Spring, summer and autumn mean only one thing to us: enjoying the garden as much as possible, from aperitifs to barbecues. Why not also bring pizza outdoors? Maybe the homemade kind, prepared together in the company of friends and amidst laughter and perhaps with some of your other favourite dishes.
If you are planning to organise a pizza party in the garden with friends and family, each beautiful day should be seized with both hands. The preparation requires a few extra tricks compared to a quick call to the delivery man, but with a few simple steps you can organise a fun and tasty event for everyone!
Your pizza party menu
To begin with, establish the menu for the pizzas to be prepared. It sounds trivial, but you don’t want to treat everyone to a very simple (albeit excellent) margherita pizza, do you? If your pizza party is a special celebration with lots of guests, such as a birthday party, opt for traditional toppings such as the aforementioned margherita, ham and mushroom, diavola or grilled vegetable pizza to satisfy all tastes.
Also keep other ingredients on hand to use at the last minute to prepare other great classics in a flash: olives, artichokes, cherry tomatoes and basil will help you please many different palates.
If you have vegan or lactose-intolerant guests, prepare at least one pizza made with vegetable mozzarella; in the case of gluten-intolerant guests, it is always best to order from certified establishments to avoid contamination.
Finally, think of something extra for the kids. In addition to choosing suitable toppings (with ham, mushrooms, sausage and salami you’ll never go wrong), make some sweet pizzas, perhaps filled with chocolate or hazelnut cream. This way you can keep the little ones happy and you won’t have to think about dessert!
Time management
To avoid long waits, prepare the pizza dough well in advance so that you can start baking the pizzas quickly and efficiently when all the guests have arrived. Also organise your worktop with all the ingredients you’ll need, from the basics such as mozzarella and tomato, to those for the toppings such as vegetables and cold meats. These will have to be already cut and cooked in advance, if necessary.
If you are using a barbecue with an oven, you can grill what you need for the toppings while waiting for friends or during an aperitif: they can also double as little appetisers in the form of rolls, bruschettas or sandwiches.
That’s the beauty of an outdoor pizza oven: you can always have everything at hand without having to go in and out of the house, so you can enjoy the company of your friends and loved ones at all times, even while cooking! Plus, you won’t have to worry about getting the kitchen dirty, which is an added bonus.
In conclusion, how to organise a pizza party in the garden?
1. Find out about any intolerances or food choices of your guests.
2. Choose the menu in advance, taking into consideration different choices that can be achieved from a few ingredients (which can be matched together in a variety of combinations).
3. Prepare the dough and toppings in advance.
4. Use the full potential of your outdoor kitchen to organise your time.
Add a pinch of culinary creativity, lots of laughs and success is guaranteed!
