Sunday, February 16, 2014

Focaccia Update!

Ta-da! Voila! Presto! They are delicious! 

Crispy crust, perfectly puffy, and very tasty! After slicing them into little squares I put the pieces on a rack so that condensation wouldn't make the bottom crust soggy. Perfect! 

These are great to eat at room temperature. The caramelized onion/walnut/blue cheese was extremely delicious. The broccoli with the heat of the pepperoncini complemented the Locatelli. The bacon/goat cheese was so good. They had very different flavors and all were really wonderful.

Here's a photo of the 1/2 goat cheese/onion/walnut and 1/2 bacon/goat cheese: 



And here is the Broccoli focaccia - although there is a bit of onion and goat cheese on the end - pre-cheese topping



And here I've grated fresh Locatelli cheese - WOW! It was superb!

Making Focaccia Today

I was browsing the Pizza Quest website yesterday for some pizza dough ideas and I happened upon a focaccia recipe.  So, I started the dough last night and put it in the baking sheets this morning.  I must admit, I mistakenly added too much water - distraction is a saboteur! - so I doubled the recipe.  I can't wait to top these and get them into the oven. 

There is no stretching of the dough in making focaccia. It's all in the fingertips, ever so gently coaxing the dough, over 60 minutes' time, to the corners of the tray and letting it rise for a few hours. 

The toppings will be: caramelized onions with blue cheese & walnuts, goat cheese with bacon, and pan roasted broccoli sautéed with garlic, pepperoncini & olive oil with Locatelli cheese. 

I'm going to do half of one tray with the goat cheese/bacon & the other half with the blue cheese/onion/walnut and the other tray all broccoli & Locatelli. 

Pictures at my Francie's Fancies Facebook page here.


Saturday, January 25, 2014

Winter Comfort Foods

After a day of blowing snow, howling wind, a trip to Harrisburg and back, it was time to do some work around the stove to warm my bones!  I couldn't decide on pasta e fagioli or black eyed peas with ham hocks.  Since I could not make up my mind I decided to make both.  In the photo below you can see the saute pan on the stove and the crock pot on the counter.  Since I was starting with dried black eyed peas I decided to make them in the crock pot for 8 hours on low.  Because the black eyed peas and ham hocks would taste great the longer they sat, I made the pasta e fagioli for dinner tonight. We'll have the peas one night during the week and I'll make some cornbread. 

I ALWAYS have canned beans and macaroni in my pantry. Always. Even if I don't make pasta e fagioli for a year, I know the items are there for the making...just in case...

I found a small container of mirepoix in the freezer so I added it to the saute pan, cooked it until it was deeply colored and created fond. Macaroni and beans can be pretty bland, so the added flavor of the onion, carrot and celery in olive oil and butter would add a good flavor base.  
  


Once my veggies were well done I added two cans of drained and rinsed Goya Cannellini Beans.  I really like Goya canned beans.  I buy their dried beans as well, but their canned beans are very tasty and firm. Their firmness holds up well in cooking as they don't turn to mush. I sauteed the beans for a bit, letting them absorb that great flavor from the veggies and the oils. I also seasoned them lightly with freshly ground black pepper and dried oregano. See how nicely the Goya beans held up? They are creamy goodness!


Meanwhile, I had elbow macaroni cooking in a heavily salted pot of water (it should taste like the ocean). I slightly under-cooked them and then added about 2/3 of a pound of the macaroni to the beans.


Here's a shot of the mixture, all getting along so nicely!  As most cooks (should) do, I taste while cooking and I decided it needed something... so I opened my refrigerator, pulled out some shelves and found what I was looking for! I had made sauce earlier in the week and determined that my pasta e fagioli needed some good old marinara sauce for acidity and a flavor boost.  So I added a spoon or three...


And then I added a few ladles-full of the macaroni water.  It is always good to add some of the pasta water to your dishes. It helps the sauces to stick to the macaroni and adds a nice creaminess to the sauce.  I then stirred it all together and with the added marinara it was so flavorful.  My marinara is made with olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and oregano. The garlic added just the right amount of flavor.

And here is the finished dish! I spooned it into a little bowl and added freshly grated (absolutely never pre-grated) Locatelli cheese. PERFETTO!  A creamy, savory, warm bowl of love... il mangiare è pronto!




Mangia e statti zitto!