Summer barbeque'd pizza

We don’t have an outdoor pizza oven, but we love the flavour of a real pizza. However, no matter how good your kitchen oven is, you cannot get the high temperature required to make a really good pizza. But there is a great way to get that flavour, on your barbeque. And it can be a fun evening, too. Here is how to do it, tested yesterday with great success. In fact, I think this is my new summer favourite.

·      Make your favourite yeast dough and let it rise. Or make a trip to an Italian store and buy a ball of dough. One for each person at the diner table.

·      Preheat your barbeque to the highest temperature possible. Ours reaches 600F.

·      Prepare plates or bowls with any toppings you and your guests would like. Some ideas: ham, pineapple, salami, mushrooms, black olives, onions, peppers (I like roasted peppers best), anchovies, asparagus…

·      Slice bocconcini cheese balls. This is a MUST for a good pizza.

·      Give a ball of dough to each person and ask them to roll it thin (or stretch it in any way they can). This is the key. Put it on a cookie sheet, or better yet, on pizza sheet with holes. Then everyone starts by spreading some pizza sauce (or plain tomato sauce. I liked some basil pesto on top as well. Then everyone puts any toppings they like. The final topping will be the slices of bocconcini.

·      When you are ready for the heat, turn off the burners on one side of the barbeque, but keep the other ones on high. Put the pizza on the side with no direct heat. Cover the barbeque right away.

·      When the cheese bubbles and sizzles (about 5 minutes), your pizza is ready. Since the heat on the barbeque comes from the bottom, we broiled our pizzas in the oven on high for a minute.

·      Before serving, sprinkled fresh basil is excellent.