The Dinner Winner

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The Dinner Winner Pizza Dough

The pizza dough before rising.

The pizza dough before rising.

There is something about making your own bread at home that is just awesome. I’m not one of those amazing home bakers who has a sourdough starter bubbling away on my counter. I do like to make bread, and yes, I’m lumping pizza dough in there with bread. There is something about getting your hands into the pizza dough, watching it rise, and rolling it out that is incredibly satisfying. And, my daughters love helping to make pizza dough, especially since there is usually the promise of pizza at the end of it.

Which pizza dough to make?

I have tried dozens of recipes over the years, and consistently go back to a variation of Mark Bittman’s basic pizza dough. He calls for using instant yeast, which is far more convenient than the packaged kind you must hydrate before you use. With instant yeast, you just add it to the rest of the dry ingredients, and it does all the yeasty magic all on its own. Bittman also calls for making the dough in the food processor. I have made dough by hand, the hard way, with a lot of kneading, in the KitchenAid stand mixer, and in the food processor. You can get a great pizza dough with any of the methods. The food processor is the fastest, so if I stand any chance of making a pizza dough from scratch on a weeknight, it’s going to be in the food processor. If you are in the market for a good food processor, this is the updated version of what I have and it is great.

I like to vary Monsieur Bittman’s recipe a bit, and use half all purpose flour, and half white whole wheat. This means using a bit more water to get the dough to come together, but makes for a bit more nutritious dough.

You can also use this dough for making focaccia. Roll or press it out to about half an inch thick, rub olive oil on top, sprinkle a little salt on and maybe some fresh rosemary and bake at 500 degrees for 10 minutes.

If you are looking for a good pizza recipe to make with this dough, why not try my Grilled Pizza with Summer Vegetables?

The pizza dough after rising.

The pizza dough after rising.

The Dinner Winner Pizza Dough

2 pizza dough balls

A quick and nutritious pizza dough with no kneading required.

15 minPrep Time

1 hr, 30 Total Time

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INGREDIENTS

  • Ingredients
  • 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
  • 1 ½ cups white whole wheat flour
  • 2 teaspoons instant yeast
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 ¼ cups water
  • cornmeal for dusting

METHOD

  1. Put both types of flour, yeast, 2 teaspoons salt and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a food processor. If your food processor came with a plastic dough blade, use that. If not, no worries. Turn the machine on and add 1 ¼ cup water through the feed tube. Process until the mixture forms a slightly sticky ball, about 30 seconds. If the mixture is too dry, add more water 1 tablespoon at a time and process for 5 to 10 seconds after each addition. If the mixture refuses to come together, add more flour 1 tablespoon at a time and process until it does.
  2. Once the mixture is in a ball, take the dough out and form it into a ball by tucking it under itself several times. Here is a clip of the pro level version of what that looks like Basically, you want the top to be totally smooth, and the bottom to have all the seams tucked under. Drop the dough into a large mixing bowl and cover loosely with plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel. Set the bowl somewhere warm to rise for at least an hour and up to three. If you don’t have an hour, take this time to get all of the toppings ready, and preheat the grill, then proceed to the next step. You need at least 20 minutes for the dough to rest. If you are making the dough the night before, just pop it in the fridge and it will rise more slowly overnight. Some interesting flavors develop this way, so it’s worth a shot if you remember to do it.
  3. If you are making this pizza the same day as you are making the dough, you might want to get all of your toppings ready while the dough is rising.
7.8.1.2
10
https://thedinnerwinner.com/the-dinner-winner-pizza-dough/

Nutrition

Calories

1774 cal

Fat

34 g

Carbs

303 g

Protein

61 g
Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and My Plate Info

4 baking

Grilled Pizza with Summer Vegetables

Grilled Pizza with SUmmer VegetablesI’m pretty sure I have had a lifelong love affair with pizza. Who hasn’t really, but it still holds a special place in my heart. I came to grilled pizza later, but we’ll get to that… I grew up in Richmond, VA, before it was the hipster mecca it seems to be now. Down the street from our house was this classic 80s pizza joint called Italian Delight. It was one of those places that doesn’t really exist these days, with tons of cushy red vinyl booths, a jukebox, brown formica tables, really large red translucent plastic cups, and soda that came by the pitcher. We would frequent this place after a swim meet, or on a Friday after a busy week, and my brother and I thought it was heaven. It was made even better by the fact that there was an arcade next door, so you could play Street FIghter while your pizza baked.

