Artichoke Focaccia With Rosemary Food

ARTICHOKE FOCACCIA

Steps:

• Tip the flour into a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the yeast and salt, then gradually pour in 350ml tepid water, stirring as you go. Bring the dough together with a spoon, then with your hands. It should be soft, but not too sticky or wet. If it won't come together, pour in a little extra water; if the dough is too wet, add extra flour. Tip onto a floured work surface and knead for about 10 mins, or until it's smooth, soft and springs back when pushed with a finger. Leave to rise in an oiled bowl covered with cling film in a warm place for 1 hr or Packed with summer flavours until the dough has doubled in size.
• Strip leaves from half the rosemary and finely chop. Break the rest into smaller pieces. Drain the artichokes, reserving the oil, and chop into chunks.
• When risen, tip the dough onto an oiled work surface and roll out into a 35 x 45cm rectangle. Slip an oiled baking sheet under half of the dough. Top the half with artichokes, all the Parmesan and rosemary. Grind over black pepper and drizzle with a little of the reserved oil. Fold over the other dough half, pressing the edges together and under to seal. Leave to rise in a warm place, covered with the oiled cling film, for 30 mins. Heat oven to 240C/fan 220C/gas 9.
• Drizzle with a little more of the oil and make dents in the top with your fingers. Pop the rosemary sprigs into the dents and grate over a little more cheese. Bake for 15 mins, until golden and risen. Cool on a rack for 30 mins, cut into squares and serve.

ARTICHOKE FOCACCIA WITH ROSEMARY

Steps:

• Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Sprinkle the cornmeal over the parchment paper and set aside.
• Place 2 1/2 cups flour in a large mixing bowl. Make a well.
• Pour water and 2 tablespoons oil into well. Sprinkle yeast and salt over the water.
• Stir dough together with a spoon. (Dough will be ragged.)
• Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Add 1/4 cup flour.
• Knead dough for 6-8 minutes, adding very small amounts of flour as needed or until dough is smooth, soft and springs back from the touch.
• Drizzle a small amount of olive oil into the mixing bowl and place dough in bowl. Turn dough so that it's covered with oil.
• Cover with a clean kitchen towel and place in a warm place to rise for 60-90 minutes or until doubled in size.
• Meanwhile, prepare artichoke combination: Combine artichoke hearts, rosemary, garlic, 3 tablespoons olive oil and salt to taste in a bowl. Set aside.
• When the dough has doubled in size, cut the dough into four even pieces.
• On a floured surface, roll each piece into a 6 to 7-inch circle and place on the prepared baking sheet.
• Create a few "dimples" with your finger.
• Sprinkle each circle evenly with Parmesan cheese.
• Place even amounts of the artichoke combination on each of the circles, gently pressing it into the dough.
• Cover with the towel and let rise again another 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes.
• Sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Serve, dipped in good extra-virgin olive oil or other seasoned olive oil.

FRESH FOCACCIA WITH MARINATED CHICKEN AND SPINACH AND ARTICHOKE SPREAD

Steps:

• For the chicken: Marinate the chicken in the Balsamic Base for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours in the refrigerator.
• Preheat a grill pan or grill over medium-high heat.
• Let any excess marinade drip off the chicken, and then grill the chicken for 5 to 6 minutes per side until cooked through. Once cooked, let rest 5 to 10 minutes. Then slice thinly on the bias.
• For the spinach and artichoke spread: Squeeze the drained spinach with a kitchen towel to dry it out. Place into a food processor with the sour cream, mayonnaise, garlic, lemon zest and juice. Puree until smooth. Taste for seasoning and add the artichokes. Pulse 2 to 3 times to leave the artichokes slightly chunky.
• For the sandwich build: Cut the Fresh Focaccia in half equatorially. Spread each half with Spinach Artichoke Spread. Then, on the bottom of the bread, sprinkle over the sliced sun-dried tomatoes, top with chicken slices, place a layer of mozzarella down and top with arugula. Place on the other half of bread and cut into as many pieces as you like and enjoy!
• Heat the balsamic vinegar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add the brown sugar, salt, pepper, basil, thyme, garlic and shallots into the saucepan and stir. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer and let cook until the liquid is reduced by half, 30 to 45 minutes. Once the mixture is reduced, strain it through a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl and let cool. Store the balsamic base in the fridge; it's great in salad dressings, marinades, drizzled over steaks...let your imagination run wild.
• Place the water in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the sugar, sprinkle the yeast over the water and let it bloom until bubbly, 5 to 15 minutes.
• In a mixing bowl, combine the all-purpose and wheat flours together with the salt and chopped rosemary. Gradually add the flour mixture to the bloomed yeast in the mixing bowl. Then add 1/2 cup of the olive oil.
• Using the dough hook attachment, mix the dough on medium speed until it becomes smooth and soft, 8 to 10 minutes. The dough will be very loose.
• Transfer the dough to a clean, floured surface and knead the dough by hand for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Wipe out the bowl you mixed the dough in and then coat the bowl with some olive oil. Return the dough to the oiled bowl and let it rest in a warm place, covered with a dish towel, until doubled in size, 30 to 35 minutes.
• Oil a 9-by-13-inch baking sheet with the remaining 1/2 cup olive oil. Spread the dough into the pan using your fingertips to create dimples into the dough. The more dimples you make, the more texture the bread will have.
• Using a pastry brush, oil the dough and place leaves of rosemary into some of the dimples. Top with the tomato slices and sprinkle with the Parmesan. Cover the dough again with the towel and let rest in a warm spot until doubled in size, another 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degree F and set a rack in the middle of the oven.
• Bake the dough until golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes.

