Anna’s Wood Fired Oven Blog

I will be turning over a new leaf, I mean… a new loaf, this year.  I bought the popular book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Hertzberg and Francois because I wanted to try their method in two of my pizza ovens.

Bread fresh out of the pizza oven

Simplifying the process of baking and cooking while keeping the taste and quality of the food has always appealed to me, so I was eager to experiment with this no-fuss bread baking.  Yes, no sponge or starter, no proofing the yeast, no kneading, and a high moisture dough that can be kept in the fridge for up to two weeks.

In other words, minimal output of time and effort.  I used their basic recipe for  artisan bread which they explain on a video (see link below) and involves:

• 5-quart food grade container with a lid (don’t use glass with airtight lid since it could explode)
• 3 cups of lukewarm water
• 1 1/2 tablespoon granulated yeast
• 1 1/2  tablespoon kosher or coarse salt
• 6 1/2 cups unsifted, all-purpose white flour (I used the 365 Whole Foods organic label), measured with the scoop and sweep method
• A bit of corn meal for the wood peel

You pour the water into the container, add the yeast and the salt, and then the flour.  Mix with a wooden spoon until moisture is absorbed evenly by the flour.  Let rise for 2 hours.  Place in fridge overnight.

When ready to bake, take dough out and dust with flour. Flour your hands so that the dough won’t stick.  Divide dough into four 1 lbs balls.   Shape each ball in your hands, by tucking edges under, no kneading involved. Dust corn meal on the wood peel and place bread loaf on peel and let rest for 40 minutes before placing in hot oven.

Dust the loaves with flour and slash a few 1/4 inch deep cross or scallop pattern using a serrated knife.  Slide directly onto the hot oven floor.

Bread dough rising

Now for the pizza oven temperature!  I experimented both in over-baking and under-baking the loaves and they came out very tasty even though the higher temperatures burned the crust to a dark brown and the lower temperatures left the crust pale.  Still, it was a good bread.  So… beginners take heart!  This is pretty fool-proof.

Fire up your wood burning oven (click here if you don’t know how).  When the fire has burnt for about one hour (less for the smaller ovens, longer for the larger models), rake out the embers from the oven and store in a fire proof container.  (Do not discard ashes until they are absolutely cold.)  Check the temperature and close the door, sealing the oven.  If you wish, you can at this time place a small metal container with water inside the oven, I like to use my small cast iron pan.

Loaf resting before baking

Bake your bread between 500 F and 450 F with closed door for 30 minutes.  You may check midway after 15 minutes and turn the loaves if needed, but it is best not to be opening the door more than once.  Use your round metal peel to slide your fresh baked bread out of the oven, let the loaves cool on a rack before you slice.

I highly recommend this method, it is particularly helpful if you are a beginner bread baker or if you want to offer your guests and family a very delicious home made bread that will amaze everyone.  When you make it in your pizza oven, the crust will be denser and chewier than if you make it in your regular oven, and the overall taste much better.

The book:   Artisan Bread in Five Minutes

The  video.

Enjoy and please let me know how bread baking experience turned out!

Buon appetito from us at Los Angeles Ovenworks.

I have a lot of fun planning for the holiday meals, from the table decor to the food!  I get inspired walking through the farmer’s market, taking in the colors and the fresh smells of the produce, the fall harvest of pumpkins, pomegranates, persimmons…  Often, just as I sample a good cheese, a great meal takes shape in my mind and I can’t wait to share it with my family and friends.  I start mixing and pairing flavors in my imagination wondering if they are as good in reality.

Pumpkin pizza

For Thanksgiving this year I thought of offering small pumpkin pizzas as appetizers to start off the meal.  I did a test run in the wood fired oven and I loved the results, I hope you and your guests will too.

