Artichoke Focaccia Food

FOCACCIA WITH OLIVES & ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• Mix together 5 cups of the flour, 2 tablespoons of oil, salt, and yeast in a large bowl.
• Add just enough warm water along to create a shaggy ball.
• Dump the dough onto a lightly floured counter, and begin to knead with the heels of your hand.
• Knead for about 5 minutes, or until the dough is smooth and pliant, adding a little additional flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking.
• Add a little oil (2 tablespoons) to the bottom of a large bowl and place your dough inside.
• Roll the ball around in the oil, ensuring the sides of the bowl, and ball of dough are both lightly oiled.
• Cover your bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot to rise. (I cover mine with a kitchen towel on top of the plastic wrap and sit it on a large sunny windowsill.)
• Let the dough rise until it is doubled in size, about an hour or an hour and a half depending on ambient temperature.
• Line two baking sheets with parchment paper that has been lightly brushed with olive oil.
• Divide the dough into four equal pieces and roll each into a round disc.
• Use your fingers to stretch each disc into a 7 to 8 inch circle and place two circles on each baking sheet.
• Cover the dough circles with a clean kitchen towel and let rest while the oven heats.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan, then add the artichokes.
• Fry, stirring often until the chokes just begin to take on color.
• Use your fingertips to create dimples across the top of each focaccini, then drizzle with a tablespoon or two of olive oil and sprinkle with some coarse sea salt.
• Divide the artichokes and olives between the four focaccia.
• Bake the focaccini until they are golden brown and cooked through, about 18 to 20 minutes (internal temperature of 190 degrees F.)
• Allow to cool to room temperature, then enjoy!

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.

ARTICHOKE FOCACCINI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray baking sheet with cooking spray and set aside.
• Unroll and separate biscuit dough. Pat each biscuit in to 1/4-inch thick rounds. Place on prepared baking sheet. Make "dimples" in each round with fingertips.
• In a small bowl, combine olive oil, garlic, and Italian seasoning. Using a pastry brush, brush tops with olive oil mixture. Place 2 artichoke quarters on each round and about 5 grape tomatoes halves and top with 2 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese
• Bake in oven for 13 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
• Serve warm.

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.

FETTUCCINE WITH ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• Cook artichoke hearts in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Return water to a boil.
• Meanwhile, heat oil and butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then sauté onion, salt, pepper, red-pepper flakes, and zest, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 8 minutes. Add artichokes and sauté, stirring occasionally, 3 minutes. Stir in lemon juice (to taste), then remove from heat and transfer mixture to a large heatproof bowl.
• While artichokes are sautéing, cook pasta in boiling water until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta-cooking water, then drain pasta in a colander and add to artichoke mixture along with 1/2 cup reserved water. Add parsley and cheese and toss to combine. Season pasta with salt and thin with additional reserved cooking water if desired. Serve with additional cheese on the side.

ARTICHOKE, TOMATO AND ASIAGO FOCACCIA

Steps:

• Scald the milk, and cool to lukewarm, not too hot, or it will kill the yeast (about 100F).
• Mix flour, yeast, oil and milk in a medium bowl, cover and let rest for 20 minutes.
• Sprinkle on salt and mix dough in an electric mixer with dough hook on low medium speed, adding flour as needed until it is sticky and stretchy, and comes away from the sides of the bowl. (You can knead by hand, it will just take longer.).
• Let dough rest, covered, 30 minutes, knead again for about 5 minutes. The dough should be very sticky, but hold together in a ball.
• Rinse and drain artichoke hearts, and finely chop.
• Mix artichokes, tomatoes, and cheese, set aside.
• The tomatoes will absorb any excess moisture from artichokes and soften nicely.
• Let the dough rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• Scrape out onto a floured countertop or large cutting board.
• Shape the dough into a rough rectangle.
• Roll with a floured rolling pin to about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.
• Top roughly 2/3 of the dough with cheese, tomatoes, and artichokes, the mixture should be damp, but not dripping wet.
• Fold dough into thirds, like an envelope, with the empty third over the center, and the other side over that, and roll again gently, until the fillings just begin to be visible through the top of the dough.
• Place dough on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or silpat.
• Preheat oven to 450F; let dough rise, loosely covered, 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until puffy and soft.
• Brush dough with olive oil. Use fingers to make several small dimples in bread.
• Sprinkle with kosher salt, and more cheese if you like.
• Bake for 15 minutes, rotating pan after 10 minutes.
• Let cool slightly before cutting into squares.