Basic Herbed Focaccia Bread

1 Comment

Learning to make focaccia bread is a great way to get started in your bread-making adventure. It has less fuss and muss compared to making for example a baguette. And you still get the satisfaction of enjoying warm, fresh-baked bread right out of the oven. What’s better than that?

The ingredients are simple and mostly from your pantry.

You can watch the full step-by-step video here

Or you can follow the instructions below.

Makes 1 Focaccia

Difficulty Level: medium

Ingredients

  • 1 packet or 1 tablespoon Active Dry yeast
  • 1 Tablespoon sugar
  • 1 cup warm water about 110-115 degrees
  • 3 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 teaspoons dried thyme
  • 1/4 cup olive oil (plus another 1/4 cup more for coating the dough while rising and for drizzling on top)
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour or bread flour
  • 1 Tablespoons coarse sea salt for topping

Instructions

Proof the yeast by stirring together the yeast, sugar, and warm water in the bowl of an electric mixer. If you don’t have a mixer, no worries. Just mix the ingredients in a glass or stainless steel bowl.

Let sit for about 10 minutes or until fluffy. This step insures that your yeast is active.

Quick tip: Store your yeast in the freezer. It will last longer than its expiration date, but you should still proof it to make sure it’s active.

Add in the thyme, minced garlic, 1/4 cup of olive oil, sea salt, and flour.

Quick tip: The ratio for fresh herbs versus dried herbs is 3:1. So if I was using fresh thyme I would need 6 teaspoons, (equal to 3 tablespoons) instead of 2 teaspoons.

Using the dough hook on your mixer, mix the ingredients on low until the dough starts to come together, about 2-3 minutes.

Increase the speed to medium and mix until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl, about another 5-6 minutes or until the dough is elastic and will not tear easily when pulled. If kneading by hand, it will take about 10-12 minutes of kneading time.

Drizzle about 1 tablespoon of olive oil on top of dough and turn to cover all sides . Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm, draft free place until the dough doubles in size, about 1 1/2 hours.

Punch down the dough to redistribute the yeast. “Punch down” is just a term used; don’t take it literally. Instead, gently fold over the dough and press down a few times.

Grease a half baking sheet pan (17 by 12-inch) and transfer the dough onto the baking sheet. I like to make a rustic shape in the middle, leaving a few inches off each side. This will give me enough thickness after it’s baked to cut in half and make a sandwich. You can also stretch the dough to fit the pan for a thinner finished bread.

Lightly cover the pan with plastic wrap and let the dough rest for 1 hour. Start preheating the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit half way through this resting period.

Now is the fun part! With your fingertips, press down on the dough to make little indents. I love this part!

Drizzle or brush the top with olive oil and sprinkle generously with the coarse sea salt.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown . Enjoy!

Herbed Focaccia Bread
Herbed Focaccia bread with olive oil/balsamic vinegar dipping sauce

Variations:

  • I used dried thyme because it was what I had on hand, but you can substitute with fresh herbs such as rosemary, a very classic herb for focaccia. You can use pretty much any herb you like. See the “quick note” above regarding the ratio of fresh versus dried herbs.
  • Add raisins or other dried fruit to the dough.
  • Top with caramelized onions
  • Mix in about 1/4 cup roughly chopped Kalamata olives in the dough, and about 1/4 cup sprinkled on top
  • Drizzle truffle oil on top
Fresh Rosemary Focaccia
Clockwise from left: Herb de Provence cream cheese with fresh tomato slice, Turkey Sandwich with tomatoes, onions, & Spring mix, Salami and Havarti Cheese Sandwich
With pesto and balsamic dipping sauce

Do Ahead:

There isn’t much you can do ahead of time for this one. But, you can slow down the rising process of the dough by putting it in the refrigerator. This will slow it down by 2-3 hours.

