Sundown last night marked the beginning of Passover, which has food lovers-Jews and gentiles alike-talking about the wonderful foods of the Seder feast, especially the unleavened sheets of crispy, crunchy matzo.
Oak Fire owners Jeremy Findel and Greg Morris have other plans for a Seder feast–namely, a matzo-based pizza dough as the basis of a special Passover pizza. Seder pies will be available until sundown on Tuesday, April 26, at both the West Hollywood location and the newly opened Sherman Oaks spin-off.
The idea originated in 1996, when Findel worked at a pair of kibbutzes in Israel. He visited his great aunt in Svat, and to cure his homesickness, she made him pizza. However, because he was there during Passover, she used matzo dough.
Findel has appropriated his great aunt’s traditional matzo recipe for a pizza that more or less mirrors the restaurant’s usual cracker-thin, oak-fire-crisped crust. Oak Fire is no kosher restaurant, so it’s anything goes on top, including the humble Margherita (pictured; $11) or a version with smoked brisket, jalapeños, sweet barbecue sauce, mozzarella and crispy onions ($15), which sounds downright emancipating.
Oak Fire, 13359 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks, 818-205-930, or 829 N. La Cienega Blvd., West Hollywood, 310-659-8848; oakfirepizza.com