For a pizza joint in the south in the 80s, it was pretty damn good. They didn’t have any fancy grilled pizza or anything, no pizza topped with arugula, figs, and burrata. But what they did have was solid and tasty. Now that I live outside of NYC, pizza is ubiquitous; it is at every child’s birthday we go to, and is the default for ordering in or takeout for seemingly everyone. There are fifteen pizza places in my town alone, which is a little under six square miles in area, though if you want a grilled pizza, you have to do it yourself.

If you have read some of my earlier posts, you know that I’m not a huge fan of turning on the oven in the summer, certainly not to 500 degrees to make a pizza. So, why not make a grilled pizza? You can absolutely use your BBQ grill like an oven, and you can even work some nice wood smoke flavors into the pizza if you want to.

The pizza stone on the grill.

The pizza stone on the grill.

You can do this on either a gas or charcoal grill.I have a three burner Weber Spirit grill that is pretty great. I have owned and used other gas grills in the past, and the Weber heats much more evenly and is better constructed than all of them. You’ll also need a decent pizza stone. I have gone through several of these over the years, and finally bought a really nice Emile Henry pizza stone that is grill safe. It has been excellent both in the oven and on the grill.

On  Making Pizza Dough…

The pizza dough before rising.

The pizza dough before rising.

To make a grilled pizza, the first thing you need to do is make a pizza dough. I have tried dozens of recipes over the years, and consistently go back to my variation of Mark Bittman’s basic pizza dough. He calls for using instant yeast, which is far more convenient than the packaged kind you must hydrate before you use. With instant yeast, you just add it to the rest of the dry ingredients, and it does all the yeasty magic all on its own. Bittman also calls for making the dough in the food processor. I have made dough by hand, the hard way, with a lot of kneading. I have made it in the KitchenAid stand mixer, and in the food processor. You can get a great pizza dough with any of the methods. The food processor is the fastest, so if I stand any chance of making a pizza dough from scratch on a weeknight, it’s going to be in the food processor. If you are in the market for a good food processor, this is the updated version of what I have and it is great.

I like to vary Monsieur Bittman’s recipe a bit, and use half all purpose flour, and half white whole wheat. This means using a bit more water to get the dough to come together, but makes for a more nutritious dough. Here is a link to my pizza dough recipe.

The pizza dough after rising.

The pizza dough after rising.

Spring Onions and Red Pepper

Chopped Spring Onions

The unbaked pizza topped with pesto sauce.

The unbaked pizza topped with pesto sauce.

Grilled pizza

Grilled Pizza with Summer Vegetables
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INGREDIENTS

  • Ingredients
  • 1 recipe Dinner Winner Pizza Dough
  • ½ pound mozzarella, grated (use fresh or not fresh, either one will be delicious)
  • ½ red bell pepper, cut into strips
  • 2 spring onions, chopped
  • 2 ounces prepared pesto sauce (I had some frozen. If you don’t, the Costco pesto sauce is really good. Use that if you can)
  • Grated parmigiano reggiano (for serving)

