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"OTCC - Watermelon/Basil Granita and Grilled Veggie Grilled Pizza" Posted by Tummy on 08-26-10 at 05:55 PM
LAST EDITED ON 08-26-10 AT 06:03 PM (EST) I know I'm a day early but I'm going to be out most of the day tomorrow and hope to get this back on track. So I'm starting with dessert - Watermelon/Basil Granita - we've been making granita's forever. As a broke single mom - Bre and I couldn't afford to buy an icecream machine but it didn't cost much of anything to make a good granita. Recently, it may have been Rachael Rays mag but I'm not sure, I read about adding herbs to granitas and have been testing different recipes ever since, this is one of my favorite combos. Blueberry/lemon is a close second. So... Watermelon Basil Granita 1 small watermelon 2 T fresh basil, chopped 2/3 c sugar 2/3 c water 3 T vodka - I used vanilla flavored Cut the watermelon into small pieces, removing any rind & seeds. Add it & the basil to a blender & purée until is it almost completely smooth, you really want this as smooth as possible. You should end up with about 3 cups of purée. In the microwave heat the water & sugar until the sugar is dissolved, making a simple syrup. Mix the watermelon purée, simple syrup & vodka together in a container with a lid & put into the freezer. Allow to freeze to a slushy texture & then break up with a fork. I would scrap every few hours and then let go overnight. It took a little bit of scrapping the next day but well worth the effort. Makes quite a bit. And now the grilled veggie pizzas - I usually buy my pizza dough from my favorite pizza spot Sam and Ella's - they sell me enough for 4 pizza for 2.00 but they were closed and I was pooped so decided to buy rolls instead of make my own. BIG mistake - Big! Pizza dough is so easy to make and the store bought was gross. So here is a pizza dough recipe, but buy from a grocer, restaurant or make your own grilled pizza is fantastic. Pizza dough - 1 package active dry yeast 1 cup warm water 2 cups flour 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons white sugar Directions In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. In a large bowl, combine 2 cups bread flour, olive oil, salt, white sugar and the yeast mixture; stir well to combine. Beat well until a stiff dough has formed. Cover and rise until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes.Turn dough out onto a well floured surface. Form dough into a round and roll out into a pizza crust shape. Roll out into thin crust Edited to add a loose shopping list canola oil garlic eggplant roma tomatoes yellow squash onion spinach basil marinara sauce olives hummus mozzarella feta add or subtract as you please Toppings - Use any sauce you want - I did two. A marinara sauce and hummus dip. Use whatever veggies you love - I've got mushrooms, eggplant, onions, tomatoes, yellow squash, red peppers and garlic. Cut them chunky and throw in a bag with some canola oil. Grill when coals turn white. Salt lightly and put aside. Oil both sides of pizza dough and throw on grill - don't worry, it'll look like it's oozing and will fall through. It doesn't. Flip onto a plate and add your toppings onto the grilled side. (somehow I didn't get the picture of the mediterranean toppings - it was hummus as the sauce, eggplant, spinach, kalamata olives, tomatoes, red pepper, mozzerella and feta) The one shown is marinara, mushrooms, fresh basil leaves, red pepper and mozzerella - and maybe a few other things. Grill until toasty and serve.