Cooking pizza in the fireplace

Thanks to Sally for this great article – and can anybody help her with her broken oven?

It seems there’s no end to all the culinary gadgetry available to us today. Do we really need all this stuff? Our ancestors got by without it. And what would happen if something broke down? Would we break down right along with it?

Recently, I had the opportunity to find out…

My electric oven is woefully beyond repair, as are the funds available to fix it. The heating unit is burnt out. Easy to fix, right? That’s where the plot thickens. The oven company is out of business and no source has the unit for sale. The only way to fix the oven is to toss out the old one and buy a new one. Isn’t it a shame to add all that material to a landfill?

Add to that, I run a food blog. How can I write about food I can’t cook? To tell you the truth, I was discouraged. I thought I might have to give up the food blog. Then, it occurred to me this was an opportunity to blog about how to cook without an electric oven. After all, countless generations did without them, so why can’t we? The hearth used to be the heart of the home. All meals were prepared there. Did we lose something when we lost our simple hearths and found our deluxe ovens? This has become an ongoing thread in my blog, AuntSallyGoodFood.com.

Starting with pizza…

I began researching how to cook in the fireplace. Pizza seemed like an easy first effort. The very first bite of the very first effort amazed me with its deliciousness. Here’s how you can do it, too.

It’s a good idea to gather your ingredients before starting the fire. Once the fire gets to the right temperature, you’ll be ready. I like to place all the ingredients on a large cutting board, which I then place on the coffee table near the fire.

For pizza you’ll need flatbread, such as ciabatta or even bagels. If you’re like me, an obsessive foodie, you can make pizza dough from scratch. If you’re just starting out, it’s much easier to buy flatbread already baked. You’ll also need fresh mozzarella, tomato sauce, fresh basil and olive oil. Other toppings can be added, if you like. I sliced mushrooms and garlic, put them in an iron skillet with some olive oil, covered the pan and fried them in my fireplace oven. To enhance the smoky deliciousness, add 1 teaspoon smoked paprika to the tomato sauce, if you like. Trust me, you’ll like! Some tongs, plates, a pastry brush, oven mitt and towel are good things to have on hand.

It all starts with the wood. Woods to avoid include pine, fir, spruce, redwood, cedar, cypress. These can leave an unpleasant tar-like taint to the food. Some woods can be toxic. These include elm; eucalyptus; sycamore; oleander; poison oak; any wood treated with varnishes, preservatives, or other chemicals. Avoid moldy or fungi covered woods. Never use charcoal briquettes indoors.

Choosing the wood

Any barbeque wood makes excellent cooking wood. Oak, nut woods, hickory, pecan, fruit wood, apple wood, cherry, peach, even dried corncobs can be used. Personally, I prefer oak or pecan. Fortunately, I have four pecan trees in my yard. This is a good way to use up tree trimmings.

Next steps…

1. In the front of the fireplace, place two stacks of bricks. Straddling them, place a grill grate. I use the cast iron grill grate from my barbeque, but grills are available at most hardware stores. I like to set aside the grill grate until the fire is ready.

2. Build and light your fire. When the wood turns into smoldering embers, pull the embers between the two stacks of bricks. Your fireplace tools should make this task a simple one. At this point, you may add smoking chips. Stripped of leaves, dried rosemary stems compliment pizza wonderfully. Pistachio shells add a subtle smokiness to pizza. Top the bricks with your grill grate.

3. Brush both sides of the bread with olive oil. Place bread (cut side down, if using baked bread) on grill grate. When the bread toasts, remove from fire and place on the cutting board. Spread the toasted side with tomato sauce. Add cheese and any other toppings you choose.

4. Return the pizza to the grill grate. When the cheese has melted, you are ready to enjoy your pizza. Remove pizza from fire and place on cutting board. Top with fresh basil. Some like to shred the basil, some like to leave it whole. It’s your choice. I like to add a little smoked salt around the edges of the pizza. Now, slice your pizza and enjoy.

It’s important to keep an eye on the fire. If embers die down, pull in some more. If the pizza starts to overcook, remove to cutting board until the fire settles down.

Because you have to stay by the fire, this makes for a very enjoyable evening with family. The kids will learn about history. It also makes for a very romantic evening. Share a bottle of chianti with the one you love while the warmth of the fire draws you closer. Whether you do this with family or that special someone, cooking in the fireplace can warm our homes and our hearts in ways no electric oven can.

We really appreciate Sally writing this article for us and would like to do something in return, so has anybody got any advice concerning her broken oven and how to repair it?

» Aunt Sally Good Food