i can cook.

sometimes i get a little crazy and want to try recipes that are a little more difficult or somewhat over the top. when i found this recipe, i knew it was a stretch, but it didn't seem overly ambitious. i decided to try it out with my friend, sara, hoping that it would turn out alright. i cannot explain to you in words how freaking amazing it actually turned out. so much so, i made it for my dinner group. and trust, the pizza part was delicious, but if you only take one thing away from this post, please-please-please make the basil vinaigrette. it is from heaven. i promise.

this is sara, enjoying the pizza

grilled pizza with hot sausage, grilled peppers and onions and oregano ricotta
(courtesy bobby flay)

prep time: 35 minutes
cook time: 40 minutes
serves: 4

½ pound italian hot sausage
1 large red onion, cut into ¼-inch thick slices
2 large yellow peppers, cored, seeded and quartered
2 large red peppers, cored, seeded and quartered
olive oil
salt and pepper
1 recipe favorite pizza dough, rolled into four 6-inch rounds
½ pound grated fontina cheese (i used gruyere because i couldn't find the fontina the first time i made it, but i did find some fontina at macey's the second time...for those of you where i live.)
1 cup sheep’s milk ricotta (obviously, if i can't find fontina, i'm not gonna find sheep's milk ricotta...so i just used regular ricotta. i'm not sure what the difference would be anyway.)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
basil vinaigrette

grill the sausage on both sides until golden brown and cooked through, about 10 minutes per side. brush onions and peppers with the oil and season with salt and pepper. grill the onions and peppers until soft, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. remove the sausage from the grill and slice into ¼-inch thick slices. remove the onions, separate into rings and roughly chop. remove the peppers and slice into ⅛-inch thick slices.

heat grill to high. brush dough with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and grill for 2 to 3 minutes or until gold brown. turn over and grill for 1 to 2 minutes. remove from the grill and place on a flat surface.

divide the fontina cheese among the four pizza rounds. divide the sausage, onions and peppers over the cheese. place the pizza on the grill, close the cover and grill until the cheese has melted, about 3 to 4 minutes. to finish in the over, preheat the oven to 450°. place the pizza on sheet pans and bake until the cheese has melted, about 5 to 10 minutes.

mix together the ricotta, extra-virgin olive oil, and oregano in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. remove the pizzas from the oven/grill and drizzle with basil vinaigrette. top with dollops of the ricotta cheese mixture and let rest for 5 minutes. slice and serve.

we used a makeshift pizza dough, so our rounds were waaaay smaller than they were supposed to be...so, they look overloaded, but they are not...just small.

basil vinaigrette

½ cup fresh basil leaves
¼ cup white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
salt and freshly ground pepper
½ cup olive oil

combine all ingredients and blend until smooth. adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

this is the tasty goodness that is basil vinaigrette. i'm not kidding when i say that it is amazingly delicious.

grilled chicken salad


because we had some dressing leftover, we decided to make salads the next night...to die for. they were very plain with just lettuce, tomatoes, some feta, a few sunflower seeds and the dressing...but it was straight restaurant quality.