I just got back from Southern Italy’s lovely Amalfi Coast, where I stayed in the most gorgeous place I’ve ever seen—Hotel Caruso, which sits perched on the cliffs, overlooking the impossibly sapphire blue water below. Not only is it breathtakingly, seriously stunning, but the staff are some of the nicest people I’ve ever met, ready to help in any way to make your stay memorable.

Their magical infinity pool is warm, inviting, and after a few laps I was ready for lunch: pizza, baked outside in a brick oven. I learned a few tricks there on how to make a great pizza. First, of course, start with a good pizza dough, but the biggest trick is to not glob on too much sauce and toppings. The Italian way is to make it with the very best quality ingredients, so you can really savor the nuances of each flavor.

Until you can actually visit Hotel Caruso, here’s a recipe for a grilled pizza with raw tomato sauce you can make on your outdoor grill.  I go to my local pizza place and buy the raw dough from them, but you can also buy pizza dough frozen in most supermarkets.

Makes two 9-inch pizzas

Ingredients:

1 pound plum tomatoes

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus additional for brushing

1 pound pizza dough, either store bought fresh or frozen, divided into 2 balls

Flour

12-20 small pitted black olives

2 tablespoons large capers

6 ounces freshly made mozzarella, cut into small cubes

Preparation:

1. Immerse the tomatoes into boiling water for 15 seconds. Transfer to a bowl of icy cold water with a slotted spoon. Once they’ve cooled, peel off the skins, seeds, and put them into a small food processor along with the salt, and process until smooth. Reserve.

2. Lightly flour a clean work space. Take one of the balls of dough, and holding it by the edge, turn it several times so that it stretches. Let the natural weight of the dough stetch it out until it’s about 8 inches in diameter. Then, lay the dough flat on the floured surface and, using your fingers, gently stretch it a little more, so it is about 9 inches in diameter. Repeat with the second ball.

3. Heat the grill. Sprinkle a tablespoon of oil on each of the pizza dough, without toppings, and place onto the grill. Grill, uncovered, until the bottom is golden, about 3 minutes for a gas grill and 5 for a charcoal grill. Turn the pizza dough over with tongs and sprinkle each crust with a tablespoon of oil, then spread a little of the sauce over the two pizzas, taking care not to put too much on.

4. Scatter with the olives and capers, and finally the mozzarella and remaining olive oil. Cover with the grill lid, and cook until the bottom of the crust is golden and the cheese is melted.

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