2011 Cooking Club Week 35: Focaccia & Panzanella

Focaccia & Panzanella

I decided to do a couple of simple recipes, as one can be used as an ingredient for the other! Panzanella is a Tuscan bread and tomato salad, best made with stale bread, so focaccia leftovers are ideal. I have some (not great) pictures, as I constantly forgot to pause for pics at the appropriate junctures. Hopefully it will be simple enough to follow anyway!

FOCACCIA
Ingredients
500g strong white flour
Sachet of dried yeast
280ml warm water
6-7 tbsp olive oil
2 tsps sea salt, with more for sprinkling
Rosemary, some chopped, some for sprinkling

Measure about half the flour into a large mixing bowl. Add the salt, yeast and the chopped rosemary (I forgot to buy some ) and mix well. Pour in the warm water and about 3 tbsp of oil and mix with a spoon until combined. Gradually add the remaining flour, spoon by spoon, and mix with the spoon until it gets too dry to mix, like this:



I normally have about 100g of flour left at this stage, and it's a good time to tip it onto a floured board and start kneading - you have about 10 mins of this to do! Just keep adding in more flour bit by bit until it's all combined as you knead.

Place the dough in an oiled mixing bowl...



...and allow to rise at room temperature for 2 hours until doubled in size.



Now transfer the dough to an oiled swiss roll tin or baking tray, and stretch it out to all the corners. Leave for another 45 mins!



Now use your finger to make a load of intentations all over the dough. Leave for yet another 45 mins. Pour the remaining few tbsp of olive oil over the dough, so that it settles in some of the hollows. Spinkle over a little salt and some rosemary.



Bake in a pre-heated oven (about 180/GM 5) for about 15-20 mins - keep an eye on it - until golden brown, then allow to cool on a wire tray.



PANZANELLA
Ingredients
About 500g cherry tomatoes
A small red onion or shallot, finely chopped
Some olive oil
A few springs of thyme and oregano
1/4 tsp sugar
A large handful of stale bread
Salt
Garlic clove
Balsamic vinegar (optional)
Basil

I think the following is a nice step for this salad, although not necessary if you want an instant dish with no cooking. Nigella describes these as "moonblush" tomatoes, as you allow them to cook slowly overnight.

Chop all the tomatoes in half and place flat-side up in an oven-proof dish. Sprinkle over the thyme, oregano, sugar and onion, then pour a bit of olive oil over the lot. Preheat the oven to about 200/GM 7, stick in the tomatoes, turn OFF the oven, and leave them for about 12 hours. By morning they should be just soft, sweet and juicy and ideal for the salad.



Tear up the stale bread into bite-sized pieces. Tip in the tomatoes and torn basil leaves and mix well. Add a crushed garlic clove to a couple of tbsp of olive oil and a tsp of balsamic vinegar (if you like) and add this mixture to the salad. Season with salt and pepper and serve.



You can add a few different ingredients to the salad, depending on how you feel - pancetta lardons, boiled egg, tuna flakes, chunks of cheese. It's quite versatile.