Stacked Polenta, Eggplant, & Smoked Mozzarella

2 Comments

This dish is so delicious and can be presented so beautifully that you will definitely want to add it to the list of your go-to recipes especially for entertaining. Even if you are not vegetarian, like me, you will love this dish with all the layers of flavors and textures. The smoked mozzarella is key in giving it a layer of complexity that will keep you coming back for more. Any season, any reason, this is a great meal to make.

Although tomatoes are available year-round, they are in season and at their best between June and September. So during  those months I use fresh ones. All other times, I use canned or boxed tomatoes. I like to use Pomi chopped tomatoes.

A quick note on how to read recipes. Below I have written in the instructions, “1 cup polenta, cooked…” This means measure 1 cup of dried polenta and cook it. If I had said, 1 cup cooked polenta, that would mean cook the polenta first and measure 1 cup of it.

Serves 2-4            Difficulty level: Intermediate

Ingredients

Sauce

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 ½ pounds fresh, ripe tomatoes, cut into 1” pieces. You can substitute canned tomatoes when not in season. I like to use Pomi chopped tomatoes.
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes or cayenne
  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
  • 2 tablespoons vodka
  • ¼ cup crème fraich
  • 1/4 cup chiffonade basil for garnish

IMG_2243

Instructions

The sauce – Heat a medium saucepan on medium-low heat. Add the olive oil. Once heated, add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 20-30 seconds. Add the chopped tomatoes with the juices and turn up the heat to medium-high until it comes to a boil. Turn heat down to medium-low again and cook the tomatoes for about 20 minutes or until soft. Add the spicy pepper.

Puree the sauce either in a food processor, or with an emersion blender. Return to the pan and season with salt and black pepper. Add the vodka and bring to a boil. Cook for a few minutes until the alcohol has evaporated. Lower the heat and add the crème fraich. Stir to mix. Add the parsley and stir. Keep warm until ready to use.

Eggplant, Mozzarella, & Polenta

  • 1 globe eggplant
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 8 ounces smoked Mozzarella cheese, grated
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 cup polenta, cooked and put in a dish to set (click here to watch a quick video on how to cook polenta_

Slice eggplants about ½ inch thick with skin on. Depending on the size of the eggplant you should have about 10-12 slices, but make sure to have at least 4 – one for each serving if doing single layer.

Brush both sides with the olive oil and grill on medium heat until cooked, about 2-3 minutes on each side. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Assembly and Cooking

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Un-mold the polenta by inverting the pan on a cutting board. Cut the polenta in 4 squares. If using individual ramekins, use a knife to loosen the polenta and un-mold.

Place the squares of the polenta and slices of grilled eggplants on a cookie sheet, top with some mozzarella cheese. Heat in the oven until the cheese melts, about 5 minutes

To assemble, put some sauce on the bottom of each plate or platter. Make stacks by putting one square of polenta, topped with one piece of eggplant. Add more sauce and repeat with another layer. You can also serve it as one layer.

Finish with more sauce on top and chiffonade basil.

IMG_7031

Variations:

  • Serve as an appetizer by making it into smaller stacks. The picture above is a small square of polenta, a thin slice of eggplant cut in half and then folded in half.
  • Make it lighter by omitting creme fraiche or use 1/2 & 1/2. Milk will not work. It will make it too watery.
  • Don’t make it spicy by leaving out red pepper flakes.
  • Don’t puree the sauce and use it as a chunky sauce.
  • Use other vegetables like zucchini, mushrooms, or red peppers. Or a combination of vegetables.
  • make it in a baking dish and layer like lasagna
  • Use regular mozzarella instead on smoked.

Do Ahead:

  • The sauce can be made up to one week ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container. Or freeze for up to one month. When ready to use, bring to a boil, simmer on low heat for 5 minutes.
  • Polenta can be made up t0 5 days ahead and refrigerated.
  • Eggplants can be grilled and refrigerated for up to 3 days. I haven’t yet tried to freeze them. If you try it, please share your findings.