After making the pumpkin appetizer pizzas, I had extra dough and wanted to try something our customers Elisa and Jay Arne of Penn Valley, CA mentioned in an email to me:  their children garnished a pizza with Nutella, among other ingredients, as dessert. And the way life is, a few days later the chef at Urbano Pizza Bar had us taste a small pizza dessert with hazelnut spread.  Visions of chocolatey pizza lingered and I did my own version, couldn’t resist…

Pumpkin Pizza with Sage, Caramelized Onions and Ricotta Cheese

1/2 medium-small organic Kabocha squash or pumpkin, cut in 1″ cubes, about 2 cups

1 red onion, sliced

1 handful of fresh sage leaves

1/2  small basket of fresh ricotta cheese

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 tablespoon red balsamic vinegar

Sea salt to taste

Optional:  prosciutto slices to garnish

Click here for Pizza Dough recipe  and How-to-video

Prepare your pizza dough, divide in small  3-ounce balls,  and let it rise.

Clean and cut the Kabocha squash or pumpkin in 1″ cubes.

Ahead of time:  I love the option of preparing garnishes ahead, so that I can spend more time with my guests.  Steam the cubed pumpkin for 10 minutes until soft.  Add salt to taste.  Add two tablespoons of olive oil and 1/2 tablespoon red balsamic vinegar mixing well, mashing the cubes a little bit with the fork, and set aside.  In a skillet slowly saute the sliced onion with a tablespoon of olive oil until slightly browned.  Salt to taste. Set aside.

At the oven:If you prefer to stay by the oven and bake everything in it, then use a cast iron skillet with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add the cubed pumpkin, salt to taste. Place on the hot oven floor, taking care to keep it closer to the opening for a cooler spot to avoid burning.  Place some foil on top of skillet if needed.  Bake until soft and then mash the cubes a bit with a fork.  In another skillet slowly cook the sliced onion until it has slightly browned.  Salt to taste.

Baking pumpkin and onions in cast iron skillets

Flatten a pizza ball  with your hands and shape.  Place on wooden peel.  Brush surface with olive oil and garnish with pumpkin, ricotta cheese, and onion.  Lastly place 3 leaves of sage after having dipped them in olive oil.

Note:  Don’t get any food or oil spills on the wooden peel!  This will make your life difficult when you try to slide the pizza in the oven…  the pie might stick.

Slide the pizza in your oven, bake, and serve!  If you like prosciutto, then add a slice of it after the pizza is out of the oven.

Pumpkin pizza appetizer ready to be enjoyed...

Next, I made the dessert pizzas.  Same pizza dough recipe, same 3 ounce pizza balls, but garnishing first with a lovely plum jam, spread evenly over the pie.  Then a glob of hazelnut spread (like Nutella) in the middle, with strategically placed ricotta around it and two slices of fresh figs.  You want to keep the chocolate from “running” off the pie, so that’s where the ricotta comes in handy.  Do not bite into this pizza right away since the sugar in the ingredients will be super hot.  Wait for it to cool down!

Dessert pizza with hazelnut spread and plum jam

I posted a lot more photos of the whole process on our FaceBook page, check them out under the Pizza and the holidays album.  Isn’t it fun to have a wood fired oven?  I love showing it off during the holidays,  love the pleasantly surprised exclamations of my guests when they discover we cook the whole meal in the oven…

Here at Los Angeles Ovenworks we wish you a wonderful holiday season, one in which you will experiment, have fun, and bake good food.  Buon appetito!

Dessert pizza ingredients

It's pumpkin season...

Once you master the basics of pizza making you will most likely start the quest for the perfect flour.  It’s just the way it is.  New vistas open up beyond the realm of King Arthur’s Flour… and the chef in you heeds the call for new culinary adventures. Throughout the years of cooking in our wood fired oven we have tried a lot of really good flour, and we are so grateful that there are still mills out there making a great product.

Pizza dough ready to be formed into a pie

Here are some that stand out:

Presently, we buy our favorite flour from  CentralMilling.com  in Utah, a water-powered mill nestled by the Logan River and the Rocky Mountains.  The company also carries its own seeds (nothing is genetically modified here, thank you).  They have a long list of products for every taste and baking need… their Type “OO Normal” Flour is very close to the Italian Caputo Flour and is designed to take the high temperature of a pizza oven.  Did I mention that it is organic?  It comes to us fresh and fragrant (California is not that far) but keep in mind that the minimum order is 50 lbs. and the shipping costs are … high.  Is it worth it?  Yes!  But if you can only buy small bags, know that Central Milling also produces the Whole Food’s 365 Organic Unbleached All Purpose Flour.

