Pizza Margherita

 

Our house possesses a Chambers stove, perfectly restored and in working order. After I got over my initial horror and assumption that I would blow us to kingdom come in a terrible gas related catastrophe, I came to love and respect the old stove. Beyond the built in thermowell, griddle and grill, the true beauty of a Chambers stoves is its ability to maintain temperature. A great benefit when making pizza without a crazy hot pizza oven.

Pizza Magherita (serves 4 for under $20)

1 lb pizza dough (essentially 1 large pizza)
28 oz can whole tomatoes, drained
1 tbsp fresh oregano, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced
12 oz mozzarella
20 basil leaves
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat oven to 500F with rack at lowest setting. Place pizza stone or cookie tray in the oven to heat.

Warm 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet. Add garlic, onion and oregano and cook, stirring often, until the onions and garlic begin to caramelize, about 20 minutes. Add the drained whole tomatoes, stirring and breaking into small pieces. Cook the mixture until it has thickened to your liking, but so that any liquid released by the tomatoes has been cooked away. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Remove the pizza dough from the refrigerator and cut in half. On a floured surface cut dough into halves rolling each out to a desired size. We made two rectangular pizzas that perfectly fit cookie trays, as we seemed to have lost the pizza stone in the move. Top each half with half of the sauce, then basil leaves and finally slices of mozzarella. Top with a drizzle of olive oil, a pinch of salt and a ground of pepper. Remove tray or stone from oven and carefully slide one pizza on. Return to oven a bake until golden and bubbly, about 5 minutes. Repeat with second pizza. Cut each in half and enjoy.