Wood Fired Fanatics

There were many weeks of social distancing and shelter in place…so what did Forno Piombo (the most awesome wood fired oven company) do?? Host a live stream wood fired cooking class. Genius. We were all stuck at home trying to figure out what to cook and how to make it fun. Well, they did it. I sat watching a live stream cooking class and can’t wait to make this chicken with the one currently hanging out in my freezer.

This class was taught in real time. Most states were staying at home to stay safe, so….many can cook along with the chef. We spent the weekend with my in-laws before we were mandated to shelter in place so I did not cook with the chef. Here is the recap of the class:

The menu is roasted chicken and Yukon potatoes. Chef Itamar Abramovitch demonstrates how to spatchcock the chicken in preparation for cooking by removing the backbone and wish bone and then cracking the breast bone. This is a skill I have never tried but seems to be quite popular as of late (or maybe I am just paying more attention).

I love that he gave a very basic process that could be adjusted to any taste or to incorporate any flavor profile. For example, he placed the potatoes in a pan with ample canola oil. Simple. However, he shared that you could easily add garlic, rosemary, Calabrian chili, etc. to add flavor to the potatoes

Speaking of the potatoes, it is important to note that he boiled the potatoes whole. Once they were knife tender, he drained them and when cool enough to touch, sliced them in half lengthwise. They were then placed cut side down in the stainless steel pan for roasting in the oven.

It is noted from a viewer that Chef is using two different types of pans. Stainless for potatoes, cast iron for the chicken. Why? Metal is a great conductor to transfer heat from a source to food. Cast iron is heavy and retains heat within itself. When cold food is placed in cast iron, the pan stays hot. Stainless pan TIP: If you are using a traditional home oven, preheat the pan in the oven before placing food in it. In a wood fired oven the pan sits directly on the hot bricks so heat will transfer quickly and preheating is not necessary. This explained his choice not to preheat the pan in today’s demonstration.

Chef Abramovitch mentioned he currently loves to make bread. I am very interested in bread baking, particularly sourdough bread as we just returned from San Francisco. Although I missed all of the details, he gave instructions for a bread starter that I need to go back and listen to more closely.

Often times in wood fired cooking, the fire is placed in a particular area of the oven to provide a specific level of heat and necessary cooking space. In the case of the chicken and potatoes today, the fire was in the back of the oven in order to allow more surface area in the front. This is a great way to control the environment your dish is cooking in…closer to the fire=higher heat, closer to the mouth of the oven=cooler temperature.

The chicken was prepared very simply with just salt and pepper for today’s class. Variation suggestions were jalapeño under the skin of the chicken or adding lime or lemon zest peeled with peeler under the skin and whole slices under the chicken. The same advice could be use to add herbs.

One of my favorite moments was when a playful chef viewing the class online like us novice cooks chimed in and asked about a sauce. Chef Abramovitch was able to think on his feet, take us on a field trip to his fridge and pantry and whip up a delicious sounding sauce! He made a play on a classic beurre blanc using fat, milk solids and “water”. There were no lemons on hand, so using what he had, the new sauce stars were champagne vinegar and tangerine juice (they were the “water”). He started the sauce in a new pan but eventually changed course and used the pan the chicken had been cooking in so he could utilize the fond. You know, the delicious browned bits on the bottom of the pan? He used the vinegar and juice to deglaze the pan and put it in the oven to begin reducing. When there are only a few tablespoons of liquid remaining, add butter…heavenly delicious butter. Shaking the pan as the butter is added will emulsify the butter into the liquids (you could also whisk). Pro Tip: If the sauce starts to separate, remove from heat (possibly even to a different dish/pan) and add another knob of butter to quickly cool it down.

This meal looked delicious and was a great starting point for many variations depending on your particular tastes and preferences. I loved this statement, “Wood fired cooking forces your attention.” I think this is some of the allure of wood fired cooking. It is an active process. There are some dishes you can braise in the oven and walk away but for the most part you have to tend to the fire. Move your dish closer and farther from the heat source to control cooking. Although you don’t want to do this right now in Phoenix, there is also the pure joy of cooking outdoors. Enjoying the weather while making something for those you love.

If you would like to watch the class for yourself just Click Here to be directed to Forno Piombo’s YouTube page. If you want to hear about new posts to our blog when they happen, please like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram @woodfiredfanatics.

I have attempted the cheese making process a couple of times, neither with great success. First attempt, the cheese had great texture and absolutely ZERO flavor. So, I decided not to give up and try again. This time I got great flavor but it was kind of rubbery and didn’t really melt on the pizza. I gave up and realized I needed professional help.

Thanks to Facebook, I discovered Making the Cheese! I was excited to have a cheese making class right here in town. I couldn’t wait to figure out how to make my own delicious cheese for pizza night!