Another great product is made in Naples:  Antimo Caputo Chef’s Flour,  the famous type “OO” flour from Italy. Particularly if you don’t want to store a 50 lbs bag, since you can find this product on Amazon.com or via some local stores in a convenient 2.2 lbs bag, (shipping cost will average $7.25).  This flour is a favorite among pizzaioli both in Italy and in the US because it is specifically created for high temperatures such as you get in a pizza oven.  Don’t try it in your regular gas oven, it won’t brown properly.  The low gluten content makes it ideal for a Neapolitan pizza and the pizza pies stretch nicely without breaking.  Note for those who like buying large quantities:  The  ”OO” Pizzeria Flour in 55 lbs (blue) bag is the same flour that is in the Antimo Caputo “OO” Chef’s Flour 2.2 lbs (red) bag.  Molinocaputo.it

We also like the Hudson Cream Flour, from a mill in Kansas — one of the last independent flour mills in the US — that has produced “short patent” flour  for over 100 years.  During the milling process their wheat is ground more times and sifted with finer-meshed sieves than usual.  We love the sweet fragrance of this “creamy” flour,  and I use it when baking bread and desserts.  Check them out at Hudsoncream.com, they do sell locally in many states.  They will send you 1-5 lbs for  a shipping cost of $7.75,  6-10 lbs for a shipping cost of $11.55, so you get an idea.

Don't try this at home. Eight pizzas at the same time.

We prefer flour that is organic, unbleached, and when making pizza, with a low gluten content for that nice stretch.  Would love to hear about what flour you like and why.  How does it perform in your wood fired oven?

Happy cooking and buon appetito from Los Angeles Ovenworks!

It can be a bit confusing at first to figure out how to properly insulate your pizza oven.  It makes good sense to check out the options, particularly if you live in a cold climate, so that your oven will be very energy efficient and keep the heat in for a long cooking cycle.

Super Isol Boards are great insulators

Whether your project calls for a concrete masonry slab or a metal frame stand, the most common way of insulating the oven from below is a  1.5″ – 2″  layer of  Super Isol Boards.  These are boards made of Calcium Silicate with a great compression strength, so they can hold the weight of a pizza oven.  They are light, and are easily cut and placed under the oven. You will need 3 boards for a medium size oven, for example, a Model 90 or a Model 100.

Or you can use a 4″ layer of vermiculite and cement mix under the oven.  You can buy vermiculite at Home Depot or a garden/plant center in 4 cubic foot bags.  Request vermiculite without silicon coating and definitely wear a respirator or mask when handling vermiculite since it produces a lot of dust.

Another alternative is a layer of medium duty fire bricks.  Keep in mind that these last two options will mean more labor, so include that in your cost comparison when planning for your pizza oven.

Isol Boards are porous, absorbing water very easily and you must enclose them completely when building the structure around your oven, so that they are not exposed to the elements. You really don’t want any moisture absorbed in your wood fired oven, because water would steam at higher temperatures causing cracks.

The Super Isol boards we offer are high-quality to avoid the problems we’ve heard others encounter with cheaper versions of this product.

Thermal Insulating Blanket

To insulate the top of the wood fired oven you will use the thermal insulating blanket provided in your oven kit.  Wrapping this over the dome will ensure that there is no loss of heat.  If you live in colder climates or if you just want to add extra insulation then fill the cavity between your oven and the masonry walls you built around it with lose vermiculite leaving an air gap at the top.

If you are planning a mediterranean or adobe style oven,  i.e. without the masonry structure around it, then you do need to coat the oven and the blanket with a 5″ mix of vermiculite and cement for extra protection and thermal mass.  Then you can stucco and paint with exterior stucco paint to make it waterproof.

mediterranean style pizza oven

Insulating properly will also mean saving on wood in the long run, although a wood fired oven is very thrifty in its consumption compared to a fireplace.  It will insure many years of happy cooking!

Buon appetito from us all at Los Angeles Ovenworks.

