Rania's Recipes: Grilled Pizza

Rania Harris stopped by Pittsburgh Today Live to show off two recipes for grilled pizza!

Grilled Vegetable Pizza

Hummus:

• 4 cups canned chick-peas, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup Sesame Tahini
• ¼ cup water
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• ½ cup fresh lemon juice (about 3 lemons) or to taste
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• Ancho chili pepper (to taste)
• Several dashes Frank's Red Hot Sauce (I like my hummus a spicy)

Pizza:

• 2 Whole wheat thin crust Boboli shells
• Canola oil
• 2 grilled red peppers (blackened skins and seeds removed), cut into strips
• 6 grilled scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 Japanese eggplant, cut in ½ and grilled and sliced
• 1 zucchini, cut in half and grilled and sliced
• Sea salt to taste
• Ancho chili pepper to taste
• 1 cup crumbled goat cheese
• ½ cup chopped Kalamata olives
• 1/4 cup freshly chopped basil leaves

Directions

For the Hummus: In a food processor, combine all of the ingredients. Process, scraping sides occasionally, until mixture is a smooth paste. If mixture is too thick, add more water, a few drops at a time.

For the pizza:

Heat the grill to medium. Brush both sides of the pizzas with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill until golden brown on both sides, about 1 minute per side.

Top each pizza with the spicy hummus. Arrange the grilled vegetables on top of the hummus and top with the goat cheese. Season with salt and ancho chili pepper to taste. Place the pizza back on the grill, close the cover and grill long enough to heat through and melt the cheese. Remove and top with Kalamata olives and fresh basil.

Grilled Margherita Pizza

• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced
• 2 whole wheat Boboli Pizza shells
• 12 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced 1/4 inch
 thick
• 1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, freshly grated
• 2 cups red and yellow cherry tomatoes, halved
• Large handful of baby arugula
• ½ cup chopped fresh basil
• Sea salt, to taste

Directions:

In a small fry pan over low heat, warm the olive oil. Add the garlic, then remove the pan from the heat.

Heat the grill to medium and place the pizza stone onto the grill. Brush both sides of the pizzas with the garlic oil and place onto the stone. Grill until golden brown on both sides, about 1 minute per side.

Lightly brush the dough with more of the garlic-infused olive oil. Scatter the mozzarella and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheeses evenly over the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Arrange half of the tomatoes on top.

Carefully slide the pizza onto the preheated pizza stone, cover the grill and bake until the crust is golden brown. Be careful not to burn the bottom of the pizza dough, Scatter the remaining tomatoes, the arugula and basil on top and season with salt. Using the pizza peel, transfer the pizza to a cutting board and cut into slices. Serve immediately. Serves 2 to 4.