Best Holiday Recipes in 2021

It's the season of sharing, cooking/baking, and eating! What special way to celebrate the holidays with friends and family but with a spread of delicious, mouth-watering dishes straight from your wood-fired authentic pizza oven!

Wood-fired ovens bring out that distinct, one-of-a-kind taste in even the simplest dishes. For today, we're sharing holiday recipes that are well-loved by our community, and proven to satisfy!

Wood Fired Basil Shrimp

Recipe and photos by @grillhunters

Equipment

• Wood-fired oven
• Maple wood logs (or any hardwood)

Ingredients

• 2 lbs shrimp deveined and shells on
• 1/4 cup olive oil extra virgin
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp butter unsalted
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 tbsp maple syrup real
• 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
• 2 tsp ginger finely chopped
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp pepper freshly grounded
• 1/2 lime juice freshly squeezed
• 1/2 lemon juice freshly squeezed
• 1 green onions finely sliced

Directions

1. Heat your Authentic Pizza Oven to 400°F
2. In a cast-iron pan, combine together the olive oil, sesame oil, soy sauce, maple syrup, garlic, ginger, salt, and pepper. This is a quick recipe but if you have time, marinate the shrimps 1-2 hours.
3. Add the shrimps in the cast iron skillet. Add some butter on top.
4. Place the pan into your Authentic Pizza Oven. Turn and whisk the shrimps every 2 minutes for a total of 8 minutes or until the shrimps are fully cooked (charred and pink).
5. Add the green onions, peel and eat 🙂

Wood-fire Roasted Chicken and Game Birds

Ingredients:

• 4-5 pounds whole chicken or large game bird cleaned and plucked.
• Juice of 1 1/2 lemons
• 2 tablespoons Herbs De Provence
• 2 Cloves of garlic cut in half
• 1 small onion quartered
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley for garnish
• 1 tablespoon onion powder

Directions:

1. Build a fire in your Authentic Pizza Oven using a hardwood such as oak, apple or cherry wood. When the wood has burned to mostly white hot coals with a little bit of flame, move the coals to one side of the oven. Add a piece of wood to the fire to keep the temperature in the oven steady. Add wood as needed during the roasting process.
2. Rinse the bird and pat dry. Make sure you rinse the bird's cavity and pat dry as well. Take some olive oil and coat the cavity. Salt and pepper the cavity and add the 4 garlic halves. Squeeze half of the lemon on the inside of the bird and place the squeezed half into the cavity. Seal the cavity with the other half of the lemon.
3. Place the bird into a roasting pan or the ceramic baking dish that came with your Authentic Pizza Oven. Cover the whole bird with a generous amount of olive oil. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon over the skin of the bird. Season the bird with the garlic powder, onion powder and Herbs De Provence. Take the potato quarters and place them around the bird. Season the potatoes with olive oil, salt and pepper. The potatoes will also be seasoned by the fat and drippings from the bird.
4. Place the bird into the wood oven for about 5-8 minutes to brown the skin. Make sure you watch the bird to ensure the skin does not burn.
5. Once you have a nice brown color on the skin, take the bird out of the oven and cover the whole pan and bird with aluminum foil.
6. Place the bird back on the deck of the oven with the pan slightly protruding into the oven. The temperature in this area should be about 350-375 degrees. The side facing the interior of the oven will be hotter then the side facing out. It is important to rotate the bird about every 8-10 minutes to make sure it cooks evenly.
7. A 4 to 5 pound chicken should take about 40- 60 minutes to cook. The timing depends on your ability to keep the heat in the oven fairly constant, size of the bird and the bird type. After 60 minutes, check the internal temperature of the bird for desired doneness.
8. The following internal temperatures are recommended for different game birds in degrees Fahrenheit. Chicken - 165 degrees Duck - 165 degrees Goose - 165 - degrees Grouse - 150 - degrees Pheasant - 160 degrees Wild Turkey - 180
9. The potatoes should be done when the bird is finished cooking. If not, remove the bird, set aside and cover. Place potatoes back into the oven until done.
10. Cut up the bird into its different parts. Pour juices from the cutting board over the bird and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve immediately with the potatoes, a salad and a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. Enjoy!

Stuffed Fish

This dish is great because you can choose any fish you like. Snapper, trout etc.
Fire up your Authentic Pizza Oven so that it’s at a nice resting rate of 325-375F.

