Caramelized-Onion and Gorgonzola Grilled Pizza

Gourmet (June 2008)

The Bitten Word's Let's Get Fired Up for Grilling! series continues with this absolutely outstanding pizza. Seriously, it is ah-mazing. Drop all your plans and make it this weekend!

We fell in love with the combination of smoky sweet flavors, the crunch of the toasted walnuts and the creamy, melty Gorgonzola dolce.

But we did decide there are two important ingredients missing from this dish.

First, and perhaps obviously, bacon. We wanted to make this an entree (although it would make a terrific appetizer). And to that end, we decided to add a meat. We looked for pancetta, but couldn't find any at the neighborhood grocery. So we settled on thick-cut bacon instead. Do yourself a favor and add pork to this pie!

Second, aluminum foil. Now, this recipe calls for "pizza dough, thawed if frozen." We thought about buying pre-made dough and we were sure that would be fine and tasty. But we wanted to make our own and we ended up using the pizza dough recipe that's printed on packets of  Fleishmann's yeast. It took 45 minutes to rise, but it involved less than five minutes of actual work. The final result was SO simple and SO good.

So if you do use store-bought dough, you can probably follow this recipe and just put the dough directly on the grill. If, however, you make your own dough, you're going to want to place it on a sheet of aluminum foil on the grill. Otherwise, the dough is just too soft and it'll fall through the grate.

Regardless of how you do it, make this or another grilled pizza this summer. You won't be sorry. 

CARAMELIZED-ONION AND GORGONZOLA GRILLED PIZZA
Gourmet (June 2008)
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(this photo, Gourmet)

Active time: 30 min
Start to finish: 40 min

Servings: Makes 6 (appetizer) servings

Ingredients

6 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 1/4 lb onions (2 large), halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
14 to 16 oz pizza dough, thawed if frozen
1/4 lb Gorgonzola dolce, crumbled (1 cup)
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
Preparation

Heat 1/4 cup oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-low heat until it shimmers, then cook onions with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper, covered, stirring occasionally, until golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and keep warm, covered.

Prepare a grill for direct-heat cooking over low charcoal (medium heat for gas).

Stretch dough into a roughly 12- by 10-inch rectangle on a large baking sheet and brush with 1 Tbsp oil.

Bring dough, onions, cheese, nuts, parsley, and remaining Tbsp oil to grill area.

Oil grill rack, then put dough, oiled side down, on grill and brush top with remaining Tbsp oil. Grill, covered, until underside is golden brown, 1 1/2 to 3 minutes.

Using tongs, return crust to baking sheet, turning crust over (grilled side up). Sprinkle evenly with onions, cheese, nuts, and parsley. Slide pizza from sheet onto grill and grill, covered, until underside is golden brown and cheese is partially melted, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into pieces.

Cooks notes:
• If you are making the entire menu and using a charcoal grill, the coals will need to be replenished before you grill the veal.
•If you aren't able to grill outdoors, visit gourmet.com for an indoor method.
•Onions can be cooked 1 day ahead and chilled.
•Nuts can be toasted 1 day ahead and cooled, then kept in an airtight container at room temperature.

Comments

[Brenda Lewis]

This makes my mouth water! I can't wait to try this.

[My Sweet & Saucy]

Those photos are just calling out to me! I LOVE homemade pizza!

[Chuck]

What a stunning pizza! My mouth is starting to water just looking at it. I can only imagine how good it must taste!

[michelle @ TNS]

i KNEW i saw bacon in there. and gorgonzola dolce is one of my favorite cheeses.

this is the most perfect pizza the world has ever seen.

[Susan]

I can't tell you how great this looks to me. This will definitely be the summer of grilled pizza.

[Kevbo]

ARE YOU KIDDING ME? You are causing my grocery bill to go off the charts, guys! Bacon and gorgonzola? I'm dying here. Adding to my shopping list right now.

[fanny]

this looks insanely delicious.
xx fanny

Looks amazing!!!!!

[Paula]

Yum! That's one outstanding recipe!

[Jennifer]

What's not good about gorgonzola dolce and carmelized onions? Had them on a burger last night that was FABULOUS. Might have to make this pizza tonight!

[Y]

That pizza looks incredibly good. Gorgonzola and onions? I can almost taste it.. If only I had a grill..

[barbequelover]

This looks absolutely amazing! I can't wait to try it out. I love seeing different ways to utilize my bbq grill!

[beth]

I make something like this but also add slice fresh pear to the onions when carmelizing - try it!