  A few minutes on the outdoor grill and this pizza is ready to serve with a big green salad of local greens and field tomatoes. (Sue Reeve/Sun Media) |
As the George Gershwin tune goes, "Summertime, and the livin' is easy" and so it should be . . . and so should the cookin'.
I love the simplicity this season affords us. There's so many terrific local ingredients to work with that meals become no-fuss affairs.
Since summertime is the ultimate barbecue time, I've come up with a pizza that's suitable for the grill and that has all those great barbecue flavours.
To really save time, I have used the pre-baked pizza shells and those handy rotisserie-style chickens that are always available at deli counters.
The sauce for this pizza is a smokey barbecue sauce that then gets topped with the cooked chicken, corn and finished with lots of Monterey Jack cheese.
A few minutes on the outdoor grill and this pizza is ready to serve with a big green salad of local greens and field tomatoes.
What could be easier?
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Tex Mex Barbecued Pizza
(Serves 6)
1 (12-inch/30-cm) pre-baked pizza or flatbread shell
1/2 cup (125 mL) barbeque sauce
2 cups (500 mL) cubed, cooked chicken
1 cup (250 mL) cooked corn
2 cups (500 mL) grated Monterey Jack or Tex Mex Cheese mix
1 Tbsp. (15 mL) finely chopped cilantro (optional)
1. Preheat a gas or charcoal grill. Reduce heat to medium.
2. Place the pizza shell on a cookie sheet.
3. Spread the barbecue sauce evenly over the crust.
4. Place the cooked chicken pieces evenly over the top, followed by the corn.
5. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the top.
6. Carefully slide the pizza off the cookie sheet onto the grill. Cover and cook until the cheese has melted and the crust is crispy (about 8-10 minutes).
7. Using a pizza peel or tongs, slide the cooked pizza back onto the cookie sheet. Let rest for 5 minutes and cut into six wedges. Sprinkle with cilantro (if using) and serve.
Options:
# Add 1 cup (250 mL) well rinsed and drained black beans along with the corn. Add 1/2 cup (125 mL) chopped roasted red peppers with the corn for a spicy version, sprinkle 2 Tbsp. (25 mL) chopped pickled jalapeno peppers over the sauce.
