recipe: grilled arugula and fig pizza

One of my favorite parts of summer is outdoor grilling.  I mean, in California we are lucky enough to have good grilling weather pretty much year-round, but there is something about grilling in the summer that is just the best.

Grilled pizza is a great way to mix things up. I try to incorporate whatever is fresh at the farmers market, and whatever we have in the fridge and pantry. Once you get the technique down, you really don't even need a recipe. That's the great thing about homemade pizza - it's an anything goes kind of meal. I usually make the below pizza with pears, but the figs looked too good to pass up!

pictures by alittlebicycle

Recipe - Grilled Arugula and Fig Pizza
1 premade pizza dough (or if you're brave, make it yourself! I stick with Trader Joe's brand)
Scoop of flour (for rolling out the dough)
1/4 c walnut halves
Olive Oil
4 oz. gorgonzola
1 pint fresh figs, halved
1 1/2 c arugula
3-4 slices prosciutto

Heat up a gas grill to medium, or if you are using charcoal, keep the heat low. Roll out the dough according to package instructions. Heat up a pan on medium high heat, and once hot, throw in the walnuts. Shake the pan frequently to keep walnuts from burning. Once fragrant and browning, take them off the heat and set them aside for later.

Brush one side of your dough with olive oil, and place the dough onto the grill, olive oil side down. Leave it on the grill long enough to get it crisped up and some light grill marks, 2-3 minutes. Really depends on how thin you've rolled out the dough. Take the dough off the grill and flip it over (grilled side up). Sprinkle the gorgonzola and figs liberally onto the dough. Throw it back onto the grill, until the dough is cooked through, the cheese is melted, and the figs are soft, another 3-5 minutes.

Off the grill, sprinkle the arugula and the walnuts over the top of the pizza, and rip the prosciutto into bite size pieces, sprinkling that on top as well. Drizzle with olive oil.

This is a tough recipe to measure out - it is best to go by your own taste and judgement. Good luck, and let me know if you try this recipe!