FOCACCIA WITH CHILE AND COTIJA CHEESE

Posted in Breads, Pizzas & Small Dishes by sallybr

A while ago – June 2013, to be precise – I made a type of Italy-meets-Mexico-focaccia using a sauce with tomatillos. It turned out so tasty that I wanted to re-visit the same type of fusion cuisine again. It took me a while, but here is my second take on the subject. I used my default recipe for the dough, topped with a mixture of olive oil, avocado oil, New Mexico chiles, and Cotija cheese. Some sun-dried tomatoes for a bit of concentrated sweetness, and voilà…

FOCACCIA WITH CHILE AND COTIJA CHEESE
(from the Bewitching Kitchen)

1 recipe of focaccia dough
Green New Mexico chiles, thinly sliced
Cotija cheese, crumbled (you can use feta, or even Mozzarella)
sun-dried tomatoes
olive oil
avocado oil
salt & pepper

Open the dough on a well-oiled baking dish, stretching with your hands, and making plenty of dimples all over its surface.

Add a good coating of olive and avocado oil, mixed about 50:50. Distribute the slices of chile, cheese, and sun-dried tomatoes all over the dough. Season with salt and pepper.

Bake as directed in the original foccacia post.

Cut in slices and serve.

ENJOY!

I am not offering a printable version, since the main recipe for the dough is from a previous post. The toppings don’t really need any type of precise measurement, so add as much or as little of each component you feel like. Black olives could be wonderful too, by the way…

For the chiles, I used the brand featured in this post, a gift from our friends V & K. They have amazing flavor, and of course go very well with Cotija cheese, one of those matches made in heaven. Like V & K.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

The focaccia squares freeze well, I like to wrap 3 to 4 squares in small packages and enjoy them for weeks. Simply remove from the freezer 30 minutes before your meal, and heat them in a low oven until warm and fragrant.

I am submitting this post to Susan’s Yeastspotting event…

ONE YEAR AGO: Crispy Chickpea and Caper Spaghetti

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THREE YEARS AGO: Crispy Herb-Crusted Halibut

FOUR YEARS AGO: Almond Butter Cake

FIVE YEARS AGO: Bonjour!

29Jun2013

MEXICAN FOCACCIA

Posted in Breads by sallybr

Recently I took the liberty of calling an avocado dip as “hummus”, and now I will push the envelope once more and share with you my Mexican focaccia. If you’ve been around my blog for a while, you know I am crazy about all things bread. Focaccia is a favorite in our home, because it is so simple to put together: no kneading, no complex shaping, just a simple flat bread that you can cut in squares and bring to parties, potlucks, or save it all for yourself… The inspiration for this twist on focaccia came when I had leftover tomatillo sauce from Marcela’s enchiladas suizas. As to the basic focaccia recipe, you can find it here.

What you will need…

…. your basic focaccia recipe

…. good quality olive oil

…. tomatillo sauce a la Marcela Valladolid

…. yellow tomatoes, sliced thin

…. Mexican oregano

…. crumbled Cotija cheese

…. Maldon salt flakes

Once you make the dough and open it on the baking sheet, pour some olive oil on the surface, make indentations with your fingers. Spread a nice coating of tomatillo sauce, layer yellow tomatoes on top. Sprinkle oregano, Cotija cheese, a little salt. Bake as instructed in the original recipe.

Let it cool on a rack, cut in squares and ENJOY!!!!! 😉

I am submitting this post to Susan’s Yeastspotting…

ONE YEAR AGO: Sunny Kamut Salad with Roasted Lemon Vinaigrette

TWO YEARS AGO: Pane de Casa & Crostini

THREE YEARS AGO: Down-home Dig-in Chili

FOUR YEARS AGO: Cinnamon Rolls

5Dec2011

FOCACCIA WITH SUN DRIED TOMATOES AND GORGONZOLA

Posted in Breads by sallybr

I used my basic “No Need to Knead” recipe as the starting point for this version, that includes a small amount of rye flour in the dough. Rye gives it a more “rustic” feel, and the sun dried tomatoes a hint of sweetness to balance the sharpness of the gorgonzola cheese. This colorful focaccia will be a great addition to your end of the year festivities, and it is so simple to prepare, you can pull it even in the middle of an intense cooking marathon.