METHOD

  1. Preheat the grill - After the dough has risen you’ll need to preheat your grill. I like to add a little wood smoke flavor to the pizza. This is 100% optional. The pizza will only be on the grill for a few minutes, so we are not talking about an 18 hour smoke or anything here. I have a lovely oak tree in my backyard that is constantly dropping sticks. I will usually take a couple of sticks and break them into about 8” lengths. Wrap the sticks in aluminum foil and using a knife or fork, poke a couple dozen holes in the foil. There is no need to soak the sticks because there will not be enough airflow for them to actually catch fire. Use whatever wood you like, but don’t use anything with sap, so no pine trees.
  2. If you have a gas grill, turn it to medium high and using tongs, nestle the foil packet of wood down near the flames. Replace the grill grates, and place your pizza stone directly on the grill grates. If you have a charcoal grill, preheat the coals, then arrange them for indirect heat. I like the Ring of Fire method that Weber describes. Replace the grill grate, and place your pizza stone on top of the grate. Now, off to assemble the pizza.
  3. Roll out the pizza dough - Once the dough has risen, flour a work surface, and turn the dough onto it. Divide in half and form two balls. Put one of the balls back into the bowl it just came from and loosely cover again. Press or roll the dough until it's as thin as you can make it, but not bigger than your pizza peel; let it rest a bit if it becomes too elastic. (Patience is your friend here.) Dust your pizza peel with cornmeal and transfer the rolled out dough to the peel. Don’t skimp on the cornmeal, it will help you get the pizza onto the stone a little later.
  4. Add the toppings to the pizza - Once the dough is on the peel, use a large spoon to plop the sauce in the middle of the pizza. Working out from the center in concentric circles, spread the sauce around nearly to the edge of the dough. Once the pesto is spread evenly, sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the dough. Next, evenly spread the onions and red peppers. The pizza is ready to go onto the grill.
  5. Grill the pizza - Go and check your grill. You should see wood smoke, and a temperature of at least 400 degrees. The grill can be as hot as 550 without having to worry. Any hotter, reduce the cooking time by 2 minutes. Getting the pizza from the peel onto the stone can be a little intimidating if you have never done it before. First, shake the peel back and forth a bit to loosen the pizza on the stone. Once it is moving on the stone, place the peel at the top of the pizza stone and, using a quick back and forth flick , transfer it onto the stone. If a few veggies, or a little cheese falls off, no big deal, it’s your grill, not your oven.
  6. Close the lid, and don’t open it for 10 minutes. If the cheese looks bubbly, and a bit browned after 10 minutes, you are good to go, if not, wait another two minutes or so. To get the pizza off of the stone use your peel like a giant spatula. Sometimes, it helps to have an actual spatula handy, in case the pizza is sticking and you need to help get it started.
  7. After you have the pizza off of the stone, slide it onto a large cutting board and wait for a minute or two for the cheese to set a little bit. Serve, top with Parmesan cheese if you want, and enjoy with a cold Italian white, or a Peroni if you are feeling authentic.

Tags

Cuisines
Italian
Cooking
Grilling
Diet
vegetarian
lacto vegetarian
pescetarian
Allergy
egg free
soy free
peanut free
seafood free
treenut free
sesame free
mustard free
7.8.1.2
9
https://thedinnerwinner.com/grilled-pizza-with-summer-vegetables/

Nutrition

Calories

1774 cal

Fat

34 g

Carbs

303 g

Protein

61 g
Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and My Plate Info

 

Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

 

6 Dinner

Grilled Bok Choy Recipe

Grilled Bok Choy

Today was the first real hot day of the summer. Sticky, sweaty, and energy sapping. It scraped the upper 90s for a while which usually saps any motivation I have for firing up the stove. The grill is another matter altogether though. Somehow, I don’t mind the searing heat of the grill as long as I can leave it outside, and maybe throw back a refreshing beverage while doing it. Enter, this simple grilled bok choy recipe.

I came across a grilled bok choy recipe by Andrea Bemis the other day that looked fantastic, so I decided to make it for dinner. This particular recipe called for leaving the bok choy whole when grilling, which sounds nice in theory. In reality, bok choy grows in very sandy soil, like leeks do, and it’s almost impossible to get all of the grit out without separating them into individual leaves and giving them a bath in the sink for a while. (If you know of a way to do it, tell me how in the comments.) Neglect to rinse the bok choy well, and you’ll be chewing on sand all meal. Also, if you’re wondering, yes, you eat the white part on bok choy. There is no need to trim that part.

I still had no desire to turn the stove on, so I decided to make use of my perforated grill pan. It’s kind of like a cookie sheet with holes in it to let the heat pass through, but it keeps stuff from falling through the grates into the grill. It’s useful for all sorts of vegetable cookery and I highly recommend picking one up. I basically just used the grill pan like a giant sauté pan, turning the bok choy every couple of minutes or so until it seemed done. Top it with a delicious sauce, and you are all set.

