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Make an Italian feast! Rustic grilled pizza, calzone

The grilling queen Robyn Lindars of GrillGrrrl.com stopped by the plaza on Tuesday to share how to whip up a tasty Italian meal as part of TODAY's weeklong Fresh Cooks Live: Summer Sizzle series. During the live stream on the TODAY plaza she showed how the grill can be used to cook calzones and pizzas.Check out the full demo so you can see how to make these mouthwatering meals from start to finis

The grilling queen Robyn Lindars of GrillGrrrl.com stopped by the plaza on Tuesday to share how to whip up a tasty Italian meal as part of TODAY's weeklong Fresh Cooks Live: Summer Sizzle series. During the live stream on the TODAY plaza she showed how the grill can be used to cook calzones and pizzas.

Robyn Lindars and Carson Daly make calzones and margherita pizza on the TODAY show as part of Fresh Cooks Live in New York, on July 29, 2014.
Today

Check out the full demo so you can see how to make these mouthwatering meals from start to finish.

Get Wednesday's recipes for skewers and Latin grilled chicken

Grilled Italian sausage and pepper calzones
Makes 2 calzones

Robyn Lindars and Carson Daly make calzones and margherita pizza on the TODAY show as part of Fresh Cooks Live in New York, on July 29, 2014.
Today
  • 16 oz pizza dough 
  • 16 oz grated provolone cheese
  • 1 lb Italian sausage, cut into 1/8” pieces
  • 8 mini bell peppers, chopped
  • 1 28 oz can peeled San Marzano tomatoes
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 small bunch fresh oregano or basil
  • Parmesan, to taste
  • 2 tbsp olive oil, to taste
  • Sea salt (to taste)
  • Fresh ground pepper (to taste)

Preheat grill to medium high heat, about 400 degrees, creating both direct and indirect cooking zones. Direct/indirect cooking zones can be created by moving charcoal to one side of the grill or turning 2 burners on/2 burners off on a gas grill.

While the fire is heating up, briefly blend the San Marzano tomatoes with the garlic with a stick blender, or chop the garlic and add to the tomatoes and break them up with a fork.

Robyn Lindars and Carson Daly make calzones and margherita pizza on the TODAY show as part of Fresh Cooks Live in New York, on July 29, 2014.
Today

Next, grill the Italian sausage and bell peppers until char marks have formed and the internal temperature of the sausage registers 145 degrees. Remove from the grill and once it has cooled, chop into small pieces to be used as a filling.

Next, cover a cutting board with flour or corn meal. Roll out the dough into a medium-sized circle. Layer sausage, peppers, cheese and a small dollop of sauce and oregano onto the right side of the calzone dough, keeping the ingredients on only one side of the dough. Coat the outer edges of the dough with water and then fold the dough over onto the other side forming a half circle/pocket. Use a fork on the outer edges to help seal the edges together. Lightly brush the calzone with olive oil.

Now, coat the grill grates generously with oil so the calzone does not stick (this is very important). Place the dough on the indirect side and grill, with the lid closed, until char marks form. Next, flip the calzone and let grill until char marks have formed on the other side and the dough has turned golden brown.

Once nice char marks have been achieved and the dough is golden brown, remove from the grill. Finish by brushing with olive oil and grating a generous amount of Parmesan over the top. 

Robyn Lindars and Carson Daly make calzones and margherita pizza on the TODAY show as part of Fresh Cooks Live in New York, on July 29, 2014.
Today

Rustic grilled pizza
Makes 2 medium-sized pizzas

  • 16 oz pizza dough
  • 1 28 oz. can peeled San Marzano tomatoes
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 12 oz. mozzarella cheese, sliced into 1/8-inch pieces
  • Large bunch of basil
  • Olive oil, to taste
  • Sea salt (to taste)
  • Fresh ground pepper (to taste) 

Preheat grill for medium high heat, about 400 degrees, creating both direct and indirect cooking zones. Direct/indirect cooking zones can be created by moving charcoal to one side of the grill, or turning 2 burners on/2 burners off on a gas grill.

Robyn Lindars and Carson Daly make calzones and margherita pizza on the TODAY show as part of Fresh Cooks Live in New York, on July 29, 2014.
Today

While the fire is heating up, briefly blend the San Marzano tomatoes with the garlic with a stick blender or chop the garlic and add to the tomatoes and break them up with a fork.

Next, cover a cutting board with flour or corn meal. Roll out the dough into two medium-sized pizzas.

Coat the grill grates generously with oil so the pizza does not stick (this is very important). Place the dough on the indirect side and grill, with the lid closed, until char marks form. Flip the dough over and with the grilled side up, add a drizzle of olive oil, tomato sauce and cheese.

Return the pizza back to the grill and let grill another 4-5 minutes until the cheese has melted. Remove from the grill. Garnish with basil leaves and serve immediately.