Moon-yah-eeni Magic - Part 1

“Moon-yah-eeni” Magic

(the first of a three part series)

PART I:

Introduction

It is “Moon-yah-eeni”!  And it is a “Wood Fired Oven”, not a “Pizza Oven”!

Andrea Mugnaini Founder and CEO of Mugnaini Wood fired Ovens -picture taken from the Mugnaini Facebook page.

These are probably two of the most important lessons learned during our trip to Healdsburg, California, to attend a three day Mugnaini (moon-ya-eeni) Wood Fired Oven Cooking class.  Moon-yah-eeni and Wood Fired Oven, two terms I’m not likely to forget or confuse again after one of the most enjoyable and memorable culinary experiences in a long time.

In mid-July Jacque and I headed down to California with our friends David and Susan Bradford to attend a class taught by Andrea Mugnaini, the founder and CEO of Mugnaini Wood Fired Ovens.  I purchased a Mugnaini Medio 100 oven a little over a year ago, and the Bradfords purchased the same model for the new home they are currently building, so it was time we learned how to use this puppy. It wasn’t long before I learned just how much I didn’t know, what I had been doing wrong with my oven, and just how versatile was my Mugnaini Medio!

You may wonder why someone might need lessons to use an oven, but the Mugnaini oven is incredibly different from any other oven on the market. I knew it had capabilities I hadn’t yet fully exploited, but I had no idea how much I really needed, not just wanted, this instruction. What makes the Mugnaini so unique? Well, Andrea Mugnaini herself for one, and the construction and physical characteristics of the Mugnaini wood fired ovens for another.  Yes it is a wood fired oven, but referring to it as merely a “pizza oven” diminishes its capabilities.

One of the first lessons, and perhaps the singularly most important one, was that the Mugnaini Wood-oven must be fired and maintained in a specific and proper way each time. With proper firing - (please note – I had not been firing it correctly in the past, therefore kindly ignore any pictures or comments in previous blog posts regarding firing) - the oven gives you the ability to use it for as wide a variety of cooking as one can possibly imagine. 

Stay tuned for examples of some of the dishes we, together with our classmates, prepared in these beautiful ovens. Some examples will surprise you, others inspire you, and I guarantee all will make you hungry… for more knowledge as well as for a Mugnaini wood oven meal!

“Moon-yah-eeni” Magic