How to Make Pizza on the Grill
We are very much in favor of taking cooking classes as a means of picking up new techniques as well as new recipes. When we are unable to work classes into our schedule, we make an effort to find recipes that challenge our skills and frequently force us to try things outside our normal repertoire. We always enjoy watching the wide variety of chefs who visit Julia Child and have purchased the last two cookbooks in her master chef series. Most of the recipes in these books present major challenges either in terms of unusual ingredients, or the use of techniques generally found outside the home kitchen. In an effort to expand our abilities, we recently tried some of the recipes of master chefs, along with an unusual way of cooking pizza from the Al Forna restaurant in Providence, Rhode Island. Our friends, the Bonschers, have enjoyed meals at Al Forna and recently sent us a cookbook written by the restaurant owners. Cucina Simpatica (Killeen & Germon, HarperCollins, 1991) contains over 130 recipes, all of which sound wonderful. The Bonschers recommended that we try the grilled pizza, although, in all honesty, we avoided trying this recipe until we had a little extra time and an evening free of company. We were convinced that at least half the dough would end up in the fire, but every pizza turned out perfectly. We are now inspired to try new variations, such as pizzas topped with tandoori chicken or shredded barbeque. We look forward to experimenting!