Pizza oven projects are so varied, but there’s the common thread of passion and in this story that Mike shared with us you will notice a great deal of creativity as well.  Since they live in Northern California where it can rain quite a bit,  Mike constructed a wooden cover to place in front of the arch to keep moisture out of the oven.  Also, he placed a shelf under the counter to keep the long handled oven tools.

Mike and Susan's pizza oven

Mike:  ”We just finished our wood fired oven project, and are enjoying the wonderful taste of pizza and bread, and look forward to creating a whole range of other goodies.”

“We had been thinking of building an oven for quite some time.  My family is from Greece, and in our many trips we had seen a lot of wood fired ovens, including the old dilapidated one at my grandfathers house.  Last year, we finally decided to build one, and after researching several manufacturers, we settle on the Elisa 90 from LA Ovenworks.  It seems Anna and I speak the same “Mediterranean” food language, so we went with her suggestion.”

“What I thought to be a weekend project turned out taking almost a year to construct.  Our big problem was the weather…we live on the coast in northern California, and this was an extraordinary rainy year.  We followed the construction steps outlined in the book, and then went with our own design for the enclosure.  I originally wanted it to look like a little Greek church with a blue domed roof, but because of weather considerations, we settle for a more traditional look.  We super-insulated the cavity with vermiculite and some old insulation, so it holds the heat very well.”

Mike ready to bake pizza

“Susan came up with the tile design, and with help from friends, she figured out how to do it.  She loved getting to show off some of her best agates.  Again, it took a long time because of the weather. We bought all of our materials locally, and got a lot of advice from local builders, even though no one had built one of these before.  Everyone who has seen it is thrilled.”

“As with anything, there is a learning curve, and we have a lot of friends who are willing to taste our experiments.  The oven is right off our deck and we look forward to many years of good food and company.”

“I have posted a slide show of the whole process on FLICKR,

http://www.flickr.com/photos/susanandspu/sets/72157626745507231/

Susan is having fun!

Thank you Mike and Susan for telling your story with great photos!  It made my day.

Buon appetito from all of us at Los Angeles Ovenworks!

I remember well the first time I had wood fired pizza.  I was 7 years old and my family had recently moved to the island of Capri and been blessed with an existing pizza oven to cook in.  One of the workers who was helping with the home renovation turned out to be a skilled pizzaiolo and was promptly hired to produce amazing pie after amazing pie.  And to top it off, another worker was part of a small group that loved playing traditional neapolitan music, so our parties had a fabulous sound track as well, filled with O Sole Mio and  Funiculi Funicula‘ to a very romantic guitar and mandolin accompaniment.

The beautiful island of Capri

At the time, I had no idea how lucky I was growing up on the island amidst rugged rock and breathtaking views; the blue, crystal clear sea below covering the ancient remains of an emperor’s villa. The blue water was so inviting that come summertime I would run down the centuries-old stairs carved in the mountain, all the way from the top of Anacapri to the sea below, all 777 mythical steps and a few more miles to the Bagni di Tiberio or the baths of the emperor Tiberius. I would make my way back home by taking a boat and a bus, my skin tan and crusted with salt.

After days like that, no wonder the pizza tasted like food from the gods and that later in life I would try and try to recreate that flavor.  There’s no potable water on Capri, and rain is collected in large cisterns or water is brought in via ship, so this precious resource was used sparingly when growing vegetables, consequently tomatoes used in the pizza sauce were super sweet.  To replicate this pizza tomato sauce from my childhood memories, I grow my own San Marzano and heirloom cherry tomatoes, or alternatively I add sugar to the store bought crushed tomatoes, sometimes adding a little tomato paste as well. Note that pizza sauce you must be cooked longer and slowly to to make a thicker sauce and avoid moisture getting into the pizza dough.  (Try combining a home-made, extra-sweet tomato sauce on a pizza with small dollops of fresh burrata or of really good, soft mozzarella cheese, taking care to add the cheese after you slide the pizza out of the oven, garnish with fresh arugula.)  It makes a for a nice juxtaposition of flavors with the warm, sweet tomato and the cool, textured mozzarella.)

Here are some favorite photos of this dreamy, mediterranean island by photographer Raffaelle Mastroianni.  Perhaps they will make you want to visit soon…

A quiet moment. Photo by Raffaele Mastroianni.

