I believe it is officially grilling season, although I am willing to grill all year long. I perfected this week’s recipe when I lived in the mountains of Evergreen, Colorado. I think it was in 2003 during Winter Break with guests in the house when 10 feet of snow fell and the power was off for over four days.

I could light the gas burners with a match and that worked for most dinners, but I wanted to cook individual pizzas and the oven was electric. I had planned a pizza party one of those nights and I had heard of cooking pizzas on the grill, so I decided to give it a try.

Pizza Dough
1-1/2 c. warm water
2 tsp. yeast
2 tsp. sugar
4-1/2 c. flour
2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. olive oil

Dissolve yeast and sugar in water. Add half the flour and start to mix with a wooden spoon or by hand. Then combine the salt with the remaining flour and add to the mixture. Drizzle in the olive oil. Keep trying to mix by spoon or hand but when it gets too difficult, plop it on to a floured counter top and knead for about 5 minutes until the dough is smooth. Wrap it in plastic and refrigerate for about 30 minutes. That recipe makes 4 10-inch pizzas. I just rolled it out with a rolling pin.

Quick Pizza Sauce
1 large can crushed tomatoes
2 tsp. Italian seasoning
2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 tsp. dried basil

Heat the crushed tomatoes in a small pot. Add Italian seasoning, sugar, pepper and tomato paste. Cook on medium heat for at least 10 minutes. The sauce will reduce a little during that time. I tasted it and decided to add the dried basil.

I worked at Pizza Hut in high school and was an assistant manager during two years of college. At that time, there was a rank one could achieve of Pizza Hut Professional, and I still consider myself to be one. I’m kidding around, but it is important to know what you’re doing because using the right amount of sauce keeps the pizza from being too dry; too many wet toppings make the dough soggy; proper layering of ingredients and the use of cheese help provide the glue to hold it all together.

So to grill pizzas, dust a pizza peel with cornmeal, roll out one pizza shell and lay it on the peel. Outside on a medium-heated grill, slide the shell off the peel. While it cooks, roll out the next one and slide it onto the grill as well. Watch closely. When grill marks start to show and the shell is easily flipped over, do so. Grill the other side. If a bubble starts to show, pierce it gently with a metal spatula. Cook the rest of the shells and bring inside for guests to top.

Start with the sauce and spread evenly up to 1/2-inch from the edge. Sprinkle a handful of cheese over the sauce. Layer on flat meats like pepperoni, sliced ham and/or Canadian bacon. Then sprinkle on the vegetables keeping in mind that too many can make the pizza soggy. Crumbled meats like cooked ground meat and pork go on top of the vegetables. Then to hold it all in place, sprinkle on another handful of cheese. Back in the day, we sprinkled on something called Fairy Dust, but just in case that’s still a secret, I won’t describe exactly how it was made. However, doesn’t a little grated Parmesan and a pinch of dried oregano sound like a good finishing touch?

Scoop the topped pizza shell onto the peel and slide on the grill again. This time, close the lid to hold in the heat. Check often and since everything is already cooked, it’s done when the cheese has melted and the crust is golden. Just keep a close eye on the bottom of the shell so it doesn’t burn. Adjust the heat as necessary.

I made grilled pizza Sunday night for dinner. I sautéed mushrooms, onions and green peppers for the topping and cooked Italian sausage. When cooking on the grill, it doesn’t stay in the heat as long as an oven, so pre-cooking those toppings is best. After I removed the pizzas from the grill, I topped mine with freshly chopped basil.

Obviously pizza shells and sauce can be purchased at most grocery stores, so if you don’t have time to make it from scratch, don’t let that stop you from making your own pizzas at home, using the ingredients you like best. Kids like to make their own and do-it-yourself pizza is fun at a party. Just prepare shells ahead of time, lay out toppings and let the guests create their own. Then someone just needs to man the grill and finish cooking them.