After the stuffed pizza last week, I needed to cook something with the mud oven at a higher temperature to get my timing down right with dough rising. It was a little lower than I needed to be with the pizza, so I fired it a bit hotter today. I'll put up one firing picture but more on the food ones. This is a few minutes after I added a few small birch splits, she took off hot. Flames rolling out the door. I flatted some chicken out and did the egg dip and bread crumbs. Into the skillet with olive oil for a few minutes. I got a few new stoneware dishes and had to try them out. 9" x 9". I put my wife's spaghetti sauce down, put cooked ground sausage some mozz cheese. I pre-cooked some penne and mixed with egg, ricotta and parmesan cheese and seasoning. That was the next layer. I added some more sauce, cheese and the cooked chicken on top. A little more sauce and into the oven it went. At the same time I had pizza dough on the rise. for breadsticks. Rolled out ready to go. I used a good amount of flower and cornmeal to prevent sticking on the wood peel. The chicken parm was in the oven for about 20 minutes already. They were not the nicest looking things going in. Halfway through I put melted butter with garlic on the sticks and mozz cheese on everything. Just about done. I stuck them back in for a few more minutes. Chicken parm out. It registered 170 degrees with the thermometer. It was bubbling like a lava flow all over. My daughter made some olive oil dipping sauce with salt, pepper, herbs and garlic. The chicken was so tender and the ground sausage in the mix was a great addition. This was up in the top five or so meals to come out of the oven. Very filling I might add.
You made my mouth water! My wife and I enjoy Flatbreads, a restaraunt in Mass and NH. Wood fired cooking is good eating for sure. Nice pics!
damm that looks delicious and it is one of my favorite dishes, I gain weight just looking at these posts. If there is a McKinnon's Market near you, try out their Italian breaded chicken cutlets. Cooked in house and have to be as good as my mom use to make. I make them occasionally but have to say that since trying theirs I cheat now and then. I use to go ofton to the original McKinnons in Everett until I moved to NH in 1992 and pretty sure my dad still shops there-thankfully one opened in Portsmouth recently. The Everett location was the last place I could find that still made Braciole the way my Grandmother did. Dam it, now I'm hungry.
Fuuny things is that I have not made a flatbread pizza in this oven. I bet they would cook real quick. We have a place in the historic district downtown that has great flatbread when I get the hankering.
If you do try the cutlets, find the ones the are thicker and less cooked, you dont want 'em dry when you re-heat. Many times I use them as an easy sandwich after a long day and re heat at higher heat (400 ish) to crisp them up without drying out- they freeze very well and are good to have on hand for this. If making a chicken parm like you did, it wont matter as much when baking with the sauce. They also have pork, veal and eggplant; all located in the cold cut area- at least in Portsmouth. I have been to the Salem store but dont remember the layout there.
Open a backyard restaurant. Next year's FHC get together is at your house. Wood Splittin' & Fine Dining!
Watched a local restaurant go through several operators over 10 'ish years. A local guy was the last to operate it...a good man and his family lost everything serving good food at reasonable prices. After him, the building was sold, gutted and rebuilt by a local chain resturaunt. Now it is a booming business that is making it on its name recognition offering very sub par and overpriced seafood and steak.
Om my my my......fishingpol is the official FHC chef. You may have to come to the GTG in Ohio!! We'll eat like kings!
Believe me Scotty, I have thought of going several times. It is just a logistics thing and not quite knowing what I have going on yet at that time. I can just imagine what will be cooked which makes it more tempting to go. If I don't go, I may make a wood or forged iron project and ship it out there for a prize on one of the competitions. It seems like a bit of a drive, but I drove some of my family members to Montreal and back in one day to meet relatives for lunch. I'm still trying to figure that one out.
Jon do you still have those videos of making that oven? I am gonna give it another shot this year. Last year I just plain didn't have time...
