Grilled Sausage-Basil Pizzas

Brianna's week. A thunderstorm Tuesday. The kind of storm that ends the cold. Thursday Jerome and I took our breaks together and talked restaurant. The dream is closer than it was a year ago.

Pop's in the recliner. Tigers on. Sugar in range this week. Sunday at Mama's. She made greens with hambone the way she has since 1985.

Baked ziti this week. Sausage and ricotta. The dish that survives a freezer.

Aiden's 10. The youth basketball league. I'm coaching. He's the best player on the team and he knows it. Zaria's 7. Helps me cook on a step stool. Has opinions about the seasoning.

I am tired in the right way. The right way is the cost of love. I will pay it.

A song came on the radio Tuesday — old Stevie Wonder — and I had to sit in the truck for the rest of it before I went into the store. Some songs do that. Detroit is a city of songs that do that.

Truck needed an oil change Saturday. Did it myself in the driveway. Took an hour. The neighbor across the street gave me a thumbs-up from his porch. I gave him one back. Detroit men do not waste words on car maintenance.

Filled the propane tank Wednesday. The smoker is the only appliance I baby. Wiped it down. Checked the gaskets. Checked the temperature gauge. The smoker is mine the way Pop's torque wrench was his.

I took a walk around the block Sunday morning. The neighborhood was quiet. The trees were the trees. The light was good. I waved at three porches. The porches waved back. Brookline holds.

The grass came in fast this week. Cut it Saturday morning before the heat. The mower had been sitting all winter. Took three pulls to start. Once it ran, it ran. Some things just need patience.

The kids next door knocked over my trash cans Tuesday night. Their dad made them help me clean up Wednesday morning. Good man. The kids apologized. I gave them each a Capri Sun. Cycle complete.

I made grocery lists on the back of envelopes the way Mama did. The list this week was short — onions, garlic, half-and-half, cornmeal, a pound of bacon. The list is the recipe of the week before it happens.

Mama left me a voicemail Wednesday. She said, "DeShawn. Don't forget Sunday." I had not forgotten Sunday. I have not forgotten Sunday in twenty years. The reminder is the love. I called her back.

A reader wrote in about the smothered pork chops. Said her late husband loved them. I wrote back. I told her about Pop. We exchanged three emails. She's in Saginaw. She's coming to the city in the spring.

I read for an hour Sunday night. A book about the auto industry. Half memoir, half history. Made me think about Pop and the line and the fragile contract that built the middle of this country. I underlined the parts that hit.

Aiden had practice Tuesday and Thursday. I drove. He shot threes for an hour after.

The Lions on TV Sunday. Lost on a missed field goal. Detroit. The neighborhood collectively groaned at the same moment. You could hear it through the windows.

A neighbor down the street gave me a tomato plant Saturday. He grows them on his porch. Said he had extra. I put it next to the back step where it gets the afternoon sun. Detroit gardens are improvised victories.

The custody calendar holds. Aiden and Zaria alternate weeks. Brianna and I co-parent without drama now. We do not always have to like each other to do this right.

The baked ziti already had sausage in it this week — that’s where my head was when I started thinking about what else I could put on the grate before summer really gets here. Zaria was on her step stool with opinions, and she had strong ones about the basil, so this one is partially hers. Grilled sausage-basil pizzas hit the same register as the ziti — warm, filling, built for a family — but they come off the smoker in half the time, which matters on a week when the grass needs cutting and the kids need driving and the truck needs an oil change and Mama needs a callback.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 lb Italian sausage, casings removed
1 lb store-bought or homemade pizza dough, at room temperature
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 cup marinara or pizza sauce
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
Cornmeal or flour for dusting
Salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

Cook the sausage. In a skillet over medium heat, cook the sausage, breaking it into crumbles with a wooden spoon, until browned and cooked through, about 8–10 minutes. Drain off excess fat and set aside.
Preheat the grill. Heat a gas or charcoal grill to medium-high (about 425°F). Clean and oil the grates well to prevent sticking.
Shape the dough. Divide the dough into 4 equal portions. On a lightly floured surface, stretch or roll each portion into a thin round or oval roughly 8 inches across. Dust a sheet pan or peel with cornmeal and lay the rounds on top.
Start the crust. Brush the top side of each round with olive oil. Slide the dough oil-side down onto the hot grill grates. Grill uncovered for 2–3 minutes until the bottom firms up and grill marks appear. Brush the top side with olive oil before flipping.
Top and finish. Flip each crust and quickly spread 1/4 cup marinara sauce over each, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Scatter the cooked sausage over the sauce, then top evenly with mozzarella and Parmesan. Close the grill lid and cook for 3–4 minutes until the cheese is fully melted and the crust is cooked through.
Finish and serve. Transfer pizzas to a cutting board. Scatter fresh basil leaves over the top, season lightly with salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes, and slice. Serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Grilled Sausage-Basil Pizzas — The Sausage That Shows Up All Week