Via Krupp. Photo by Raffaele Mastroianni

Buon appetito!

A great swimming spot at the Faro. Photo by Raffaele Mastroianni.

Hope the holidays brought you around a pizza oven for some authentic Italian food!  The new year brought me new inspiration through a great recipe book, a gift from my neighbor Jules.  I am not known to follow recipe books, perhaps because I like experimenting, following instead the trail of something I tasted long ago in Italy or inspired by a great meal at a restaurant or someone’s house.   So the fact that I have now fallen in love with a recipe book comes as a total surprise to me… but there it is.

Wood fired Walnut & Black Pepper Cookies

The book is “Cooking with Italian Grandmothers”  by Jessica Theroux.  The title really captures  my experience as well, learning by watching le nonne... and I found the artwork, photos, stories weaved in between the recipes delightful.  Yearning for comfort food  and the fact that I had just purchased walnuts made me try the Walnut & Black Pepper Cookies on page 226.  Wow!  I became an instant fan with my first bite and loved the simplicity of the preparation.  And… it is a tea cookie!  My favorite kind, not too sweet, but very buttery and with the absolute right combo of walnuts and surprise element of black pepper popping in between bites.  Of course making them in a wood fired oven adds another layer of goodness and comfort. (I know I will be trying each and every recipe in this book.)

The cookies can be mixed quickly after your meal in the pizza oven is done and the temperature has gone down to 350 F.  It is fun to use the lingering heat in the oven to bake something special for dessert or for treats during the week, so I am always preparing an extra dish like this.

Walnut Black Pepper Cookies (makes 2 dozen)

1/2 cup (1 stick) soft unsalted butter

3 tablespoons cane sugar

3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

A pinch of salt

3 tablespoons semi-runny honey (like wildflower or chestnut from the farmer’s market)

1 cup (4 ounces) raw walnuts, pounded or coarsely ground

1 cup flour

Extra granulated sugar, for sprinkling the cookies (optional)

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Cream the butter with the sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the black pepper, pinch of salt, and honey; mix to incorporate.  Add the nuts and flour, and mix with the electric mixer until the dough forms moist clumps, a few minutes.

Roll large teaspoonfuls of the batter between your clean hands, to make little balls.  Place the balls on the baking sheet, and press down on them twice with the tines of a fork to make a crosshatch pattern. Sprinkle with a little bit of the granulated sugar.

Slide in the wood fired oven at 350F for about 25 minutes, or until their bottoms have turned golden-nutty brown. At these low temperatures you will have to place the door of the oven either on the outside ledge, partially covering the arch or, if the oven is cooling fast, completely seal the oven opening with the door.

This recipe is from Calabria and taken from the book Cooking with Italian Grandmothers by Jessica Theroux.

Buon appetito from Los Angeles Ovenworks!

Turkey is something one has to do in a wood fired oven to really experience the wonderful roasted taste of a holiday meal.  The pilgrims didn’t use a gas oven to cook their meals either, so you can truly enjoy the spirit of the season!

Use your favorite roast  turkey recipe, or follow the holiday turkey recipe from our website (click here), or… try the following Wood Fired Brown Sugar and Mustard Glazed Turkey in your pizza oven.  I am including here as well my all-time favorite Wood Fired Apricot Cheese Cake recipe (if it’s a favorite of mine you know it will be fast and easy).

A word before I start with the food preparation:  when roasting turkey you will need let your wood fired oven heat up for a longer period of time so that it can absorb and release heat for many hours of indirect heat (without a flame or fire).  So: prepare a good fire (click here for detailed instructions on how) and let it burn for 2 hours in a medium oven or 3 hours in a large oven.  Push embers to one side and take the floor temperature.  You will slide your turkey in when the floor registers 500F.  It is important to keep the oven sealed by closing the door when roasting the turkey.  Open only to check and baste.

