Patio pizza parties heat up summer

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If you’ve walked into your favourite barbecue supply store lately, you may have noticed that the place has been taken over by a fleet of outdoor pizza ovens. Forget burgers and ribs — these days we just can’t seem to get enough of perfectly charred crust and gloriously gooey melted cheese.

Pizza, after all, is as comforting and economical as it is convivial. Almost everyone loves pizza — in fact, it’s regularly ranked the most popular food on the planet — making it the perfect centrepiece for your next backyard party, whether it’s a children’s birthday bash or an all-grown-up dinner for your closest friends.

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You don’t need a pizza oven to make pizza, but it will make it faster, easier and more delicious. That’s because pizza ovens reach temperatures of around 900°F, much higher than your kitchen range (which probably tops out around 550°F). This makes the crust bake faster — in just a minute or two — keeping it tender and giving it a lovely touch of char.

There are several different types of pizza ovens available, ranging from smallish, portable ovens like the ones from Ooni to the larger, sleekly modernist Gozney Dome to the even larger Forno Bravo oven you might see at your favourite restaurant. They can range in price from a few hundred dollars to several thousand and use different types of fuel: wood, gas or electricity.

The wood-fired models mimic the communal ovens in Naples where pizza originated back in the 17th century and add an appealing smoky aroma. But many municipalities have banned them for safety and air quality reasons, so check with your local bylaws before you go shopping.

In addition, you will need a pizza peel, a sort of large paddle with a long handle, to transport your pie in and out of the oven. Wooden ones may be prettier, but perforated metal ones slide under the crust easier. If you are making pizza in your kitchen oven or on your old Weber kettle, you will also need a pizza stone. Other handy tools include a pizza cutter, infrared thermometer, a smaller turning peel and whatever gear you need for making the dough and prepping the toppings.

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Speaking of pizza dough: You can fall down a pretty deep rabbit hole of nerdy online chat about proper hydration ratios and three-day fermentations, but if all you want to do is feed your friends and family, you can make perfectly tasty dough in just a few hours (see recipe). Or you can pick up pre-made dough at Flourist or many of the city’s Italian markets.

As for toppings, traditional Neapolitan pizza is pretty simple: crushed tomatoes, fresh buffalo mozzarella, herbs like basil or oregano and, after it comes out of the oven, a drizzle of good olive oil. But if you want to get creative and load up, go for it — just beware that anything that holds a lot of moisture won’t have time to cook properly and could make your crust soggy.

Some toppings to consider: thinly sliced pepperoni or other salami, prosciutto or other types of ham, mushrooms, olives, red pepper, cherry tomatoes, potatoes, artichoke hearts and tangy cheeses like ricotta or goat’s cheese.

And don’t build your pizza right on the peel, tempting though it may seem. The trickiest part of the process is launching your pie from the peel to the stone and the longer it sits on the peel, the more likely it will stick to it. Generously flour your peel, then, working quickly, place the pizza on the peel, pop it in the oven and release.

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Once it’s in the oven, keep an eye on it and, if needed, use the turning peel to rotate it. It should be done in just a couple of minutes. Serve with salad, beer and wine (or sodas for those not partaking) and repeat as needed.

Nightingale Pizza with Cherry Tomatoes, Olives and Arugula

When David Hawksworth decided his restaurant Nightingale would serve pizza, he knew it would have to be the best pizza possible — like this simple, and simply delicious, one. The dough makes enough for three pizzas, but the toppings are for one. You can make the dough ahead and use it during the week. Each pizza serves two.

Excerpted from Vancouver Eats by Joanne Sasvari, with permission from Figure 1 Publishing. 

Pizza dough

• 1 1/3 cups Italian “00” flour, plus extra for dusting
• 2 cups bread flour
• 1 tsp active dry yeast
• 1 Tbsp sea salt
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• 1 ¼ cups warm water (100°F to 110°F)
• 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for coating

Tomato sauce

• 1 (796-mL) can San Marzano tomatoes
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• 1 tsp kosher salt, plus extra to taste
• 6 fresh basil leaves, torn

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Pizza toppings (per pizza)

• ½ cup fior di latte, sliced
• Fresh basil leaves, torn
• 5 cherry tomatoes
• 4 green olives
• Pinch of crushed red pepper
• Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
• Handful of arugula

Pizza dough

Using a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine flours, yeast, salt and sugar and mix well on low speed. With the motor still running, slowly add water and oil and mix for 8 to 10 minutes, until very smooth.

Coat the inside of a metal bowl with 1 to 2 teaspoons of olive oil, then add dough and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Rest in a warm place for 1 hour, until doubled in size. Punch the dough down and continue to let it proof for at least another 2 hours, but preferably overnight.

Divide dough into 3 portions and reserve in the fridge until required (it will keep for up to a week). Pull dough out 1 hour before you want to use it.

Tomato sauce

In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, combine tomatoes, olive oil, sugar and salt and slowly simmer for 20 minutes. Add basil and cool. Check seasoning and add more salt if needed.

Assembly

If you are using your kitchen range, place a pizza stone in the middle of the oven and heat it to the highest temperature possible, most likely 550°F (see note). If you are using a pizza oven, the stone is likely built in. Preheat it for 15 to 20 minutes until the stone reaches between 850°F and 950°F, using an infrared thermometer to test this safely and accurately.

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While the stove is heating, sprinkle a good pinch of flour on a counter or marble slab. Using your fingertips, press the air out of the dough. Gently pull dough until it is about ¼-inch thick.

With a large spoon, spread tomato sauce around on the dough, leaving a 1-inch space along the perimeter. Place cheese, basil, tomatoes and olives on top. Season with crushed red pepper and drizzle olive oil over top.

Using a pizza peel, slide pizza onto the stone and bake until crust is golden brown. This can take for 7 to 10 minutes in a kitchen oven and as little as 1 to 2 minutes in an outdoor pizza oven. Carefully remove from oven and scatter arugula on top. Serve immediately.

Note: If you are using your kitchen stove and do not have a pizza stone, you can use a well-oiled baking sheet or pizza pan instead.

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