Upon arrival I was already impressed, Kathy and her husband were so organized with everything set up and ready to go. Most of the tools I already owned and the small groups made it fun to learn and nice to be hands on during the process to not only see what was happen but feel the textures and technique. We learned what products to use and the steps to take, to create “quick” and delicious mozzarella cheese.

Did you know a stainless steel pan with a thick bottom is the best choice to make cheese to avoid burning the milk? Did you know that rennet tablets will keep for a long time in the freezer? The ingredients are a bit unusual until you know what you are looking for. The process is easy when you get used to it. Stirring, temperature monitoring, cutting and finally stretching. I can’t wait to share my first independent cheese making attempt with you.

At the end of class cheese making kits were available. The kit contains all the ingredients necessary to make your first batch of cheese, just add milk! A few of the tools are included as well like the heat resistant gloves and cheese cloth. I was also able to purchase the two perforated spoons.

If you live in Phoenix and want to take your pizza nights and entertaining to the next level or just love to support small local business, check out Making the Cheese. I look forward to learning more about cheese through another class in the future.

Although we took this class in February, it took me a month to build up the courage and find the time to try to make cheese at home. I have to be honest (not humble) it was GREAT! I want to work a bit on making the cheese more moist (awful word I know but it is the one I needed, ha!) but the flavor was incredible. Perfectly salty and rich. Made a great pizza!

If you love pizza and want to know more about wood fired cooking, please follow us on Instagram and Facebook @woodfiredfanatics

Well, this is an Easter like we have never experienced in our lifetime. We are socially distancing from our extended family and friends and will be celebrating just as our little family unit. However, I still want to recognize the holiday and celebrate it as special, not just another “What Day Is It” kind of day. I hope you feel the same and are considering brunch ideas for your social circle. If you need an idea, I have one for you! Jim’s Hot Sausage Balls

Do you have an event in your life where you do things that you maybe would not the rest of the year? We do! Drag Race Weekend. We spend 3 days hosting friends, family, and colleagues to amazing food, many beverages and great fun all trackside for a national drag race event. This is a weekend where we cook outside for all of our meals and eat things we typically would not eat. Jim has a trackside RV spot a few spaces from ours. We see him once a year. Without fail he makes sausage balls and shares them with us. I really know nothing about Jim, we have never been to his house and have no idea what his hygiene habits might be, but I cannot resist partaking in his balls. (Ha! Pun intended) Gosh, I am glad I broke the “don’t take treats from strangers” rule! His hot sausage balls are super tasty!

Luckily the 2020 event in Phoenix was prior to the COVID-19 outbreak so I got to chat with Jim about his sausage balls again this year to figure out to make them myself. Luckily, it is a Betty Crocker recipe that is modified slightly. Super easy and a total crowd pleaser. When we cooked these to photograph for the blog we had a ton! We could have frozen the extras, but why not share them with friends. Well, it was unanimous…everyone loved them! It even took one friend back to her younger years when her mom would make something similar for Christmas.

So…here is how you can make your own Hot Sausage Balls. We typically use residual heat when we are making meals other than pizza. Residual heat just means we make pizza a day or two before and then use remaining coals and additional logs to achieve the necessary baking or roasting temperature. For this recipe you want your oven between 400 and 450 degrees. Note: There is a picture toward the end of this post that shows our coals and one lone log with a small flame to achieve this temperature.

Choose your breakfast sausage. We prefer things spicy so I chose Jimmy Dean HOT sausage. You could also go with regular or even sage and they would still be great. Just in case the hot sausage wasn’t enough, Jim adds peppers. He used jalapeño, but I had fresno chili on hand so I used that.

Next, THE best pantry ingredient…Bisquick! I am not exactly sure what is in Bisquick, but it can be savory or it can be sweet (like our wood fired Apple Crisp), it is just magical.

SQUIRREL! Do you have a food processor? It is seriously the best invention and one that I had never fully utilized until the last few years. Just as I embraced its magic…it broke. Holy smokes the new one is awesome!!! It is now my best friend when grating large amounts of anything, chopping, etc. I dread hand grating cheese and the 16 ounces of cheese for these balls is NO fun to grate by hand. I should also say, I prefer not to use the pre-shredded stuff because of the anti-caking agents that cause it to melt differently than freshly grated. I tossed it in the food processor and in literally 5 seconds I had all this cheese! Ok, back to the real reason we are here.

Add that gloriously grated cheddar cheese and the milk to act as the binder. Combine everything and roll like meatballs.

Place the sausage balls on a lightly greased baking sheet and slide them into the wood fired oven. You are looking for them to brown and cook all the way through. No need to roll or turn them over just bake to delicious perfection. Depending on the temperature in your oven this should take about 15 minutes, give or take.

For variation, you could add herbs or different cheeses, but in my mind these are perfect as is. They take me right back to the trackside RV and my once a year friend, Jim. So if you are looking for something easy, SOOO tasty and a total crowd pleaser, make and share Jim’s Sausage Balls for your Easter brunch this year.

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