Wood Fired Turkey

Wood-Fired Brown Sugar and Mustard Glazed Turkey

1 whole turkey, about 12 pounds (neck and giblets reserved)

Coarse salt and ground black pepper

2 tablespoons butter, room temperature

3 cups of water

1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar

1/4 cup spicy brown mustard

1 bunch fresh sage leaves (or thyme)

Wash the turkey with cold water, and pat dry with paper towels inside and outside. Season inside of turkey with salt and pepper, and stuff with fresh sage leaves.   Loosen the skin on turkey breasts by sliding your hand under the skin by the neck first, gently and without tearing it. Rub butter on each side and then rub turkey all over with butter, season with salt and pepper.  Bend wing tips forward, and tuck under the neck cavity.

Place turkey breast side up on roasting pan, adding 3 cups of water to the bottom of the pan, along with the neck and giblets. Cover the turkey with a heavy-duty foil tent and slide the roasting pan unto the center of the oven floor registering 500F. Leave for 45 minutes.

In a small bowl, stir together sugar and mustard.  Slide the turkey out of the oven and brush with glaze.  When sliding the pan back in the oven, rotate side.  Continue to roast the oven for about another 1 and 1/2 hour, brushing with glaze 2 to 3 more times, adding water as needed to the bottom of the pan, until an instant-read  thermometer  inserted in the thickest part of a thigh (avoid the bone) registers 165F.  If the turkey needs browning, then take off the foil during the last 30 minutes or so of baking.

Transfer turkey to a platter, reserve pan with drippings for your gravy.  Cover turkey loosely with foil and let rest for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Wood Fired Apricot Cheese Cake

Since cheesecake needs to be refrigerated before serving, it is a perfect dessert to prepare the day before your party. It is very easy to make, but you need to keep an eye on it as it bakes fast in the wood fired oven!

Wood Fired Apricot Cheesecake

2 cups finely crushed butter cookies (about 30 cookies, such as Lorna Doone)

1/3 cup of butter, melted

1   15 1/4-oz. can unpeeled apricot halves

3  8-oz. pkgs cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar, regular but caster sugar even better

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

3 eggs

1  10-oz.jar of low-calorie apricot spread

1/4 cup apricot nectar

Crust: Combine crushed cookies and melted butter.  Press mixture evenly on bottom and 2 inches up on the sides of a 9-inch metal springform pan.

Your pizza oven should only have embers in it, brushed to one side and the floor should register about 360F.  Place the pan with crust on the oven floor, close to the opening for about 5 minutes until it browns, turning it once or twice.  Watch it, as it  tends to brown quickly.  Set aside.

Filling: drain apricot halves, reserving 3 tablespoons of the syrup.  Coarsely chop the apricots, set aside.  In a large mixing bowl beat cream cheese, sugar, the reserved syrup, and vanilla with an electric mixer until combined.  Add eggs all at once,  beating at low speed just until combined.  Stir in chopped apricots.  Pour filling into crust-lined pan.

Place pan unto the wood fired oven floor, close to the opening and place the oven door on the outside of the arch (so that the opening is not completely sealed, but there’s a good air space on top).  Check after 10-15 minutes and turn pan.  Check again after 10 minutes and if you find that cheesecake is browning on top, then place a piece of foil on top of the pan, and if needed, add an upturned baking sheet under the pan for extra insulation.  Cheesecake will be done in 40 minutes, when the center appears nearly set.  If a few small cracks appear on the surface it is definitely done.

Cool pan on wire rack for 15 minutes. Loosen crust from sides of pan and cool cheesecake for 30 minutes more.  Remove the sides of pan and let the cake cool completely.

Glaze: In a small saucepan combine the apricot nectar and the apricot spread over low heat.  Melt while stirring.  Remove from heat.  Spread over the cheesecake.  Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours before serving or overnight.  Serves 16.

Here at Los Angeles Ovenworks we wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving 2010 and a lot of fun around your wood fired oven!

Buon appetito!

A short blog to celebrate the fall and Halloween… I really like this idea I found in a magazine: cutting pizza dough into ghost shapes using cookie cutters and a knife.  Fun project for the kids, and fun to feature on the table during a costume pizza party.

Using your favorite pizza dough,  roll  it out with a rolling pin,  then use  a small pairing knife to cut out the shape of a ghost face, follow up with almond shape, round shape, or moon shape cookie cutter for the outline of eyes and mouth. Brush lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.   Place on a lightly floured wooden pizza peel and slide directly on the hot pizza oven floor.  Take out when browned (they will bake fast in a 650 F oven, less than a minute).  Let cool on rack.

