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.