Focaccia

 

FOCACCIA IS THE BEST INVENTION OF ALL TIME, PROBABLY. It's better than the wheel, because wheels don't taste good with soup. 

Focaccia

From: Culinary Institute Of America 

Focaccia 
Yield: 3 lb /1.36 kg

Cornmeal, as needed
18 fl oz / 540 mL water
½ oz / 14 g compressed yeast
2 fl oz / 60 mL extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb 12 oz / 794 g hard wheat flour
½ oz / 14 g salt

Garnish Options
Crumbled goat cheese, as needed
Olives, pitted and sliced, as needed
Pine nuts, as needed
Sun-dried tomatoes, as needed
Chopped herbs such as basil and oregano, as needed
 

1. Line baking sheets with parchment. Scatter with cornmeal.
2. Combine the water, yeast, and oil until yeast is dissolved. Add the flour and salt. Mix the dough until smooth and elastic. Cover the bowl and allow the dough to ferment for 75 minutes. Punch down and scale the dough at 10 oz / 284 g per foccacia. Round off dough. Set dough on prepared sheet pan and proof at room temperature 1 hour.
3. Press the balls of dough flat and stretch slightly. Brush with olive oil and add any optional garnish items desired. Pan-proof an additional 30 minutes.
4. Bake in a 425°F / 218°C oven for approximately 30 minutes.

Variation Grissini: Prepare the dough through step 2. Punch down and scale at 1½ oz / 43 g. Round off the dough. Seton a sheet pan and proof at room temperature 1 hour. Roll the balls into long, thin sticks. Brush with olive oil or egg wash and top with desired seasoning: kosher salt, sesame seeds, or fresh herbs. Pan-proof an additional 15 minutes. Bake in 425°F / 218°C oven for 10 to 12 minutes.
 
Chef’s note: Focaccia may be lightly brushed with garlic and olive oil and served on its own, used as the base of an hors d’oeuvre or sandwich, or dressed with various additions

Roasted Potatoes with Rosemary

It's not like people are ever looking for a way to get rid of potatoes, because pretty much everyone loves them. But if you happen to have a fair amount on hand, along with a good handful of rosemary, this is a good recipe for you.

Ingredients:

4 large potatoes, red or Yukon Gold variety

3 tablespoons of fresh rosemary, finely chopped

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salt & pepper to taste

1. Wash and cube the potatoes, not so large that they will take forever to roast and not so small that they will soak up too much oil. About a 1-inch cube is best.

2. Place the potatoes and rosemary in a glass baking dish, about 9 X 13, and coat with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Bake at 375 F for about 40 minutes, or until potatoes are slightly browned, crispy on the outside, and fork-tender.

Hummus

I know that hummus is not particularly advanced as far as culinary ventures go, but it's so good and easy that everyone should make it if they haven't already. This is a basic recipe, but you can always add more ingredients to make it more exciting, such as a roasted red pepper that's been diced or maybe some chiles for added heat. It's great for a dip, a spread, or even to toss with pasta (which I think is so tasty, but not everyone agrees with me there). Anyways, give it a try and I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

Hummus

Ingredients:

1 15oz can of chickpeas (Garbanzo beans), drained

¼ cup Tahini (sesame seed paste)

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

½ teaspoon finely minced garlic (optional)

Sea salt and black or red pepper to taste

1. Combine chickpeas, Tahini, and garlic in a blender.

2. Add the extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice to loosen it up.

3. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve with pita, crackers, or crudités.

Gnocchi With Caponata

Gnocchi (NYOH-KEY) is one of my favorite foods, but I have always been afraid to try making it myself, because I had this idea it would be really hard and not at all rewarding. On the contrary, it was very easy to make and tasted even better than the kind I usually buy from Trader Joe's. To accompany it, I made some Caponata, a Sicilian eggplant stew, and served it with Parmesan. Easy, and delicious.

Gnocchi

Adapted from Eating Well Magazine

Ingredients:

2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup water

1. Steam the potatoes until tender in one inch of water in a pressure cooker, about 20 minutes.

2. Peel and mash the potatoes finely.

3. Add the flour and as much of the water as you need to make a basic dough.

4. Turn the dough onto a well-floured surface and roll into a disc shape. 

6. Cut the disc into four sections and roll each one out into a skinny log.

7. Cut pieces of gnocchi that are about 3/4-inch long each and repeat until all the dough is formed.

8. Bring a pot of water to boil and salt it well. Cook the gnocchi for 2-4 minutes; they are ready when they float to the top.

Caponata

From Jamie's Italy by Jamie Oliver

Recipe

Ciabbata Rolls

Since I like to do things the old-fashioned way a lot of the time, this recipe is slightly adapted because I don't have a dough hook attachment for my mixer (which is about 700 years old) and mixed and kneaded the dough by hand. Like any recipe written by Daniel Leader (author of Bread Alone) these may take a bit of effort, but are so worth it.

Ciabatta Rolls

From Panini Express by Daniel Leader and Lauren Chattman

Ingredients:

3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon tepid water (70-78 degrees)

1 teaspoon instant yeast

1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon sea salt

3/4 teaspoon granulated sugar

2 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for oiling the pan and brushing the rolls



1. Pour the water into a large bowl and then add the yeast, flour, salt, sugar, and olive oil and stir with a spatula to blend into a dough.

2. Turn the dough onto a well floured surface and knead for about 12-15 minutes (which will seem like quite long time to do by hand, so I recommend putting on some music you like so you don't get bored). You may need to dust the dough with more flour so it doesn't stick to your hands, so have a bowl of it nearby.

3. Oil a 7 X 11 baking dish and scrape the dough into the dish. Pat it with oiled fingertips to flatten it.

4. Let the dough rest 5 minutes, then use lightly oiled fingertips to push and stretch it across the bottom of the dish.

5. Cover with plastic wrap and let dough rise in a warm, draft free place until it has doubled in volume and reaches the top of the pan, about 2 hours.

6. Lightly oil a large baking sheet and invert the dough onto the baking sheet, then use a sharp chef's knife to cut the dough into six squares, then use the knife to push the squares three inches apart from each other.

7. Drape a sheet of plastic wrap over the dough pieces and leave them to expand by about 50%, around 40 minutes.

8. Preheat the oven to 475 F.

9. Remove the plastic and bake the rolls until dark golden brown, about 20 minutes.

10. Brush the hot rolls with olive oil and let cool completely on the baking sheet before slicing.