Grilled Rainbow Chard Pizza

It was another Sunday morning at the Farmers Market.

Here is what I brought home this week.........................

There's wild arugala, garlic, onion, garlic scapes, potatoes, carrots, golden beets, 2 different types of squash, mushrooms and crusty bread.  There is also some rainbow chard and fresh & smoked mozzarella - which brings us to our dish for today.

Grilled Rainbow Chard Pizza.  So yum!

For those of you who may not be familiar with Rainbow Chard (also known as Swiss Chard) is a leafy slightly bitter green vegetable that is a descendant of the beet family.  The stems can range in color from green to white to yellow to red.  Not exactly all the colors of the rainbow but you get the idea.  Chard is very popular in Mediterranean cooking and the first varieties can be traced back to Sicily.

Chard can be used in so many different ways - it can be sauteed with garlic and olive oil as a side dish, steamed, in pasta dishes, egg dishes, quiches, fritattas, stews, soups, you name it.  Think of using it like you would spinach.

So here is what you need to make the pizza..................

1 store bought pizza dough (or be adventurous and make your own - or pick one up from your favorite pizza place)
4 slices thick cut bacon, chopped
1/2 thinly sliced onion
1 large clove of garlic, thinly sliced
Bunch of rainbow chard, rough chopped (mine was about 8 cups worth before cooking)
1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
Sliced smoked mozzarella cheese (approximately 1 small ball)
Salt & Pepper
Shaved Pecorino Romano or Parmesan Cheese (optional)
Red Pepper (optional)

Here is what you do................

Go outside and get your grill nice and heated on a medium heat.

Go back to your kitchen and in a large skillet over medium high heat, saute bacon pieces until nice and crispy.  Leave oil in pan but remove bacon to a small bowl and hold until you are ready to assemble your pizza.

To the bacon grease add your sliced onion and saute approximately a minute, add your garlic and cook another minute.  Throw in your chopped chard and cook just until the leaves start to get wilted.  Season with salt & pepper and red pepper if you like.  Remove from heat.

Pack up your mise en place (fancy French term for all the stuff you need - in other words, all your ingredients) onto a tray and head back outside.

Stretch out your pizza dough onto a large platter or cutting board, like so:

Spritz or brush the dough with olive oil so it doesn't stick to the grill grates.  Probably wouldn't be a bad idea to oil the grill grates a little also.  This can be easily done with a paper towel with some olive oil on it and a pair of tongs.

Place your dough on the grill and close the lid.  Be very careful to keep an eye on it.  The dough cooks quick.  I check it a minute at a time.  When the dough gets nice grill marks on the bottom, carefully brush with a little more oil and flip your dough over.  Once again, cook a minute at a time.

Remove dough to cutting board again and top with ricotta, cooked chard mixture, crispy bacon bits then then finally the sliced smoked mozzarella. 

Carefully slide back onto the grill and cook for just a minute until the cheese starts to get melty.

Oh, heaven on a plate!

Add some grated or shaved pecorino romano or parmesan cheese, a little more fresh ground pepper and you are good to go!

Here is what she looks like sliced and ready to serve.  This is probably going to need a fork and a knife!

Now, if you are an apartment dweller and/or do not have access to an outdoor grill, feel free to make this on a stove top grill pan or even do it in the oven.  If you do decide to bake it, remember to prebake the crust before you put your toppings on. 

There are so many different variations you can make with this pizza, if you don't like bacon, leave it off.  If you have leftover roasted chicken or steak, chop it up and throw that on instead.  If you don't like or don't have access to fresh chard, feel free to substitute spinach.  Remember, like I always say, "Make it your own".

Happy Cooking!!