brick oven: part 3

So, you've finished your base, built it solidly, let it all set nicely. The next stage is the dome. Jeavons suggests you "...start thinking of fresh-baked bread and your favourite pizza about now."

Do. It'll help, I swear.

You need about 100 bricks for the dome, each cut in half. There's an art to bolster-cutting (as opposed to machine-cutting) bricks, but as I was only there to photograph the aftermath, I cannot tell you what's involved. Peter tells me it's easier than you think, and far easier than Jeavons makes it out to be in the book. Be not afraid, therefore, of the cheaper, more physical option.

Our floor is recycled pavers, which make a great flat surface to cook on. That's the easy part. 

We had a steel arch made (the plans are in the book) for the oven door. "Have it made at your local metal fabricator or bash out your own at home." If you read that sentence (as did I) and thought, "what the? local metal fabricator??!!", let me assure you that The Renovators Goldmine in Trentham can help. Phew.

Then, you lay courses of half-bricks around the dome, rough-side out, backfilling with mortar, and angling each up a little as you go. About halfway through, you'll be feeling great, looking on it at the end of the day with pride.

Then - OY - you get to the part where you start to worry about your sanity, and WISH that your partner wouldn't be so damned afraid of following rules. Believe me. Bricks, being heavy, even when cut in half, do not like to defy the laws of gravity. 

This is the part of the process when I got a little peeved with Mr Jeavons. Peter had already lost it with his extremely casual approach a number of times - I think this guy's a bit of a knob - but I found his description of how to make the bricks meet at the top altogether too brief. Anyway, we fudged it and, using cardboard boxes and straw to form a kind of dome inside, layed the bricks - with a lot of angst - and finished the damned thing.

We crossed our fingers...then I noticed that Peter NO LONGER HAD ANY FINGERS. The mortar, combined with the sharp bricks, had eaten through his gloves and completely eaten away his fingertips. Mine were a bit rough and really sore, but his...fark. He was shaking...a brave man, mine.

Some of us needed a good lie down to recover. 

Others, namely me, decided to make chicken soup.

And even though the onions and garlic stung my fingers so much that I sobbed, it was worth every second, 'cos everyone knows that chicken soup is Jewish penicillin, right?

chicken soup, for a man who left his fingers in the wall of an oven

Take one good chook, give it a rinse, and pat it dry with kitchen paper. Place it in a large pot, cover with cold water and add chopped carrots, celery, onions, a head of garlic, lots of herbs (especially bay - bay is really nice, here) and a good lot of salt and whole peppercorns. Bring slowly to the boil, lower your heat to the odd rising burble and simmer as such for 2 hours, more if you like. Turn the bird halfway through, at which time I added quite a lot of lemon balm (bloody-bloody invasive-bloody lemon balm) and was glad I did.

Strain, pressing down with a wooden spoon to release all that goodness, and reserve some of the flesh for serving with the soup. Save the rest for the children who will, when they turn up late on Easter Sunday, tell you they've, "gone off chicken" as they've, "had it all Passover at mum's". Serve it to the dog instead, who has not.

You know what? Next day, we gingerly pulled the boxes and straw out...it worked! Gravity-defied!! Well. All worth it, thank you Mr Jeavons. All is forgiven. For now... 

Comments

[another outspoken female]

What a monument :) Glad it's working AOK and fingertips are regrowing. Beautiful pic of Poppy teaching you guys to chill out and stop swearing at Mr Jeavons.

[paula]

what a giggle, can't wait for the loaves of bread to start emerging ...

[Johanna GGG]

ouch - that is a brick oven built with blood sweat and tears - I am sure it will be worthwhile when the pizza and bread comes out - but geez! Hope Peter's hands are recovering well

[chelsea]

Oooo - the idea of those poor fingers! Yikes - what a job. Gorgeous work though; and plenty of rewards in the future for sure.

[Denise]

Dedication! Your soup photograph is beautiful and I especially love the name of your soup recipe.

[kathryn]

How exciting, it's done!! Who needs fingers, when you have a brick oven. I mean really . . .

So glad to hear it's over, you've all survived and now you get to the really fun part.

And Ms Lucy, that photo of the chook!!! Well it's simply amazing really.

[yasmeen @ wandering spice]

way to go! brick ovens are so incredibly worth it. my mister's parents have one, and we often trek out to their farm in the country to bake fresh pizzas.

and my, my. that soup!

[Elaine]

From the photos alone I can imagine The Story of the Brick Oven That Lucy & Peter Built. But oh dear, the fingers...I'm so glad you didn't include those pictures. Poor Peter.

[Lucy]

Elaine: he's only just been able to do some things this week - 3 weeks later (!!) - but he's one tough bloke. didn't complain at all. hardly a peep...i could hardly bear to even look at the fingers! and he refused to go to the doctor. all is well now, thank gawd.

[Sarah Crowder]

I've been following your brick oven story and - Wow! It looks so great! Thanks for sharing.

[Amanda]

It's a thing of beauty, as is that soup. I am dying to hear what you cook in there.

[Genie]

Ouch, that ordeal sounds painful, but if the chicken soup helped digit regeneration, then all the more power to the chicken soup. Fancy kids going off chicken. First I've ever heard of it. I thought chicken was supposed to be generic meat that you can't get sick of? Especially when hidden in a soothing tonic like your soup.

[Lucy]

hi sarah: been quite the saga! will show off the final beast (with some pride, i must add) when this film gets processed.

amanda: i have a feeling that there will be multiple visits to your archive...

genie i know! oy. that these kids are 20 and 18 may have something to do with it...they come to us expecting delectable vegetarian food most of the time.