Red Pepper Pesto & Shrimp Grilled Pizza

When my June/July issue of the Rachel Ray Magazine came in the mail this week, I was really excited to see that it was all about grilling. The Hubs & I love to grill and are always looking for new ideas. I haven't made it all the way through the magazine yet, but I've seen several things worth trying.

Last night, I decided to try one of the recipes from the magazine - Red Pepper Pesto & Shrimp Pizza. It was a little bit out of the box & I wasn't sure how it was going to be, but what's life without culinary risk? (And there is always a Little Caesar's $5 pizza waiting for us around the corner if its a total disaster). Luckily, the pizzas were REALLY good.

As I sometimes tend to do, I changed the recipe up a bit - really just made it a bit easier. Rachel's recipe (which I would link to, but it's not on her site yet) called for you to grill & remove the skins from 2 red bell peppers. I cheated and used roasted red pepper from a jar. Anyway...here is the recipe with my tweaks.

Ingredients:

* 1 jar roasted red peppers
* EVOO
* 20 - 25 large shrimp, peeled & deveined
* 2 small cloves garlic, minced
* 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
* 3/4 cup fresh basil, 1/4 cup thinly sliced
* 1 tbsp. lemon juice
* 1 (12 inch) french baguette - split horizontally, hallowed out & halved crosswise
* salt & pepper



Directions:

1. Preheat the grill to a medium heat. Then hallow out the baguette halves.



2. In a bowl, season shrimp with salt & pepper and toss with 2 tbsp. EVOO & 2 cloves of garlic.



3. Put shrimp on skewers & grill for 2 minutes per side.



4. Using a food processor, puree 2 or 3 roasted red peppers, 1/2 cup mozzarella, 1/2 cup basil leaves & lemon juice. With the machine on, gradually add 3 tbsp EVOO. Season with salt & pepper.





5. Spread the pesto on the hollowed out sides of the baguette halves.



6. Top with shrimp, then sprinkle on remaining mozzarella cheese & thinly sliced basil.



7. Arrange on the cooking grate, close lid & grill for 5 minutes to melt cheese & heat through.





8. Serve with a salad, corn or grilled veggies.



My Tid-Bits:

* Yes, I like my corn OFF the cob. Otherwise, it gets all stuck between your teeth & that's just annoying.

* Shrimp are very easy & quick to grill. When skewering them, be sure to either double skewer or put skewer through the body & tail. Otherwise, the shrimp will spin around on the skewer when you try to flip them.

* Feel free to add other toppings such as diced, grilled veggies (zucchini, mushrooms, etc.).

* Be sure that the bread doesn't burn while on the grill. If it starts to burn, turn down the heat or move the pizza to part of the grill with indirect heat.


Disclaimer:

If it seems as though I've been sharing a lot of shrimp & fish recipes lately, its because that's what I've been cooking...and for several reason. First shrimp & fish defrost & cook fast. And lately, I need fast. Secondly, we've been trying to eat less red meat. The Hubs would eat red meat every meal if I let him. He likes chicken, but not more than once or twice a week. And he feels as though a meal is not complete without some type of meat. So that leaves me with seafood. If you're not a seafood fan (like my good friend, B) try subbing chicken for the seafood.

.