Richard Scafer tosses a pie.

 

 

Nvited: We Got Sauce

Photography by Cary Hazlegrove

Rustic inspirations

A visit to Italy 20 years ago, where their hostess cooked most of their food in an open fireplace, first inspired husband and wife Richard Schafer and Nancy Cooke to want a built-in, wood-burning oven in their next home. That experience and their surprisingly small degree of separation from an experienced brick mason combined to help them realize their dream.

After their trip to Italy, a visit to Todd English’s original Olives Restaurant in Charlestown, Massachusetts, strengthened the Schafers’ resolve to bring home open-fireplace cooking. Olives’ delicious oven-cooked flat breads with fresh toppings and the restaurant’s fire braised meat and seafood entrees lingered on their palates.

In planning their second Nantucket house, the couple requested that their architect preserve an 11’ X 7’ area of their Mediterranean-style home for their own version of open-fire cooking. The two called on Henry Varian, the well-known Nantucket stonemason who had acquired his master masonry skills in his native Ireland. When the Schafers mentioned to Varian that they wanted an oven similar to the one at Olives, Varian informed them that his brother had built it.

Consequently, the Varian brothers were soon at work on the Schafer’s Polpis-area property.

Nearly a decade later, the Schafers have been hosts to dozens of cocktail parties and dinners centered around their impressive rustic oven. “We have probably twenty small parties during the summer months,” Richard Schafer reported. Besides their gatherings with friends, the former owners of the late-1990’s Nantucket gourmet shop Vis de France continue to work as private chefs for a family frequently in residence on Nantucket. Nancy Cooke has also built a thriving small business with her mouth-watering Nantucket Nancy’s Meltdown chocolate-chip cookies, sold on Nantucket at several gourmet food stores.

On a recent cool fall day, the Schafers invited a dozen friends over for hors d’oeuvres and hearty pizza still piping-hot from the brick floor of the oven. Guests reached quickly for slices of the crisp and savory pies, prepared by the proprietor of Pi Pizza, Evan Marley, whose business continues searching for a new permanent location. With late-afternoon sun streaming into dining and living areas of the Schafer home and the interior warmed by the heat and smells of the oven, you could imagine a Tuscan landscape just outside the front door.

Guests at the Schafers’ home included Henry and Miriam Varian, Steve Silverio and Marie-Claire Rochat, Malcolm Brooks, John Bailey, Sonny and Miriam Mandell, Kathleen Walsh and Brent Young, Quinton Dietz and Patrick Matecat. Maria Costanzo helped the Schafers and Evan Marley in food preparation and cooking.

By Andrew Spencer

Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there lived a restaurateur by the name of Raffaele Esposito. Signorio Esposito—he was called “signorio” because he lived in Naples, Italy—wanted to make a special meal in honor of Princess Margherita of Savoy. So in 1871, Signorio Esposito took red tomatoes, white mozzarella cheese made from water buffalo’s milk and green basil and put them all together. His idea was to use the colors of the Italian flag—red, green and white—to create his new dish. He put all these ingredients on a piece of Mediterranean flat bread, and his new invention was born.

It is quite probable that Esposito had no idea how far-reaching his creation would become. If Helen of Troy had the face that launched a thousand ships, Esposito created the recipe that added to a thousand hips. Pizza, as his invention is known, has become something of a food group for many, and certainly a periodic favorite of many more.

The Neapolitans take their pizza seriously. They take it so seriously, in fact, that Neapolitan pizza has been declared a DOC product—or denominazione di orgine controllata—meaning that the name is protected in the same way as Chianti wine or, in French terms, Champagne. And there are rules that must be followed for pizza to qualify under DOC standards. The dough can be made only with finely ground flour, yeast and water, and it must be shaped by hand without the use of a rolling pin. The pizza must be cooked on the floor of a wood-burning oven, not in a pan. Only four variations are allowed: the Margherita, with tomato, olive oil, grated Parmesan and mozzarella; the Marinara, with tomato, olive oil, oregano and garlic; formaggio e pomodoro, with tomato, olive oil and grated Parmesan; and the ripieno, a calzone filled with ricotta or mozzarella, olive oil and salami. In a nod to open-mindedness, the rules state that “all types of pizza are agreeable to basil leaves.”

Chef Evan Marley, himself a strict adherent to the DOC traditions of Neapolitan pizza, invites readers to try their own hands at making a variation of this Neapolitan delicacy. As for the wood-burning oven, we suggest getting on the good side of Richard Schafer and Nancy Cooke.

Duck in a Wood Fired Oven
(can also be prepared in a conventional oven)

This is one of the Schafers’ favorite wood-burning oven recipes.

6-7 pound duck
6 small red potatoes, quartered
12 oz. green olives
3 lemons
1 head of garlic
6 fresh artichoke hearts
handful of dried rosemary
salt and pepper to taste
extra virgin olive oil

Season duck with salt and pepper, lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil.

Roast and brown duck on all four sides, 30 minutes per side. Reserve excess juices.

Combine quartered red potatoes, green olives, garlic, lemon, artichoke hearts and rosemary.

Toss above with juice of one lemon and 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.

Add mixture to duck and roast an additional hour. Serves 2

 

Maria Costanzo serves pizza.



Nancy Cooke at work on the pizza crust.

Richard Schafer and Nancy Cooke recommend these affordable but satisfying wines for casual entertaining.

Fairview Winery, Goats Do Roam, 2002

A fantastic South African red, this Cote du Rhone “clone” abounds with blackberry fruit and pepper accents. Fine tannins and earthy notes lead to a long and satisfying finish. Frank Prial, wine critic for the New York Times, said of Goats Do Roam, “the wine is delightful.”

And the price is equally delightful, making it the perfect choice to serve at your own pizza party.

Sipp Mack, Pinot Blanc, 2002

A harmonious accompaniment to almost any dish—from a delicate poached fish to a heady homemade pizza—this superb white wine emerges from a French vineyard whose owners trace their winemaking history back to the 17th century. The latest generation of Mack winemakers have created a well-rounded and refreshing white in this Pinot Blanc, which features aromas of acacia flowers and peach, balanced by a good acidity and long finish.

Domaine de Durban Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise, 1999

Though very sweet on the nose—with an aroma reminiscent of candied fruits—the flavor of this Muscat desert wine is sweet, but accompanied by a medium body and quite strong acidity that help to balance out the experience. The finish is complemented by a bitter almond quality, which adds yet another layer of complexity.