Mitch Ancona's guide to Wine and Pizza

Editor's note: Mitch Ancona is a longtime Ridgefielder and owner of Ancona's Wines & Liquors with stores in Wilton and Ridgefield. You can read his blog, The Last Great Glass here. 

I readily admit my wife, Deb, is a far better chef than I. I'm more of a clean up kind of guy anyway. I do, however, have a few signature recipes. One of which is grilled pizza. Yes, grilled pizza! My sister taught me this trick/recipe a few years back and I've been perfecting it ever since. It's easier than you think. You can make your own pizza dough or go to your favorite local pizza shop and buy a couple of hunks of their dough. I've used "supermarket" dough and it works just as well. Okay, let's get to it! To stretch the dough, I use a rectangular cutting board. I don't roll the dough, I also don't add flour. I prefer the dough to be a little sticky. This helps the dough hold the shape of the cutting board. After the dough it stretched, cover the top side with a thin coat of olive oil. Now it's time to start the grill. To avoid burning your pie and sending it to pizza heaven, I suggest using the lowest setting. When the grill gets to the 350 degree mark, put the dough oil side down on the grill. This might take a bit of practice. I promise you'll get it by pizza number 4 or 5. Close the grill and let the pizza "cook" for 5-8 minutes. Err on the side of caution and check it at the 5 minute mark. The pizza should move freely on the grill thanks to the olive oil. Once the bottom (which will be the top) gets to your desired "crispiness", flip the pizza. The dough is usually cooked through enough so it won't stick to the grill. Now it's time to add your toppings (more on that below). Close the lid and wait until the toppings are heated through. That's it... easy-peazy-lemmon-squeazy.

I love trying to create a pizza that will pair with a specific wines. The pizza pictured above had one section that was just plain "cheese" for my 10year old, but it could have easily been a whole half made with separate toppings for a second wine. On the other half of the pie I used a mix of sauteed mushrooms, sauteed spinach and Asiago cheese. The target wine was Joseph Swan's "Cuvee de Trois" 2011 Pinot Noir.  My idea was to take the earthiness  of the mushrooms and match it with the earthiness of the wine. The dark red fruit flavors of the Pinot would counter balance the sharp/rich flavors of the cheese. All in all, it was a pretty good pairing. Give pizza grilling a go and let me know what your favorite pizza pairing turns out to be.

N
Submitted by Newtown, CT

Become a Local Voice in Your Community!

HamletHub invites you to contribute stories, events, and more to keep your neighbors informed and connected.

Read Next