… And don’t forget to roast those pumpkin seeds while you are at it, they are such a treat!

Happy Halloween from Los Angeles Ovenworks!

pizza dough ghosts

As Francis Mallmann puts it, “Cooking with wood fire is like going on a first date.  It is something you look forward to with great anticipation and a little anxiety.”

Perfect spot for a wood fired party

If you are like me, you will have a little bit of anxiety before entertaining, mostly to make sure everything runs smoothly upon the arrival of your guests and a the same time you don’t want to spend all your time next to the oven (well, maybe you do…), but you want to sit down and enjoy your friends.  Well, that’s the beauty of cooking in your wood fired oven:  your typical dish schedule – appetizer, main dish, side dish, dessert – works perfectly well with the high – medium – low heating cycle of your oven.  And the fact that simple recipes work best in the oven anyway, allows you to pick recipes that can be prepared ahead of time and that require minimum handling in the outdoor kitchen.

Although a wood fired oven doesn’t have a dial on it where you can adjust the temperature on and off, you will enjoy a very nice constant radiating heat as you cook, which is ideal for any dish, especially meat.  And once the wood fired oven is heated thoroughly it will stay hot until the next day.

It is important to keep a good stash of dry hardwood to make starting the fire really easy and enhance the taste of the food you cook.  Use Peter’s method of firing up the oven, so that you have a uniformly hot oven with a minimum amount of wood for a maximum amount of cooking time.

Appetizers are a wonderful way of greeting your friends and they keep everyone happy while other things are baking in the oven.  They are a great fit for the initially hot oven as it is easy to find recipes that can be baked at 650-600 degrees F, floor temperature.  Best way of measuring temperature inside the oven is by using a hand-held infrared thermometer and point it at the oven floor. (We include this thermometer in each oven kit, and it is also available in our online store.)

My favorite appetizers are oven made pizzarollis, and flat breads because they pair well with cheeses, or prosciutto and figs, and such fun starters.  Alternatively, if I am harvesting cherry tomatoes in the garden, I grill them quickly or place them in a cast iron skillet whole, with a bit of olive oil, close to the entrance of the oven, until they are burnished on the outside and release all their sweetness on the inside.  Then I smash them slightly with a fork and mix them with olive oil, a little bit of crushed fresh garlic, basil, salt, and spoon this goodness over a grilled slice of Italian bread, for a quick bruschetta, served along with local cheese.  To grill the bread slices, you can place them on directly on the hot oven floor or on a hot grill, and use tongs or a fork to turn.

Seizing up the appetizer

As the oven cools a little, it’s time for the main dishes. Leaving the door open will bring the temperature in the oven down to 550-500 degrees F (floor temperature) and this is ideal for  a chicken, or a lamb, or a small roast that you’ve prepared ahead of time in a metal pan.  Place a small piece of wood on top of the bed of coals that you moved to the left or right side of the oven, and slide the pan in, opposite side from the coals.  The meat will sear very nicely  as the dome of the oven reflects heat all around it, and will acquire a crispy outside flavored with the smoke of the fire. You can cover the meat loosely with foil either at the beginning or the end of the cooking cycle to brown the meat. (When using a recipe written for a regular oven, just add about a hundred degrees and reduce the cooking time to about a third.)

Fish I usually place on a oven proof dish and keep it closer to the door, since it doesn’t require high temperature.  Or  wait until the oven is at about 450 degrees F if you want to bake a tender fish filet.  It’s fun to grill a lobster, halved, on a grill placed close to the opening and with the coals raked under it.

Along with the main dish, you can fit a few pans with side dishes, such as potatoes, mushrooms, artichokes which all acquire a great smoky taste in the wood burning oven.  Or slide in an eggplant parmesan that your assembled the day before.

And lastly... dessert

Once you’ve taken out the main dish and the side dishes, the oven is ready for cooking a dessert.  Something simple with lots of butter and sugar… since these caramelize  deliciously in the pizza oven!  Your guests will beg you to invite them again.

Buon appetito from Los Angeles Ovenworks!