The best thing Claire Tansey cooked this week

BBQ pizza. YES! Ever since I discovered this method, I only make pizza on the barbecue — winter or summer. It’s so easy, fast and delicious. I start with a simple half-whole-wheat fresh dough. And it’s critical to keep the toppings minimal and either raw or pre-cooked.

It always takes a leap of faith to throw the floppy, raw dough directly onto the grill, but it works every time. The BBQ has to be hotter than the sun and super-clean, but you simply toss the naked dough onto the grill, close the lid and let it cook for about two minutes. Use tongs to flip it over, then add toppings, close the lid, reduce the heat and cook until the cheese melts. Presto! Crispy, “wood-fired” home-made pizza in about 5 minutes.

There was a tub of wonderful artisanal ricotta in the fridge so I used that as the base, then layered on sliced fresh tomatoes, cooked double-smoked bacon and fried onions. After the pizza was cooked I added a generous drizzle of olive oil, some balsamic, lots of pepper and some fresh basil. It’s also excellent with pesto, mozzarella and fresh tomatoes with prosciutto and arugula added after it’s cooked. Yum! Try it — you’ll be a convert too!

Get grilling with one of our recipes:
Modern margherita pizza
Blue cheese pizza with pears and arugula
Three cheese pizza with sun dried tomatoes