FOCACCIA WITH SUN DRIED TOMATOES AND GORGONZOLA
(inspired by Suzanne Dunaway’s “No Need to Knead”)

2 cups lukewarm water
2 tsp active dry yeast
3 + 1/2 cups bread flour
1/2 cup rye flour
3 tsp salt
1-2 Tbs olive oil
4 ounces sun dried tomatoes, packed in oil
2 ounces gorgonzola cheese
2 T chopped fresh rosemary
kosher salt for topping

Measure the water in the bowl of a KitchenAid mixer, sprinkle yeast over the water and stir until dissolved. Add the two types of flour, and the 3 teaspoons of salt. Mix for a minute or so, until ingredients form a shaggy mass. Let the dough rest for 15 minutes.

Using the kneading pad, knead the dough for about 8 minutes, until smooth. It should still cling to the sides and the bottom of the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place until almost doubled in volume (1 to 1.5 hours). Meanwhile, cut the sun dried tomatoes in small pieces, and crumble the gorgonzola cheese. Reserve.

Heat the oven to 500F. Oil one (or two) non-stick 13×18 inch baking sheets (I prefer to use a single one, to get a thicker focaccia).

Pour the dough onto the sheet, brush the surface with 1 Tbs olive oil. Dip your fingers in cold water or olive oil and make indentations all over the dough, working to stretch the dough as you go. Distribute the sun dried tomato and gorgonzola cheese all over, pushing them into the dough, using a little more olive oil, if necessary. Sprinkle rosemary leaves all over, a little salt (careful, gorgonzola is salty), and place it in the oven, reducing the temperature to 450F.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack and enjoy!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I went back into kneading-mode for this version, using the KitchenAid instead of stirring with the wooden spoon, and noticed that a longer time of fermentation was better, perhaps because of the rye flour, so leave it for a full hour and check if the dough is bubbly and noticeably risen. If not, leave it for another 15 to 30 minutes.

Some of the sun dried tomatoes might insist on falling off the bread, but guests don’t seem to mind chasing them… 😉

I am submitting this post to Susan’s Yeastspotting. Stop by to see what everyone else is bringing to the party!

ONE YEAR AGO: Revisiting Spring

TWO YEARS AGO: Basic Sourdough Bread

11May2011

A FOCACCIA EXPERIMENT

Posted in Breads by sallybr

A few months ago I followed an interesting discussion at The Fresh Loaf forum, in which a member (Kevin) made a mistake while scaling up a recipe (I can relate to that too well, by the way) and ended up with one of the best focaccias he’d ever made! Being a very experienced baker, he made several batches of the same recipe, to convince himself that the small alteration in the method was indeed responsible for the outcome. It all comes down to holding back some of the water (and the salt) in the recipe, and adding it a little later to the dough. The rationale behind doing it was actually discussed a few years ago by Steve in his blog “Breadcetera” – check it out by clicking here.

I was anxious to try this variation in my favorite, default recipe, and this past weekend I finally had a chance to perform this important experiment.

DOUBLE-HYDRATION FOCACCIA
(inspired by The Fresh Loaf Forum)

2 cups lukewarm water, divided
2 tsp active dry yeast
4 cups unbleached bread flour
3 tsp salt
2-3 tsp olive oil
2 T chopped fresh rosemary
1 tsp kosher salt

Measure 1 + 1/2 cup of water in a large bowl, sprinkle yeast over water and stir until dissolved. Using a strong wooden spoon mix 2 cups of flour until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining 2 cups of flour, and knead with your hands (inside the bowl is fine), until the dough forms a very shaggy mass. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit at room temperature for 20 minutes.

Dissolve the salt in the remaining 1/2 cup of (lukewarm) water. Add it to the dough, and mix with your hands using a squishing/kneading motion. Do not be alarmed by the look of the dough at this point. Slowly the water and salt will find their way into the mixture. Once it all seems incorporated, cover the bowl and let it rise undisturbed for 1 hour and 20 minutes. The dough will be very bubbly at this point.

Heat the oven to 450F. Lightly oil a 9 x 13 inch baking sheet. Pour the dough onto the sheet, brush the surface with 2 tsp olive oil. Dip your fingers in cold water or olive oil and make indentations all over the dough, working to stretch the dough as you go. Brush the surface with another teaspoon of olive oil, sprinkle with rosemary and salt.

Place in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes, until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack and….

