Grilled Flatbread

Last year it was grilled pizza that we loved.

This year we're loving grilled flatbread.

Not to split hairs (especially around food) but there is a difference.

When we grilled pizza, we would grill one side of the dough, flip it and madly add our toppings as we stood over the hot grill.

When we grill flatbread, we grill both sides of the dough, remove the flatbread from the grill and THEN add the toppings. Much more conducive to family harmony around the barbecue. And to getting the dough cooked through....

So I was still working on the leftover ricotta I had purchased to make my Easter Cannoli. I added some garlic to the ricotta, caramelized some onions and mushrooms, grated some parmesan and then layered the toppings on the grilled flatbread: A nice thick shmear (is that a word?) of garlic ricotta, the onions and mushrooms, some parmesan and a layer of chopped arugula.

And let me tell you it was fantastic. Much credit goes to my Honey, the Grill Master, who got the flatbread nice and crispy.

Sorry I don't have the ingredients measured out for you...I'm not a measuring sort of cook, more like some of this and some of that, but this is not really an exact type of recipe. In fact, you can even think of it as a "clean out the fridge" sort of recipe!

All you need is some bread dough from your local pizza place (they will have it at your market too - I like to buy mine from a nearby Italian bakery). Let it sit out on your counter to rise; punch down and divide into two pieces. Roll or throw (for you professionals) until the dough is nice and thin. The shape is not important; I actually prefer it to be rather misshapen and rustic. In fact, this is soooo easy that my stroke-impaired-one-handed Honey does this step....so step back and let your kids get involved!

Choose any toppings that you like. It can be as simple as ricotta topped with sliced tomatoes and basil or as complex as a horseradish cream topped with slices of rare roast beef and argula or cream cheese topped with smoked salmon, capers, dill and a squeeze of lemon juice. Or how about hummus topped with chopped kalamata olives, tomato and parsley?

I think we'll be eating grilled flatbread a lot this summer......

10 Kitchen Tips I Hadn't Heard Before

I've heard lots of kitchen tips through the years but here are a few I hadn't heard before (Credit goes to my friend Lynne who forwarded an email..not sure where the info originated!)

• Separate a bunch of bananas when you bring them home. They ripen faster when left connected at the stem (or leave them connected if you need to ripen your bananas faster!)


• Peel a banana from the bottom for easiest removal of the fibrous strings.


• Store chunks of cheese in aluminum foil. The cheese will stay fresher longer and won't get moldy.


• Peppers with 3 bumps on the bottom are sweeter and better for eating raw. Peppers with 4 bumps on the bottom are firmer and better for cooking.


• Add a tablespoon of water when frying ground beef to pull the grease away from the meat.


• Add garlic to your recipe early on for a suble flavor. Add it at the end for a stronger flavor. (Actually I did know this one. Also a larger piece of garlic, say a whole clove uncut, will give a more subtle flavor to your food. Minced garlic will impart a stronger flavor.)


• To reheat pizza put slices in a nonstick skillet and set heat to medium low to warm. This keeps the crust crispy unlike rewarming in the microwave.


• For easy deviled eggs put the cooked yolks into a zip lock bag, seal and mash. Add your usual ingredients - mayo, mustard, pickle relish, dill, parsley, capers, salt and pepper, whatever you like. Reseal and mash thoroughly until mixture is smooth. Then snip one lower corner of the bag and pipe the yolk mixture into the egg white halves. Easy clean-up - just toss the bag!


• To increase the amount of cake frosting take 1 container of frosting and empty it into a mediium bowl. Whip with your mixer on high and the volume will almost double. You will have more frosting for your cake or will be able to frost more cupcakes. Plus you are reducing the the amount of sugar and calories per serving.


• When measuring sticky substances (e.g., peanut butter, honey) fill your measuring cup first with hot water. Pour out the water but don't dry the cup. Then measure your ingredient and it will come right out of the cup without sticking. I had known about spraying the measuring cup with non-stick spray or , my favorite, measuring your oil first, but this sounds like a great option. I'll try it the next chance I get!

I'm always amazed at the little pearls of kitchen wisdom that are floating around out there. Hope at least one of these tips is helpful to you.