Simplest Grilled Tofu and Grilled Bok Choy

To round out the meal, make the simplest grilled tofu, and some rice and you are all set. Serve with a little bit of soy sauce if needed, and your favorite Asian hot sauce of the moment, sriracha, gochujang, or whatever you are into, and maybe a Kirin or Sapporo, and you’re all set. 

 

Grilled Bok Choy

Serves 4 - 6

15 minPrep Time

15 minCook Time

30 minTotal Time

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INGREDIENTS

  • 6 Heads bok choy, about 2.5 lbs
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tsp ginger
  • 3.5 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2.5 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1.5 tsp toasted sesame oil
  • 1.5 tsp toasted sesame seeds

METHOD

  1. First, preheat the grill to medium. You’ll want to place your grill pan on the grates for preheating as well.
  2. Fill the sink at least 4” deep with cold water. Trim the ends of the bok choy off and separate into leaves. As you separate them, toss them into the sink. Gently toss all of the bok choy around in the sink for a minute or two to rinse the sand off, then let them sit still for a minute to make sure the sand sinks to the bottom of the sink. Transfer the bok choy to a large kitchen towel and pat dry.
  3. In a small bowl, mix ginger, soy, vinegar, honey, and sesame oil until well mixed. Taste the sauce and adjust as you see fit. If you want to make this gluten free, use tamari instead of soy sauce.
  4. Transfer the bok choy to a rimmed baking sheet or large bowl, and toss with the olive oil. When the grill is hot, put the bok choy on the grill pan and spread evenly and close the cover. My grill pan is pretty large, about the size of a baking sheet. If yours is smaller, you might have to cook the greens in batches.
  5. Cook for 4 minutes or so before tossing with tongs. You should be getting little charred pieces of greens here and there. If you don’t see any, either turn up the heat to medium high, if you have a gas grill, or just let them cook a little longer before turning. Cook for 4 additional minutes after turning, then remove to a serving bowl.
  6. Toss the greens with sesame seeds. Drizzle the grilled bok choy with the sauce and enjoy!
7.8.1.2
8
https://thedinnerwinner.com/grilled-bok-choy-recipe/

Nutrition

Calories

506 cal

Fat

33 g

Carbs

45 g

Protein

14 g
Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and My Plate Info

0 Dinner

Couscous with Grilled Asparagus and Herbs

Couscous with Grilled Asparagus and Herbs

My commute is about 50 minutes each way, which isn’t the end of the world, but it isn’t great either. On the way home, I nearly always pick up both of my daughters at school and start thinking about dinner. Who am I kidding, I’ve been thinking about dinner all day.

I like to take my daughters grocery shopping with me. Some might think, “are you insane man? It would be so much faster to go alone!.” That is true, but they get really excited about what veggies look good, and what we can cook with them. My 3 year old saw the beautiful asparagus at Whole Foods the other day and said “papa, can we have that tonight?” How many times do you hear that from a three year old? Sure, I thought, and added it to the cart without really thinking through what I would do with it. Fast forward a few hours, and inevitably, I have not left enough time to make dinner, get everyone through the night time routine, and to bed at a reasonable hour. What to make, well, how about this couscous? It’s in the pantry, couscous takes five minutes to cook, and I can throw a bunch of other stuff in and make it awesome. Toss together some simple ingredients, and this becomes a great warm weather weeknight meal, or an awesome side to bring to a cookout.

If you’ve got kids and they are reluctant to try couscous because it looks weird, try a little rebranding. We told my girls it was noodle balls and they have loved it ever since.

Asparagus pro tip: if you are going to buy some asparagus at the grocery store, and it isn’t standing upright in water, it’s probably not the greatest asparagus. You can still eat it, but its not going to be amazing. Also, if you get really fat stalks, you can run a veggie peeler over the fattest part of the stalks so things cook evenly. I never do this because I am lazy though.

