During the years we were having babies, for several springs I would spend a few days in Omaha as a part of the Nebraska statewide writing assessments.  I loved the whole experience – I enjoy editing.   And I liked the fact that they fed us – I had a break on that challenging decision of what to eat for a few days.  Except for supper when I was on my own.  Enter Zio’s Omaha Pizzeria.

 

Zio's Pizza is a New York style pizza restaurant found in OmahaDue to bouts of extended morning sickness, I was a bit limited during that season on what sounded good to eat.  I could handle eating their alfredo calzones with ricotta cheese.  No meat – just cheese.  What a relief to be able to enjoy food again.  In fact, I could have eaten them every day.  (Probably a good thing that I was only in Omaha for a few days and that they wouldn’t deliver to Lincoln without an astronomical fee.)   I have never been disappointed in anything I have tried from the menu.  Besides calzones, they also serve up pizza, pasta and hoagies.  This Omaha pizzeria has variety.

Zio's Pizza has been serving up New York style pizza in Omaha since 1985 Zio’s has been serving up pizza since 1985, and they do have several Omaha locations, but so far they have not expanded beyond.   My husband and I did highly suggest on a comment card that they needed to open a restaurant in Lincoln.  So far, they haven’t taken that bite yet.  Perhaps I should be glad that we have a New York style pizza place here in Nebraska.  An Omaha pizzeria is definitely closer than the Big Apple. But the 45 minute drive is a bit far for a late night pizza run.  That is when the commercials tend to play that make me hungry for their pizza.

 

Although I cannot have Zio’s as often as I would like, there obviously several good pizza places in Lincoln.  But for those times  (although it is not quite the same).  One of my favorite places to have pizza actually happens to be on our deck.  A long time ago, when we lived in Hickman, the local small town newspaper (The Voice) had an article by Weber Grills about grilled pizza.  We decided that it was worth trying, and we have now made it numerous times.  A family hit!  So, even if you are not close enough to Zio’s, you can still have great pizza at home.  Tonight!  Without even having to heat up your oven.

Here is the official Weber “Homemade Pizza on the Grill” video that includes comments and tips at the bottom.

And in case you are a visual person, here is a YouTube video of someone else making pizza.

Because I feel like we have learned a few tips (especially my husband who tends to be our “Griller Extraordinaire”), here is the recipe that we have adapted from Weber.  Ciao!

Grilled Pizza Dough
1 Place 1 ½ c. lukewarm water in a large mixing bowl, sprinkle 1 package yeast on top and let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes. Combine 4 c. flour and ¼ t. salt. Add to water, 1 cup at a time. Knead in the Kitchenaid mixer for 3-5 minutes until incorporated. Add 2 T. olive oil – mix again. Once dough is smooth, clean and oil the bowl. Place dough inside, then cover the bowl with plastic wrap until more than double (for about an hour). (I preheat the oven to 170, add the dough, and then turn the oven off for better rising).  Punch dough down – knead on a lightly floured surface. Then divide the dough into 8 sections – roll out into pizzas.
2 Grill on medium high for 3-5 minutes. Then, turn over and add toppings – grill another 3-5 minutes. Enjoy!
 Cooking Tips
We have learned that taking the pizzas off the grill to add the toppings tends to work better.
You can also make one large pizza instead of individual ones, but that can be more challenging. You can also cook on a stone, but we usually just cook directly on the grates.
 Recipe Source
Author: Weber Grills

Note: this recipe works well as it is dairy and egg free.  Would also be fairly easy to make gluten free pizza substituting gluten free flour blend for the regular.  Or you can also used pre-purchased dough.  We have also heated up frozen pizzas on the grill on really hot days – works great if you use more indirect heat.

 

Author: neodyssey