I’ve simply acquired a pizza oven, however what else can I prepare dinner in it?
Positive, Neapolitan pizza and negroni nights are nice, however begin pondering of your pizza oven as a high-temperature furnace and there will likely be much more motive to remain outside. “I’d lean in direction of meals that you simply eat charred,” says Naples-trained Equipment Delamain of Circus Pizza at Panzer’s Deli in London. Which may imply aubergines to blitz into baba ganoush, ending meat (assume lamb) that’s been cooked low and gradual “to get that basically good, charred flavour”, or to bake pitta: “They puff up ever so properly, which is tough to attain in a standard oven.” The identical goes for pillowy naan, provides Arun Tilak, govt chef at Dishoom: “Roll the dough right into a spherical or oval form, prick calmly with a fork and bake till fantastically golden. Brush with butter and also you’re in for a deal with.”
In fact, pizza ovens come in numerous shapes and kinds, however, relying on which you might have, they are often “actually controllable”, says Rachel Jones, founding father of ACE Pizza in east London, who just lately cooked an entire turbot in hers. “Begin with that intense warmth, which is able to blister the pores and skin, earlier than turning it down and leaving the fish to prepare dinner by way of.” That stated, you can even have rooster tonight: “Spatchcock a rooster and marinate it in lemon zest, garlic, olive oil, rosemary and salt and pepper for no less than an hour,” says Jones, who then pops the chook pores and skin facet up in a skillet and into the pizza oven on low, rotating often, till cooked. “Whereas the rooster rests, throw summer season veg [courgettes, peppers, tomatoes] into the skillet with olive oil and garlic, and get that pan again within the oven.” Begin the flame on excessive (“to get some good char”), then flip to low and prepare dinner for one more quarter-hour: “Serve with a squeeze of lemon, a scatter of recent herbs, possibly a dollop of yoghurt and a few flatbread on the facet.”
A pizza oven might facilitate curry evening, too. “Cook dinner rooster or greens within the pizza oven, then simply add them to a home made sauce,” Delamain suggests. Tilak, in the meantime, would take into consideration charring carrots or crisping potatoes to toss with a punchy kebab masala and end with a zippy lime and chilli dressing: “The extraordinary warmth cooks every part shortly and locks in probably the most superb flavour.” His most well-liked dish, nevertheless, can be biryani: “Sure, even that works in a pizza oven: layer marinated rooster within the base of a pot, prime it with partially cooked rice, then end with somewhat cream, butter, recent mint and coriander.” Seal with a lid and prepare dinner “on dum [AKA low and slow].”
And in case you fancy one thing candy, flaky pastry is “at its finest with the dry warmth of a pizza oven,” says Tomas Topolar, head chef at Oxmoor Farm within the Chiltern Hills, who provides that pizza oven galettes are simpler than, effectively, pie: “The sweetest blackberries are people who come off simply; they virtually fall into your fingers. You then solely want so as to add lemon juice, a dusting of flour and sprinkle of sugar to make a gorgeous filling.” And keep in mind that residual warmth can also be your pal, Jones says: “Slice stone fruit [peaches, plums or nectarines, say], put them in a cast-iron pan, drizzle with honey and add recent thyme.” After about 20 minutes within the oven “they’ll be beautiful and sticky”. Simply add yoghurt and chopped nuts for blissful days.