Bruschetta

Leave a comment

This bruschetta always reminds me of that scene in the movie Julie & Julia. You know the one, at the beginning of the movie when she is thinking about starting a blog. Anyway, every time I see that scene my mouth waters and I have to make some. Even if it’s not tomato season.

It’s usually a summer kinda dish so when I crave in the cold seasons, I just warm up the tomato mixture slightly before serving it on the bread. Enjoy!

Serves 2          Difficulty Level: pretty easy and quick

  • 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons chopped red onion
  • Sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
  • 1/2 cup chiffonade basil leaves – click here to watch a video on how to chiffonade
  • 4 1″-1.5″-thick slices of baguette or French bread
  • 3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Since the tomatoes are the main attraction in this dish, choose ones that are juicy and flavorful, like heirloom, or vine-ripened ones. Cherry tomatoes also work.

In a small bowl, mix the chopped tomatoes, garlic, and onion. Add about 2 teaspoons of olive oil, season with salt and pepper and stir to combine. Stir in the basil. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. It’s best to let it sit for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day ahead, but most of the times I am not that patient. When I make this dish it’s because I have a craving and I need to have it ASAP!

Bruschetta

Heat about 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a medium pan. Add the sliced bread and fry on both sides until lightly brown and crunchy.

Place two pieces on each plate. Divide the tomato mixture into four portions and place on top of the bread slices. Enjoy with a knife and fork or devour by picking it up with your hands. Guess which one is my favorite way to eat it?

Variations:

  • Make it lighter by toasting the bread with no oil instead of frying it.
  • Make it lighter by not adding any olive oil to the tomato mixture.
  • In a pinch, and if you are absolutely desperate, for example if you are stranded on a deserted island, you can use chopped canned tomatoes. Let the juice drain completely.
  • Serve it slightly warm – but not cooked – if it’s chilly outside.

Do Ahead:

  • The tomato mixture can be made up to 1 day ahead.
  • The baguette can be fried one day ahead and heated in the toaster when ready to serve. But only if you are serving this to company and don’t want to spend your time in the kitchen while they are there. It’s really at it’s best when it’s made fresh.

 

 

Turkey Bolognese

Leave a comment

 

This is an old video from 2009!

Does anyone remember this show? Unfortunately, it’s not on anymore, but it was a local weekday variety show on ABC called The View From the Bay, hosted by Spencer Christian and Janelle Wang. It was a live show that featured Bay Area attractions and interviews and also had a cooking segment every day. I had the pleasure of doing the cooking segments a total of five times!

VFTB 2

Did I mention it was live? Yikes!

VFTB 3

This one was about putting a twist on a recipe that a viewer had submitted. Her recipe was Turkey Bolognese. I wanted to keep the integrity of her recipe and didn’t want to change it too much. So my twist was adding some pesto sauce and making it into lasagna rolls instead of a traditional layered lasagna.

The recipe is in the video. Leave a comment if you have any questions or if you want more detail. It’s been 9 years so I may need to make a couple of adjustments. Please also see below for Variations and Do Ahead.

I had so much fun doing this show. I hope you enjoy watching it.

VFTB 4

Variations:

  • You can make the sauce the traditional way with a combination of ground beed and pork for a more robust flavor.
  • Use the sauce for regular spaghetti or any shape noodle you like.
  • Make a layered lasagna.
  • Add some grilled and chopped zucchini or eggplant to the sauce. If making a layered lasagna, I recommend keeping the vegetables in slices (not chopped) and layer with the sauce, cheese, and noodles.

Do Ahead:

  • Make the sauce and keep in the refrigerator for 5 days.
  • The sauce also freezes well. Make a double batch and freeze for that rainy day – literally – for the day that is pouring rain and you don’t feel like stopping at the store.
  • The rolls or the layered lasagna can stay in the refrigerator for about 3-4 days. When ready to eat, just add some cheese on top and bake in the oven as normal.