Cooking up some Italian for a good cause

Over the years the “Today” show has featured the world's top chefs, who have prepared everything from gourmet feasts to casual cuisine and numerous holiday menus. We've taken our favorite 120 recipes from those celebrity chefs and turned them into “Today's Kitchen Cookbook," with proceeds going to the T.J. Martell Foundation. Marion, John, Anthony and Elaina Scotto from the Manhattan restaurant “Fresco” were invited on the “Today” show to help us launch the book. Here are recipes.

Grilled Pizza Margherita
Each pizza serves 2 to 4

1 quart lukewarm water
1 teaspoon fresh yeast
1 tablespoon molasses
2-1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 cup olive oil
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 cups high-gluten flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1 cup grated Bel Paese cheese
1 cup tomato sauce
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

In a mixing bowl, combine the water, yeast, and molasses. Mix together gently until all the yeast dissolves. Set the mixture aside for 5 to 10 minutes until the yeast makes a raft. Stir in the salt and olive oil.

With the mixer on a low speed, add the three kinds of flour. Mix until all the flour is absorbed and the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl. Roll the dough into one large ball and let it stand for 5 minutes.

Cut the dough into 6 pieces. Roll the pieces into balls and place them on an oiled baking sheet. Brush the balls lightly with olive oil and cover with plastic wrap.

If you are going to use the dough right away, let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking. If you don’t need the dough immediately, you can store it for one day in the refrigerator, but you must let it sit at room temperature for 1 hour before using.

In a bowl, combine the cheeses.

Cookbook series Today's Kitchen Cookbook Recipes from top chefs, restaurateurs and cookbook authors featured on America’s No. 1 morning show, with favorites from Katie Couric, Matt Lauer, Al Roker and Ann Curry. Proceeds from sales of the book go to the T.J. Martell Foundation. Click for more. Dine like Ol' Blue Eyes with Italian classics Cooking up some Italian for a good cause Try these tasty ceviche recipes Ditch the grill and start cooking indoors!

When the dough is ready, prepare the fire, preferably a charcoal fire, but a gas grill works nicely too. Make sure the grill grid is set at least 4 inches from the fire.

On an oiled surface, push a ball of dough out using the palms of your hands. If the dough is sticking to the surface, lift it and drizzle a little more oil on the surface. You want the dough to be a 12-inch circle with an even thickness. The shape of the pizza is not as important as the thickness of the dough.

Gently lift the dough, and, being careful not to tear it, drape it onto the hot spot of the grill. The dough will start to rise immediately. Carefully lift the edge of the dough to see the color of the underside, which should be evenly golden brown (this should take about 2 minutes).

Flip the dough over and place it on the side of the grill or on a cooler spot of the grill. Brush the cooked side of the dough with olive oil. Take 1/6 of the cheese and evenly spread it out to the very edge of the dough. Next, with a tablespoon, dollop tomato sauce on the pizza (8 to 10 spoonfuls), you don’t want to spread the sauce over the whole surface of the pizza. Drizzle the pizza with 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with 1/2 tablespoon of chopped parsley.

Carefully slide the pizza back to the edge of the hot section of the grill, and rotate the pizza until the bottom is evenly golden brown. This should take 3 to 4 minutes. Do not put the pizza directly over the fire, because the bottom will burn before the cheese melts.

Garnish with the chopped basil and serve immediately. Repeat with rest of dough.

Tip for Pizza Margherita: To turn this recipe into a heart shape, cut dough into heart shape.

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