ROSEMARY FOCACCIA

Steps:

• Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water. Let stand for a few minutes.
• In a mixer, combine the flour and salt. With the mixer running on low speed (with the paddle attachment), drizzle in the olive oil until combined with the flour. Next, pour in yeast/water mixture and mix until just combined and the dough comes together in a very sticky mass.
• Form the dough into a ball, drizzle over olive oil and toss to coat the dough. Then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and set it aside for 1 to 2 hours, or store in the fridge until you need it.
• To make focaccia, remove half the dough from the bowl (leave the rest for another time) and place on a lightly floured surface. Place the chopped rosemary on top of the dough, then very gently knead it into the dough. (Don't over knead!) Roll into a large, thin oval. Place on a sheet pan drizzled with olive oil. Drizzle more olive oil on top of the dough, then cover with plastic wrap. Put in a draft-free/warm place for 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Remove the plastic wrap (the dough will be puffy) and use your fingertips to press dimples all over the surface of the dough. Drizzle the surface with more olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake until the focaccia is golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Cut into pieces with a pizza wheel or sharp knife. Serve immediately.

FOCACCIA

Steps:

• Sprinkle yeast and sugar over 1/2 cup warm water in a large bowl. Stir, and set aside for 10 minutes until mixture is foamy. Add 2 cups warm water, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 cups flour, and 1 tablespoon salt; stir until smooth. Gradually incorporate 4 more cups flour, using your hands once mixture becomes too thick to stir. If dough is sticky, add some of the remaining flour.
• Transfer dough to a clean work surface; knead until smooth and elastic, using any remaining flour if needed, about 10 minutes.
• Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl, and cover with plastic. Set in a warm place to rise until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Heat oven to 425 degrees. Transfer dough to an oiled 11-by-17-inch baking pan; press to form an even thickness. If dough shrinks back, cover with a damp towel; let rest 10 minutes before continuing. Once dough fills pan, cover with a damp towel; let rise 30 minutes, until doubled in size.
• Use your fingers to make dimplelike indentations in dough. Drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, allowing oil to fill dimples. Brush with a pastry brush to distribute oil over top of bread. Sprinkle with salt and rosemary; place in oven. Toss a cup of ice cubes into bottom of oven to create steam. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes, opening oven as infrequently as possible to prevent losing steam. Remove bread from pan; cool on a wire rack.

ROSEMARY - GARLIC FOCACCIA

Steps:

• In a bowl, stir together yeast, sugar and 1 ¾ cups lukewarm water and proof yeast for 10-15 minutes, or until foamy.
• Stir in 4 cup of flour, 1 tblsps of the olive oil and the salt, adding as much of the remaining flour as necessary to form a soft and slightly sticky dough.
• Transfer to a lightly-oiled bowl, turn to coat, and let rise, covered, in a warm place for 1 hour, or until double in size. Knead dough down and press with lightly-oiled hands into a well-oiled 15 ½ x 10 ½ inch jelly-roll pan and let it rise, covered loosely, for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Set rack in center of oven.
• Dimple dough with your fingers in places, drizzle 2 tblsps olive oil over and spread over dough; sprinkle with rosemary, garlic and sea salt.
• Bake for 35-40 minutes or until pale golden. Let cool for 10 minutes before cutting. Serve warm or at room temperature.
• Note: I often make up the garlic/oil/rosemary mixture one or two days ahead of time and refrigerate it. Dried oregano is also a GREAT add-in.

THE BEST ROSEMARY FOCACCIA BREAD

Steps:

• Dissolve the yeast in 1/2 cup of the warm water, and let sit 10 minutes until bubbly.
• In a large bowl, combine the flour, Ts. of salt, yeast mixture and remaining water.
• Mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon and then your hands.
• Transfer to a floured work surface and knead by hand for a few minutes or until smooth.
• Place in a well oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Punch down and place on an oiled baking sheet, forming into an oval or circle.
• Dimple the top surface with your finger tips, and then drizzle with the oil and sprinkle with coarse salt and rosemary.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Bake about 20 minutes or until golden.
• Serve warm or at room temperature.
• Variations: Instead of the rosemary, you might add 2-3 tablespoons of fresh chopped sage to the dough with some Fresh Parmesan on top.
• Other alternatives are sliced olives, thinly sliced zucchini or thinly sliced onions.
• Such cheeses as grated Parmesan, Mozzarella, or Fontina are also good.

ARTICHOKES WITH LEMON ROSEMARY SAUCE

Steps:

• Remove stems from artichokes and cut off the top third.
• Cut artichokes in half, lengthwise, and scrape out the woody"choke" (using a spoon or knife is good, but I like a tomato shark); trim away rough purple tips from inside.
• Remove the lower outermost leaves and trim the prickly part off the top of the remaining leaves.
• Rinse and drain artichokes.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet, and place artichokes cut-side-down in the pan.
• Add chicken broth and wine to the pan, then bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and cook for approximately 20 minutes, or until the artichokes are fork-tender.
• While the artichokes are cooking, prepare the sauce.
• Heat the butter in a small saucepan and add the rosemary and cook until lightly fragrant.
• Add half the remaining chicken broth, and stir to mix.
• In a small bowl, mix together the egg yolks, lemon juice, cornstarch, and remaining chicken broth.
• Pour a slight amount of hot broth into the eggs to temper it, whisking well.
• Return egg yolk mixture to the saucepan, and whisk over low heat until sauce thickens, about 5-8 minutes.
• Serve the sauce over the cooked artichokes, or as a dipping sauce, whichever you prefer.
• To eat artichokes, remove leaves and run the leaf through your closed teeth, bottom end first, scraping off the flesh.
• When all the leaves are gone, the remaining heart is totally edible.