I am not in the habit of making pizza. Oh I certainly did years ago when my kids were young, but that was then and this is now. Why make pizza when you have a Dondi’s in the neighborhood. Dondi’s has supplied our cravings for Chicago style deep dish pizza for the past 25 years.
That was then…this is now.
We have moved. There is nothing comparable to Dondi’s. That is until our son purchased a Big Green Egg. This unusual looking outdoor grill can produce brick oven quality pizza. Many Friday nights have become pizza nights in East Beach at the Norfolk Clan’s outdoor grill.
While our son provides the pizzas most evenings, I have endeavored to find innovative recipes for sharing. I have resorted to trials in my home kitchen before taking the ingredients to his.
Since my oven does not heat to the temperatures required by a brick oven, my experiments are never as good as they can be. In order to make the experimental process as easy as possible, I only concentrate on the toppings. I leave the dough to Trader Joe’s. I purchase fresh pizza dough by the refrigerated bag at Trader Joe’s. It makes my life much easier.
Monday night I used a recipe I found on thekitchn.com and with a few modifications and the result was amazing in so many ways.
It was quick, simple, and delish. The saltiness of the prosciutto and the peppery flavor of the arugula complimented each other beautifully.
Since my son makes his own dough I need to take only the ingredients for the next Friday evening soiree.
We will see if it is as much of a hit coming out of the Big Green Egg as it was out of my oven…
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 6 slices Prosciutto Enough to cover your pizza
- 2 cups Arugula
- 3 Tbsp Pizza Sauce I used Trader Joe's
- 1 1/2 cups Shredded Mozzarella cheese
- 1 Ball Pizza Dough Trader Joe's
- Spread the pizza dough out onto a 12 inch round Pizza pan. Brush the outer edges lightly with the olive oil. Spread the pizza sauce over the surface of the remaining dough. Sprinkle with 3/4 cup of the shredded mozzarella cheese. Lay the strips of Prosciutto ham over the entire surface of the pizza. Cover with the remaining cheese. Pop this in a preheated 550 degree oven for 6-8 minutes. (my oven only goes to 500 degrees and the pizza took about 11 minutes.) Watch carefully as ovens vary.
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Last night (note a change from the normal Friday night) the Norfolk Clan hosted a pizza dinner for visiting friends. Since we were invited, I took the toppings for my newly found gourmet pizza. We assembled the toppings on a peel onto my son's homemade dough, a mix of regular and whole wheat (1/2 and 1/2 he calls it). Into the Big Green Egg it went. After about 6 minutes, it returned to the kitchen for the arugula topping. I was generous with the arugula. Verdict....Amazing. This has now become my favorite homemade pizza. Now to get the recipe for the dough!
