Grilled Veggie Ciabatta Goodness!

It was 70 degrees this past weekend, which made for a perfect day to walk around the farmers market. The first vendor we visited was selling a variety of bread that all looked delicious. I grabbed the ciabatta and a bunch of veggies and thought grilled sandwiches would be perfect!

Serves: 2-3 fans

The Players:

• 1 loaf of ciabatta bread
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 medium sized zucchini sliced 1/8 inch thickness, lengthwise
• 1/2 medium sized eggplant sliced into 1/8 inch rounds
• 1 mozzarella ball or burrata ball sliced
• 8 large basil leaves
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Handful of arugula and spinach

Aioli Spread:

• 5 tbs mayonnaise
• 1.5 tps minced garlic
• 1 tps of garlic aioli mustard*

Special Tools:
Grill (We have a gas grill, adjust the grill time according to your grill)
Basting Brush

The Game Plan:

Make sure the grill is off and brush the grates with olive oil. Place heat on low and cover. Meanwhile cut the ciabatta in half length wise and brush the inside with olive oil.

Brush with olive oil. Place face down on grill and cover. Let the bread grill for about 8-10 minutes until slightly charred and crisp on edges.  Keep an eye on the bread so it doesn't burn.

While the bread is grilling. Prep aioli spread. Mix mayo, garlic, and garlic aioli mustard together.
Set aside.

Brush all veggies with olive oil.

Once bread is done set aside and let cool.  Add all veggies onto grill and let cook for about 10-15 minutes. While vegetables are grilling, spread the aioli sauce on the cooled bread.

You will see grill marks on all the veggies after 3-4 minutes.  Flip and allow the veggies to cooked through for another 3-4 minutes or so, then take and place the zuchinni and eggplant aside on a clean plate. 

Season with salt and pepper. Layer them on the bottom half of the ciabatta.

Once the red bell pepper is grilled and ready to come off. Place on a cutting board and slice up and season with salt and pepper. (The pepper will be hot so be careful or let cool slightly before handling). Place the slices on the bread. Top with basil, arugula, and spinach.

Take the empty half of the ciabatta and layer with the mozzarella. Place in foil and place on grill until the mozzarella starts to melt and becomes gooey.

Place on other half. Cut into fours and enjoy! 

* If you cannot find an aioli mustard, eliminate or substitute Dijon mustard and it will still be delicious!

Grilled pizza

It was a sunny, beautiful, and perfect day for grilling! And we were craving pizza! We love eating wood fired pizza but obviously can never get the same consistency or flavor when making it in the oven. My sister and her family had grilled pizza at a friends house and she was raving about it. So of course we had to try it! And it was truly amazing! Perfectly crisp and heavenly! Ever since then if it is a nice day out and we are hungry for pizza, we choose to grill it.

 

Yields: Two medium pizzas (serves 2-3 fans)

The Players:

• 1 ball of pizza dough, halved
• All purpose flour
• Olive oil
• Toppings of your choice
• Pizza Sauce* (Check out my homemade pizza sauce recipe)

Special equipment:

• Basting brush
• Grill*

The Game Plan:

While the grill is off, brush olive oil over the grill grates using a basting brush. Turn the grill on low heat and cover. Meanwhile, place one of the doughs on a clean and floured surface. Use a rolling pin or hands to flatten dough out.

Do not make it too thin when grilling because then the pizza will burn. We like our pizza on the thinner side. We tend to work with it a little longer till it is thin but not too thin. Note the sheep looking shape in the next few pictures. My husband likes to get creative .:)

 

Place the flattened pizza dough onto the grill and cover. Let cook for about 6-8 minutes (depends on your grill) and check periodically to make sure it is not burning.  You will start seeing beautiful grill marks on one side. Check to make sure the dough is cooked through and it is to the level of crispiness you like.

 

 Then take it off the grill and place it grilled side up onto a clean surface.

 

Sprinkle olive oil on the pizza dough. Then spread sauce on dough, and top with your favorite stuff!

 

Carefully place the pizza back onto the grill for about 6-8 minutes or until it is done to your liking. Enjoy!!!

* A common mistake is using too much sauce on pizza. It makes it soggy, so if you like crispy pizza like us, then put less. Put just enough to slightly cover the pizza like the picture below, it does not have to be a thick layer.

*We use a gas grill, but if you are lucky enough to have a charcoal grill you may have to use your best judgement on the amount of cook time for the pizza.