Artichoke Focaccini 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.

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!

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.

SALMON WITH BABY ARTICHOKES

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic; cook, stirring, until golden. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the garlic to paper towels. Reserve the oil.
• Fill a pot with cold water. Add the juice of 2 lemons, then add the 2 lemon halves to the pot. Cut off the top inch of an artichoke with a serrated knife. Cut off the stem and snap off the tough outer leaves. Using a paring knife, cut away the tough green parts around the base, then halve the artichoke lengthwise and add to the pot. Repeat with the remaining artichokes. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon of the reserved garlic oil to the pot and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Simmer 4 minutes, then drain. Discard the lemon halves.
• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Thinly slice the remaining lemon. Pat the artichokes dry; toss in a large baking dish with the onion, lemon slices, 2 tablespoons of the reserved garlic oil, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Spread in a single layer and roast on the upper oven rack, stirring once or twice, until tender and lightly charred, about 35 minutes.
• Meanwhile, brush another large baking dish with 1 tablespoon of the reserved garlic oil. Add the salmon, skin-side down, and rub with any remaining garlic oil. Sprinkle with the fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Roast the salmon on the lower oven rack until just cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. Cut into 6 pieces and divide among plates. Serve with the roasted artichoke mixture. Top with the parsley and fried garlic.

ARTICHOKES WITH SAUSAGE AND TOMATO

Steps:

• First thing to do is steam the artichokes in a flavorful broth. Put the parsley, garlic, bay leaves, wine, and 1 of the halved lemons in a wide pot, add 2 quarts of water, and bring to a simmer. Season the broth with salt and pepper. In the meantime prepare the artichokes.
• Wash the artichokes under cold water. Using a paring knife, trim the bottom end of the stem and shave the stem down to expose the tender, inner part of the artichoke. Snap or cut off the outer petals until you reach the pale green, soft leaves in the center. Cut 1-inch off the top of the artichoke. Repeat with the remaining artichokes.
• Place the artichokes in the steaming liquid. Cover and simmer on medium-low for about 20 minutes, or until there is no resistance when a knife is inserted into the base. Remove the artichokes from the poaching liquid with tongs. Using a spoon, carefully scoop out the hairy choke from the center and discard. Try and keep the artichoke intact as best you can, it looks great for presentation.
• Place a large deep skillet over medium heat and coat with 2 tablespoons of the oil. When the oil is hot, add the sausage and cook for 5 minutes to render out the fat and brown the sausage slightly; they should not be fully cooked through. Take the sausage out of the pan and slice it up. Cut the tomatoes in half and then squeeze them into a bowl to hand crush; drizzle with a couple of tablespoons of oil and a pinch of salt. Toss the sausage slices back into the pan and pour in the tomatoes, along with any juice that has accumulated in the bowl. Cook for 3 minutes until the tomatoes start to break down and soften. Now it's time for the artichokes to go in there. Nestle these little beauties into the sausage and tomato mixture; season with salt and pepper. Add the butter and let it melt, give a squeeze of lemon juice to brighten the flavor, and serve.

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.