On Fire

Adventurous and innovative American chefs have taken the pizza out of the oven and have thrown it onto the grill. It's a trend that's really catching on with upscale New York City pizzerias, celebrity chefs, and backyard grillers. This concept, while new and exciting to us, is completely strange and possibly disturbing to most Italians.

Personally, I love grilled pizza. My (Neapolitan) husband, however, can't quite seem to wrap his mind around the concept. After having told him that my mother was grilling a pizza for dinner one evening, I got a blank stare and a "Huh?!." He just can't imagine how someone could grill a pizza. How is it cooked properly? And WHY?! Grilled and pizza are two words that just don't naturally occur together in the Italian language.

[The man does have a point. It is rather hard to correctly grill up a pizza, as demonstrated by my mother this weekend.* The top of the pizza was beautiful (and rather delicious), but down below was a mess. I do believe the whole pie would have been ready to incinerate if it were left on the grill even a second longer.]

This idea has nevertheless piqued the interest of a pizza purist. I was (halfheartedly?) asked to prepare this creation upon my return to Naples. Once I hit the shores of the Old Country this Saturday, I will be eager to grill some pizza. I'm ready for the challenge, but the real question is: Will the Italians be ready for the grill?

*The mother has grilled many a pizza before and is generally a good cook, so I'll just consider the char a one-time mistake. I hope. <3