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Compared to the regular recipe, this focaccia rose a lot more, had a more airy crumb, and a softer crust. If you like to use focaccia to made a sandwich, a panini-type production, this recipe is perfect for it. However, to make a proper comparison, I must wait until we get home. With a large oven, I will be able to make two batches, bake them at the same time and draw a clear conclusion. So, stay tuned. June is not too far away. (I say that with mixed feelings, it won’t be easy to say goodbye to Los Angeles… )

I am submitting this post to Susan’s Yeastspotting, a must-visit site for all lovers of bread…

and, I am also joining a fun blog party, hosted by Alyssa from Cupcake Apothecary: “A Themed Bakers Sunday.” This week the theme is a favorite of mine: Bread! Check out all the other entries and vote for your favorite!

ONE YEAR AGO: Pierre Nury’s Bougnat (awesome recipe!)

25Dec2010

SOURDOUGH FOCACCIA, WITH A TWIST

Posted in Breads, Vegetarian-friendly by sallybr

(version updated on Dec 28th, to correct a mistake in the recipe)

This past week I got a very special gift: a jar of homemade chili jam, made by my stepson’s girlfriend Carly, a gorgeous actress, who is also smart, witty, and a great cook. Yeah, some people have it all! 😉 She made the jam by adapting a basic recipe from Nigella Lawson, that you can find here. It is very flavorful, and looks quite dramatic as you hold the jar against the light revealing red speckles dispersed throughout the jam. I wanted to make something special with it, and my first “experiment” turned it into topping for a sourdough focaccia. A successful experiment all the way!

SOURDOUGH FOCACCIA WITH CHILLI JAM
(adapted from Chilli and Chocolate)

for the sourdough sponge:
195 g liquid starter (3/4 cup at about 100% hydration)
125 g warm water (1/2 cup)
25 g olive oil (2 T)
10 g honey (1 + 1/2 tsp)
50 g flour (1/2 cup)

for the final dough:
all the sponge made as described
50 g olive oil (1/4 cup)
200 g all purpose flour (2 cups)
1 tsp sea salt

to bake the focaccia:
4 T olive oil
herbs of your choice, minced
2 T chili jam, preferably homemade
coarse or flake salt

Mix all the ingredients for the sponge in a medium size bowl, cover and let it ferment at room temperature for 1-2 hours, until the surface is covered with small bubbles.

Add the ingredients for the final dough and mix until they form a shaggy mass. Let it rest for 15 minutes, then knead quickly folding the dough on itself 10 times (no need to remove from the bowl). Let the dough rest 15 minutes, and repeat this quick kneading process. Repeat for a total of 4 cycles of kneading, each with 15 minutes rest. Shape the dough into a smooth ball, place in a lightly oiled bowl, and let it rise until almost doubled (1.5 to 2 hours).

Alternatively, place it in the fridge overnight, transferring to room temperature 2 hours before baking.

Cover a 9 x 13 baking sheet with parchment paper, and add 2 T olive oil to the paper, spreading it well. Put the dough in the pan and press gently until it covers the whole surface. If the dough is resisting your attempts to stretch it, wait for 5 minutes until the gluten relaxes, and do it again. Cover lightly and let it rise for 30 minutes, while you heat the oven to 450F.

Using the tip of your fingers, make indentations all over the dough, spread the remaining 2 T of olive oil all over, sprinkle herbs of your choice on half the focaccia. If your chili jam is too thick, thin it slightly with a little olive oil, and spread on the other half of the focaccia. Add salt all over the dough, and bake until golden brown on top, about 25 minutes. If the jam seems to be burning,
reduce the temperature slightly.

Let it cool over a rack before you slice it in squares, and…

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: I’ve blogged before about my favorite focaccia, very quick to put together. This version, leavened exclusively with wild yeast, takes longer to prepare, but the flavor is exactly what I was hoping for to go along with the chili jam. I had a few unexpected commitments during the preparation, so the dough went to the fridge overnight, no harm done. The focaccia, even baked in our small electric oven, turned out delicious! The chili jam (thank you, Carly!) is hot, but not overly so, and the contrast of the slight sourness of the bread with the sweet heat of the jam made this simple focaccia quite addictive. Make sure to add salt on top right before baking, it will intensify all flavors.

By the way, chili and chilli are both accepted spellings for the word. Pick your favorite spelling, but whatever you choose, make this focaccia, it’s a winner!

I am submitting this post to Susan’s Yeastspotting…

ONE YEAR AGO: Merry Christmas!