Pizzas in the BBQ

One of my favourite flavour combinations is sage and anchovies, with the intense saltiness of the anchovies mingling with the uplifting, fragrant sage. I became hooked on this combination by eating Jamie Oliver's sage and anchovy fritters, in which you make a little 'sandwich' with sage leaves on either side of an anchovy fillet, then batter it in a light soda-water batter and shallow fry. All kinds of delicious.

I've thought for a while that this combination would work well on a pizza, so recently I decided to put my theory to the test. In keeping with my resolution to try new things in the kitchen (or out of the kitchen in this case), I decided to try cooking pizzas on the BBQ with the help of the roasting hood.

This worked incredibly well. Soda has taken to calling these pizzas "salt bombs", and I think she means it in a good way.

I placed a pizza stone on a little wire rack support on top of the hot plate, then turned all burners on full and closed the lid. It pretty quickly got up to about 240c, so I turned off the burner immediately underneath the pizza stone. I wanted the stone to absorb the heat, but didn't want a direct heat underneath it when the pizza was cooking, so once it was up to temperature I turned that burner off and left the other three on full.

The whole thing cooked very quickly on the hot stone, with the bases crisping up yet keeping that beautiful chewiness of fresh bread. In five or six minutes the whole thing was done.

I've now done the BBQ pizzas three times, and they're only getting better. I recently tried an artichoke, cacciatore and parmesan pizza with a pesto base, to which I added gremolata after it came off the heat. Very good, though it can't top the anchovy, sage and prosciutto winners.

The pizza pictured below is a caramelised onion, chorizo and mozzarella pizza with an olive oil base. A little plain perhaps, but still good.



7th January 2009