It’s been 10 years that I have been trying to win at garden zucchini in my too-shady garden. Every year, I have been disappointed, until this year when I planted in a black plastic bin that I outfitted with wheels so I could move it to follow the sun. Finally, I’m drowning in fresh zucchini and can make all my summer recipe dreams come true.
First recipe on the list: re-creating an unforgettable zucchini-blossom pizza I had while visiting family last summer in Italy, made with torn pieces of burrata, savory grilled zucchini, caramelized shallots and lots of fresh basil. This one goes perfect with a very cold Aperol spritz, a few friends and a sunny late-summer night.
I like to make a lot of pizza on the grill in the summertime, and I have to admit I often cheat, forgoing homemade dough and instead buying it at the Moose’s Tooth takeout counter. My second favorite local dough comes from New Sagaya, though it’s not always available. Both doughs handle really well, taste great and go for between $5 and $7 a ball. I get an extra ball and make the first pizza with just sauce and cheese for the kids to get the grill to the perfect temp. You can, of course, always make your own dough using your favorite recipe, just be sure to flour it well when you roll it out.
The main labor of this recipe is all preparation and can easily be done in advance. Grilling the actual pizza takes 10 minutes. I have been getting mini burrata balls for a very good price at Costco lately, but they are also often available at Fred Meyer and Fromagio’s. If you can’t find them, a good fresh mozzarella will do just fine.
Grilled zucchini flower-burrata pizza
Makes one 14-inch pizza
Ingredients:
One roughly 12-ounce ball of homemade or store-bought pizza dough (if buying it at a restaurant, this would typically be a dough ball for a medium pizza)
One medium shallot, thinly sliced into rings
One medium-size or two small-size garden zucchini — about 12 ounces total — cut lengthwise, 1/4 inch thick
1 tablespoon + 1 tablespoon + 2 tablespoons olive oil
Two tablespoons homemade or store-bought pesto
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Four small/”mini” burrata balls or two regular-sized burrata balls
Four large zucchini blossoms, cut in half, stamen removed
1/3 cup fresh basil cut into thin ribbons
Kosher salt
Pepper
Red pepper flakes and extra virgin olive oil to garnish
Instructions:
In a small frying pan, add a tablespoon of olive oil and begin to caramelize your shallots over medium-low heat until soft and brown, about 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, start the grill, aiming to get it to a medium temperature of about 350 degrees. Brush the zucchini with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Place the slices perpendicular to the grill grates and grill for roughly three minutes a side, so that the slices are soft, cooked through, have grill marks and a little char on the edges. Remove from the grill, brush the grill clean, close it and allow it to return to 350 degrees.
Put grilled zucchini in a bowl and place it on a topping tray you’ll eventually carry with you to the grill to assemble the pizza. Mix the pesto with olive oil in a small bowl and put it on the tray with a pastry brush. Prep your zucchini blossoms, add them to the tray, along with your Parmesan, burrata, basil and salt and pepper, red pepper flakes, extra virgin olive oil and a large grill spatula. Set your prep tray near your grill.
Next, on a piece of parchment paper, roll or hand press your pizza dough so that it’s about 12 to 14 inches in diameter and 1/4 inch thick. Set that on a cutting board and carry it to the grill. Open the grill, pick up the parchment and carefully flip the dough onto the center of the hot grate. If you need to, gently pull it or reposition it with your hands so it keeps its round shape. Close the grill for three minutes and then check for doneness on the bottom side and cook a little longer if needed. The grill-facing side should be hard-cooked and slightly charred in places and the other side will have lots of bubbles. If there are super large bubbles on top, pop them with the spatula; otherwise, once the dough is cooked on the grill side, flip it over. Working quickly, brush the cooked side with the pesto oil, sprinkle with Parmesan, arrange zucchini and zucchini flowers, tear burrata balls into semi-equal pieces and distribute, sprinkle with basil and close the grill. After three minutes, check for doneness — the cheese should be melted, and the edges of the crust should be crisp. Importantly, lift the bottom with a spatula, it should be hard and starting to char. If it isn’t, leave it for a minute or two more, but be careful. Your nose will tell you if it’s starting to char too much.
Using a spatula, pull the pizza off the grill onto the cutting board. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with red pepper flakes, lash with olive oil, slice and serve immediately.