small, left whole

Punch and stretch out the pizza dough with your fingers until you reach a desired shape, round or slightly elongated, your choice (not all pizzas have to be round.) Heat a gas or charcoal grill to high and when very hot, brush both sides of the dough with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill until golden brown on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Remove the pizza to a flat surface (we slid our onto a pizza peel dusted with cornmeal) and top first with the mozzarella, then sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese, and finally arrange the slow-roasted tomatoes on top of the cheeses. Slide the pizza back on the grill, cover and heat just long enough for the mozzarella to melt & become bubbly, about a minute. Remove and top with basil leaves. Basil leaves tend to turn dark when they get hot, so leave them for last minute. Serve immediately.

Grilled pizza dough instructions adapted from Bobby Flay- Topping - My Carolina Kitchen – Sam Hoffer, serves 2

Slow Roasted Tomatoes

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Slice 8 to 10 plums tomatoes in half lengthwise and arrange on a lightly oiled rimmed baking sheet, cut side up. Be careful, the tomatoes will want to slide around. Drizzle with about 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle evenly with some sugar, about a teaspoon, then thinly sliced garlic, a clove or two depending on their size, and plenty of crunchy sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast until the tomatoes turn a deep red and are wrinkled, which should take about 2 to 2 ½ hours. Remove them from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet. They are good warm or at room temperature.

Adapted from Cooking for Friends from Williams Sonoma, serves 4 – 6