Zucchini Recipe Ideas + Grilled Zucchini Pizza

Just after I bought a few zucchinis at the grocery store, we end up bringing this monster back from my in-laws last weekend, courtesy of their garden. Seriously . . . I’ve got zucchini coming out of my ears. I’m sure I’m not the only one, though.

My latest kick has been making grilled pizza. Has anyone ever tried grilled pizza? When I first saw someone make it on the Food Network (Michael Chiarello, I think), I thought, “Um, ya right. That dough is going to drop right through the grates and make a big ol’ mess.”

I was dead wrong.

There are a few pros and cons to grilling pizza. One benefit of grilling, if you have trouble getting a crispy crust, is that you get it marvelously crispy if you stretch the dough real thin. It has a great, smokey flavor from the charred marks, too. If you like making pizza in the summer, you can do it without cranking your oven up to 500 degrees and cooking your house, too.

On the other hand, you don’t have a heat source on top, so you have to make sure your toppings are either pre-cooked or cook in about 3-4 minutes. Along with that, you don’t get the browned, crispy cheese on top, but you could always finish it off under the broiler, to get the best of both worlds.

Pictured using the Overnight Pizza Dough recipe. Any pizza dough would work with this.

For more tips on grilling pizza see this post.

Grilled Zucchini Pizza

Ingredients:

1 large garlic clove
olive oil (preferably extra-virgin)
1 lb pizza dough, thawed if frozen
1 lb zucchini (about 2 large), cut diagonally into 1/3-inch-thick slices
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 lb coarsely grated mozzarella (2 1/2 cups)
2-3 ounces goat cheese (optional, but recommended)
1-2 T Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano

Directions:

Prepare gas grill for cooking over moderate heat. Preheat burners on high, covered, 10 minutes, then, if necessary, reduce to heat specified in recipe.

Meanwhile, mince garlic with a large heavy knife, then mash to a paste with a pinch of salt using flat side of knife. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in 1 tablespoon of olive oil.

Stretch dough with your fingers into a 12- by 10-inch rectangle on a large baking sheet and rub with 1 teaspoon olive oil. Cover dough with plastic wrap.

Toss zucchini with salt (1/4 teaspoon) and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a bowl. Grill zucchini on lightly oiled grill rack, covered, turning occasionally, until just tender, 4 to 5 minutes total. Return to bowl.

Bring dough, garlic oil, and cheese to grill area. Grill dough, oiled side down, on lightly oiled grill rack, covered, until underside is golden brown, 2 to 4 minutes.

Turn crust over using tongs and brush with garlic oil. Sprinkle with half of cheese, then arrange zucchini, overlapping slightly, in 1 layer on cheese. Sprinkle with remaining mozzerella, goat cheese, and Parmesan on top and grill pizza, covered, until underside is golden brown and cheese is melted, 3 to 5 minutes.

Transfer pizza with tongs and a spatula to a cutting board, then sprinkle with oregano and drizzle with remaining teaspoon olive oil.

adapted from Epicurious.com

Pizza and Crust, Vegetarian

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