Sausage and Smoked Mozzarella Pizza
The balcony has been taken back from the spiders. I can grill in peace again. The patio still needs a little bit of work to get back into proper form to want to spend more time down there, but the balcony? Perfect. We ate out on the balcony over the weekend–a simple salad and a grilled rib eye. I’m digging the simplicity.
Grilling pizza is one of my favorite summer pastimes. Can that be a proper hobby? It is now. I have been taking cues from East Glisan Pizza because I like having tested combinations. I trust them. They’re always unique pizzas but not over the top. A nice balance of simple and creative. I tried my hand at a cream sauce for once. It’s not usually a go-to for pizza. It’s so decadent and overwhelming sometimes but if East Glisan says so, I’m all in. I found this recipe and copied it. It’s a garlicky béchamel and did the trick. Fresh jalapeños are sort of nonnegotiable, same with the smoked mozzarella. I’m not usually a huge smoked cheese [or smoked anything] fan, but this does lend another layer to the flavors going on.
PS, finally watched the Michael Pollan’s Cooked series on Netflix. It’s a must watch. It makes me want to cook all the things.
PPS, finally ate at Shalom Y’all. It’s a must eat. It’s Mediterranean Exploration Company’s sister restaurant. So, so, good.
PPPS, new food cart in the ‘hood, Tehuana Oaxaca Cuisine. Freshest Mexican food going. It has the usual burrito/taco/torta fare, but also those memelitas and tlayudas. Also so, so good.
Inspiration: East Glisan Pizza
Ingredients
- 1 ball of pizza dough
- 1 batch cream sauce [i had a little leftover]
- 1/2lb pork sausage
- 1 cup shredded smoked mozzarella
- Five cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 1 jalapeño, thinly sliced
- Olive oil
Preparation
Heat the grill on medium high. The temp should be in the 450-500° range.
While the grill heats up, brown the sausage. Remove to a paper towel lined plate. Sauté the mushroom slices in the same pan as the sausage grease. Stir occasionally until the mushrooms are dark brown and starting to caramelize in the edges. Remove from heat.
Roll out the ball of dough until it’s about 1/4 inch thick. I usually do this on a Silat or parchment for easy transfer to the grill. Brush the side facing up with olive oil. Transfer the dough oil-side down to the grill. Cover. Check after two minutes. If the dough lifts up easy and has grill marks, remove it to a baking sheet grill-side down. Spoon the cream sauce evenly over the non-grilled side. Sprinkle the cheese evenly on top of the sauce. Spread the sausage, mushrooms, and jalapeño on top. Turn the heat down to medium and return the pizza back to the grill. Cover the grill for 4-8 minutes. The cheese should be melted and the crust the desired crunchiness. Allow to cool for a few minutes before cutting into slices.