Ingredients:

• 3 Fresh Rainbow Trout gutted or any fish you prefer
• 2 Large Lemons thinly sliced
• 1 large brown or yellow onion thickly sliced
• 1 tbsp Minced Garlic per fish
• Handful of Fresh Parsley
• Olive Oil
• Salt & Pepper

Directions:

1. Fire up your Authentic Pizza Oven so that it’s at a nice resting rate of 325-375 F. (Optional) Add 3-4 pieces of apple wood for added flavor!
2. Rub olive oil all over the skin and inside of the room temperature trout to prevent it from sticking to the Authentic Pizza Ovens ceramic baking dish. Stuff minced garlic, salt & pepper inside fish. Make sure to spread evenly throughout the fish. Scatter the sliced onion around the fish. Place lemon slices and parsley inside fish.
3. When your oven is ready, slide the ceramic dish trout into the oven to cook. Fish will cook 6-7minutes per side or until skin lifts easily with a fork. Make sure to only flip once in order to keep skin intact.
4. Use your high heat oven gloves and remove the dish!
5. This is a beautiful oven to table dish, easily served with parsley white rice or oven baked potatoes and a nice green salad.

Wood Fired Cedar Plank Salmon

Ingredients:

• 3-4 Pieces Atlantic Salmon (or other variety if preferred)
• 3 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) Enough to brush on both sides of the fish
• 1 Tbsp brown sugar
• 3-4 tsp Combined Spice Mix Your choice of salt, pepper, herbs, basil, shallots, or any favorite combination
• 1 small bunch Fresh Dill Chopped
• 1 lemon Cut into wedges
• Western Red Cedar Plank(s) 8-10" long

Directions:

1. Prepare your fire in your Authentic Pizza Oven and aim to get it to 400-500 degrees.
2. To prepare, soak your cedar plank for at least 15 minutes in warm water. Rinse your salmon pieces in cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. Combine brown sugar and desired spice combination in a small bowl and set to the side.
3. Spread EVOO on both sides of the fish and place it gently on the pre-soaked plank, skin side down. Add your seasoning mix to the top of the fillet. Chef's note: Go light on the seasoning, remembering that the salmon is the star of the show and will be absorbing flavors from the cedar and wood smoke as well. (Chef's note: I don't really do the same seasoning twice -- it's all part of the creative process.)
4. When the oven is up to temperature, move the fire to the side or back but keep a bit of a flame going. A flame is a must for getting a nice, crisp crust. Just put the plank fairly close to the fire, rotating it until an even crust develops.
5. Move the plank away from the flames to a cooler spot in the oven (closer to the door) to roast until the internal temperature of the salmon is about 140°F. Cooking time is about 6-8 min total per inch of thickness, on average. However, keep an eye on it, because cooking times will vary depending on the heat of your oven, thickness of the fish, and dampness of the plank. (Overcooked salmon will be dry and tough.)
6. Remove the plank from the oven and rest it for a few minutes. Plate the fish, and garnish it with fresh-chopped dill. (Fresh dill was made for salmon!) Serve with some roasted veggies from your wood-fired oven to round out the meal.

Instant Pickled Wood Fired Roasted Chilies

Photos and recipes by @pizzaquesting

Ingredients:

• Jalapeños or Fresno Chilies
• Kosher Salt
• Fresh Ground Black Pepper
• Olive Oil
• Rice Wine Vinegar
• Medium sliced chilies

Directions:

1. Slice chilies and all ingredients into a bowl and toss.
2. Quickly warm the cast iron pan in the pizza oven for 2-3 minutes.
3. Transfer the chilies from the bowl to the cast iron skillet and place in the oven.
4. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until wilted to preference. Suggest stirring once or twice. Make sure to use your high heat gloves!
5. Remove from the oven and sprinkle a nice amount of salt in pepper then drizzle with olive oil!
6. Pour the hot oil/chilies into a bowl to cool.
7. Add some Rice Wine Vinegar to taste.

NOTE:
These chilies can be used in salads, spice up a meat dish, sandwich or on your pizza and definitely can be jarred to save for another day. They are amazing pops of flavor!

Maple-glazed ham

Recipe and pictures by Amber Kennedy, General Manager @Authenticpizzaovens

Ingredients:

• Ham
• Brown sugar
• Maple syrup
• Salt & pepper

Directions:

1. First of all, fire up your Authentic Pizza Oven and leave until it reaches around 180 degrees celsius.  Remember, your Authentic Pizza Oven thermometer is in celsius!
2. Next, you can make your glaze. In a bowl, add your brown sugar and maple syrup and mix well.
3. Then, rub your ham with the desired amount of salt and pepper. Using a brush, coat your meat with your glaze then place in a pan uncovered in the oven until the glaze caramelizes.
4. After the glaze is caramelized then cover your ham. Make sure to periodically brush the ham with the glaze until your ham has finished cooking through.

Roasted Potatoes

Recipe and pictures by Amber Kennedy, General Manager @Authenticpizzaovens

Ingredients:

• Roasting potatoes of your choice
• Salt & pepper
• olive oil

Directions:

1. Add your potatoes to your pan (Our Portuguese ceramic dish is perfect for this recipe!) and drizzle with olive oil.
2. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Keep covered while cooking.
4. Simple and DELICIOUS!!

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