September 2012
No. 42; Expo 2012 &
Pesto Seafood Pizza
header photo
sidebar photo

Welcome!

Who's ready for a food-filled fall? We at Forno Bravo hope you're enjoying the change in seasons and making good use of those ovens.

On the recipe front, our September newsletter includes another great pizza idea from Brad English of Pizza Quest: pesto seafood pizza. We've also shared a delectable meat dish from the Community Cookbook.

Finally, see the article at right for two wood-fired oven events taking place in the next couple months. We're really looking forward to Forno Bravo Expo 2012 on October 27, and hope many of you will join us.

Happy cooking,
James

P.S. I mentioned in the last newsletter that I was running the Headlands 50 in Marin County. Well, it's come and gone, and my legs are finally back to normal. I finished the 50-mile race at 9:35, fast enough for eighth overall, and I got an award for winning the 50-up age group. Now, as long as my knee holds up, it's time to start getting ready for the winter marathons. (Read more about the race on the Wood-Fired Blog.)

blog button

Peter's Corner: Pesto Seafood Pizza

Peter Reinhart, our Pizza Quest host, baking instructor and baker extraordinaire, shares a new recipe from Brad English.

Pesto Seafood Pizza

The pesto sets a nice base tone for the seafood to shine. The addition of the sundried tomatoes adds an intense burst of flavor while the thickly sliced tomatoes are a juicy addition to the medley. Condensed from Brad's original Pizza Quest post.

Ingredients

  • Peter's signature Bruery beer dough made with sriracha salt as a substitute
  • Freshly made pesto (try Peter's pesto recipe)
  • Sundried tomatoes
  • Small pile of Coos Bay Empire Clams – if you can get them (see note on Pizza Quest post)
  • Fresh jumbo shrimp
  • Freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • Thickly grated parmigiano-reggiano
  • Thickly sliced tomatoes
  • Chopped garlic

The Prep
Make the pesto, and add in some marinated sundried tomatoes. Sauté the shrimp: Add a little olive oil to a hot skillet. Add some chopped garlic and sauté until translucent. Throw in some leftover basil leaves from making the pesto. Toss in the shrimp and season with a little salt/pepper. Sauté until almost cooked to allow the shrimp to finish cooking on the pizza. (I cooked this pizza in two stages.)

The Build and Cook
Preheat your oven to the highest temperature (about 550 degrees) for at least an hour prior to baking your pizza to make sure your pizza stone comes up to temperature. Lay your dough out on the pizza peel.

Spread the pesto with sundried tomatoes across the dough. Add a little thickly grated cheese and a few raw clams. Toss the pizza in the oven for a few minutes. The shrimp have been mostly cooked, so you don't want to overcook them. Allow the pizza to bake for about four minutes and check it.

Pull the pizza out of the oven and add the rest of the pre-cooked shrimp and the sliced tomatoes on top. Place back in the oven to finish cooking (another three to five minutes depending on your oven). Remove from the oven and squeeze a little fresh lemon over the pizza. Cut and serve. Delicious!

Recipe: Seared Beef Tenderloin

We hope you enjoy this month’s featured recipe from the Forno Bravo Community Cookbook, written by our chef moderator Dan Compton. Want to add your own recipe? Take a few moments to create a free Community Cookbook account!

Seared Beef Tenderloin With Black Sheep Cheese and Roasted Tomatoes

This is one of those dishes that isn't really a dish at all — just a confluence of good ingredients that happened to be at hand, with the end result being something beautiful and delicious.

You'll need:

  • 5 tomatoes, cored and quartered
  • 1 T extra virgin olive oil
  • 10 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 5 sprigs fresh savory
  • 1 T vegetable oil
  • 1 whole tenderloin, cut into 6-oz portions
  • 3 T butter
  • 1 round of Black Sheep or Robiola-style cheese
  • Salt and black pepper, to taste

Remove your beef from the refrigerator and allow to temper for at least a half hour before cooking. Season liberally with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, place the tomatoes on a wire rack over a sheet tray. Drizzle with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Scatter half of the thyme and savory sprigs over the top of the tomatoes. Roast in a hot wood oven, rotating once, until soft, about 6-10 minutes depending on your tomatoes and oven temperature. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. When cool enough to handle, discard the herb sprigs and remove the skins from the tomatoes. You should be able to peel them right off with your fingers.

Preheat a large roasting pan or skillet in a very hot wood oven. Add the vegetable oil – it should smoke. Place the steaks in the pan, slide the pan back into the oven, and seal up the oven. Allow the steaks to roast for 4-5 minutes. Remove the oven door and turn the steaks. Scatter the remaining savory and thyme over the steaks and roast for 2-3 minutes more. Add the butter to the pan; when melted, baste the steaks with the hot fat for 1 minute. Cooking times will vary depending on your oven temp and the thickness of your steaks – listed here are the approximate times for this particular session, with the meat cooked to medium rare.

Remove the meat from the roasting pan. Cut your cheese into wedges and top each steak with a piece. Allow to rest for 5-7 minutes, then serve with the roasted tomatoes alongside.

Special Offer:
Free Expo Tickets
With Oven Purchase

When you purchase a Forno Bravo oven between now and October 25, 2012, you'll receive four free tickets to Expo 2012 in Marina, Calif. Mention this newsletter to qualify. See Expo details above.