We have had a ton of rain lately, and all of the herbs nestled in the flowerbeds are doing really well. I ended up with mint, thyme, oregano, and chives. The basil wasn’t quite ready yet. When I went out to snip my chives with my girls, we found the beautiful, lavender chive blossoms in full splendor. I figured throwing them on top couldn’t hurt. You probably don’t want to eat the blossoms though. Herb snipping has become the absolute best cooking task for them. I send them out to pick whatever herbs I need, and they will inevitably come back with way too much, and probably the wrong herb, but it will take 10 solid minutes, which lets me finish up the meal a lot more quickly.

To make this dish, you also need to throw together a recipe of grilled asparagus with garlic. It won’t take long, I promise.

Couscous with Grilled Asparagus and Herbs

Serves 4

15 minPrep Time

10 minCook Time

25 minTotal Time

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INGREDIENTS

  • One recipe grilled asparagus with garlic (Recipe here: https://wp.me/p9XQzL-z7)
  • One cup couscous
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup fresh herbs (I used chives, mint, thyme, oregano)
  • Salt to taste
  • Fresh pepper
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 oz shaved pecorino Romano or Parmesan
  • 1 tbsp champagne vinegar

METHOD

  1. First, prepare grillled asparagus with garlic. Cook couscous according to package directions. Usually, that means equal parts couscous and water, salt to taste and a tablespoon of olive oil. Bring the water to a boil, stream in couscous while mixing, turn off the heat and cover for about five minutes. While the couscous is resting, you can throw together the rest of the dish.
  2. Chop grilled asparagus into 2” pieces. Roughly chop all of the herbs. Reserve 2 tbsp herbs for garnish. Mix all ingredients together in a serving bowl. Top with remaining herbs (and flowers if you have any).

Tags

Diet
vegetarian
pescetarian
Allergy
egg free
soy free
peanut free
seafood free
treenut free
sesame free
mustard free
7.8.1.2
4
https://thedinnerwinner.com/couscous-with-grilled-asparagus-and-herbs/

Nutrition

Calories

486 cal

Fat

49 g

Carbs

2 g

Protein

13 g
Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and My Plate Info

 

0 Dairy-Free

Grilled Asparagus with Garlic

Quick … you have 15 minutes, some asparagus, garlic, and lemon and you need some veggies … what do you do? Make this dish! This recipe is hands down, one of the fastest, easiest, and most delicious things you can do with the king of spring, asparagus. You can use this preparation to add into dozens of other recipes as well, making this not only a standalone side dish, but a building block of lots of other great food. A great option is this couscous with grilled asparagus. The whole thing will take 30 minutes, including grilling the asparagus.

Asparagus pro tip: Thin, thick, it doesn’t really matter, just make sure that the asparagus ends were submerged in water when you bought them. The thin stalks cook much faster, so adjust cooking times accordingly. Personally, if you are going to be chopping them to use in another dish, I think the fat stalks stand up better.

If you don’t have a grill, or just don’t feel like using it, you can easily do this in the broiler. Just make transfer everything to a large, rimmed baking sheet. Preheat the broiler on high, cook for 2-3 minutes, then shake the pan and roll the asparagus over and cook for 2-3 more minutes.

 

Grilled Asparagus with Garlic

Serves 4 as a side

10 minPrep Time

5 minCook Time

15 minTotal Time

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INGREDIENTS

  • 1 large bunch of asparagus, 1 to 1.5 lbs
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

METHOD

  1. Preheat the grill to medium. (You can also do this in the broiler. See the introduction above for the method).
  2. Snap the stiff, fibrous ends off of the asparagus stalks. Wash the asparagus.
  3. Transfer the asparagus to a flat bottomed baking dish long enough to let everything lay flat. The asparagus does not have to be in one layer.
  4. Mush the garlic through a garlic press directly onto the asparagus in the dish. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper.
  5. When the grill is ready, lie the asparagus in one layer on the grill. Cook for about two minutes and try and roll everything to the other side. You’ll probably have a piece or two fall through the grate. No worries, really. After about 4 minutes total cooking time, put the asparagus on a serving plate and you’re all done. If you have really thin stalks, the entire cooking time can be cut in half.
7.8.1.2
3
https://thedinnerwinner.com/grilled-asparagus-with-garlic/

Nutrition

Calories

458 cal

Fat

41 g

Carbs

20 g

Protein

10 g
Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and My Plate Info