Halloween, Pumpkin, Flatbread, Mozzarella, Grilled Pizza, Black Olives
Best for: A savory Halloween appetizer to slice and share.
Pumpkin makes a creamy, savory base for sweet onions and mozzarella on crisp grilled dough. Thin cheese strips form a spiderweb, with black olive spiders added at the end.
Grill: Two-zone, 400–425°F. Equipment: Grill-safe skillet, rolling pin, tongs, large spatula or pizza peel. Course: Appetizer.
Ingredients
30–35 minutes Cooling: 2 minutes. Total: 52–57 minutes.
- 1 pound prepared pizza dough, at room temperature
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, for rolling
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, for onions
- 1–2 tablespoons water, as needed for onions
- ¾ cup plain canned pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon finely chopped fresh sage
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, for sauce
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 ounces low-moisture mozzarella, cut into thin strips
- 8 large pitted black olives
Directions
Preheat the grill. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet over moderate direct heat. Cook onions with their salt for 20–25 minutes, stirring often, until softened and golden. Add a splash of water if sticking and shift to cooler heat as needed.
Stir pumpkin, cream, garlic powder, sage, sauce salt, and pepper together. Halve olives lengthwise; reserve 8 halves as spider bodies and slice the remaining halves into thin legs.
Divide dough in two. Roll on the floured surface into two roughly 10-inch thin ovals. Brush both sides with remaining tablespoon oil.
Grill dough over direct heat for 2–3 minutes until marked and firm enough to lift. Turn onto a board, grilled side up.
Spread each grilled surface with half the pumpkin sauce and onions. Arrange mozzarella strips into spokes and connecting rings to suggest a web. Return ungrilled side down over indirect heat; cover and cook 6–8 minutes until the bottom is crisp, dough cooked through, and cheese melted.
Transfer to a board. Arrange olive bodies and thin legs into spiders on top. Cool 2 minutes, then slice each flatbread into 4 portions.
Grilling tip: Keep the cheese strips thin and leave space between web strands; they spread as they melt.
Allergens: Wheat, milk; check dough.
