Rosemary Focaccia

This is a recipe from the Stanley Tucci cookbook. I made this as a trial run for my cookbook dinner for next week.

Ingredients
 
1 package dry yeast
2 ¼ teaspoons sugar
1/2 cup warm water
2 c all-purpose flour
2 c bread flour
4 t kosher salt [divided]
1 c milk
5 T oil, plus more for oiling the bowl
Leaves from one 5-inch fresh rosemary
 
Directions
 
In a measuring cup, stir the yeast, sugar and warm water. Set aside for 5 minutes.
 
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix the all-purpose and bread flours with 2 teaspoons of salt. Stir in the yeast mixture. Gradually stir in the milk and 3 tablespoons of the olive oil. Mix at low speed until the dough has come together and is smooth, about 5 minutes.
 
(To mix by hand: Combine the all-purpose flour, bread flour and the 2 teaspoons of salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of these dry ingredients and add the yeast mixture. Mix with a fork while adding the milk and 3 tablespoons of the olive oil to form a soft, dry dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and continue mixing it with your hands. Knead until the dough has come together and is smooth, about 8 minutes.)
 
Lightly grease a bowl with olive oil. Place the dough in the bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and drape a dish towel over the bowl. Set aside in a warm place and allow to double in size, about 2 hours.
 
Lightly grease a large baking sheet (about 9 x 15-inch). Gently punch down the dough. Place it on a baking sheet and roll it out to fit evenly on the sheet. Cover with a dish towel and the dough to rise for 20 minutes.
 
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
 
Use your fingertips to make random indentations in the dough. Drizzle the top with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 teaspoons salt and the rosemary leaves. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before slicing and serving warm.
 
Variations
 
Before baking, top the focaccia with any combination of the following ingredients:  1/4 inch thick slices ripe plum tomatoes, 24 pitted Kalamata olives, 1/4 cup very thinly sliced red onion, 1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese; 1/4 inch thick slices peeled eggplant; 1/4 inch  thick slices zucchini; 1/4 inch thick slices peppers; 1/3 cup pesto.
 
For a sweet variation on this recipe, gently 1 cup dried fruit such as raisins, cherries or blueberries, or 1 cup chocolate chips; into the rolled and risen focaccia. Brush with 3 tablespoons melted butter and bake.
  

  

  

  

My Notes
 
I mixed by hand, as I didn't have an electric mixer.

The dough more than doubled the size. Next time check at 1 hour 40 minutes.
 
I used a 10 x 15 baking sheet.
 
I used a teaspoon of kosher salt on the top.
 
I added Kalamata olives and red onions with the rosemary.  Next time I won’t slice the onions so thinly.
 
Next time I’ll check the bread in the oven at 20 minutes. I looked through the oven door and it didn’t seem baked long enough. It came out a little more than golden brown, but it came out very good.
 
I served with some olive oil for dipping.

26 June 2024:

I made this again for tonight's cookbook dinner. I added sliced cherry tomatoes along with red onion, Kalamata olives and rosemary. It came out great.

 

 

Italian Shrimp Salad

My friend Jackie made this excellent, healthy shrimp salad for our book club evening (5 June 2024). I really loved it, so I made it for a BBQ.

The recipe is from Skinny Taste: https://www.skinnytaste.com/italian-shrimp-salad/

6 Servings (about 7 cups)
 
Ingredients
 
1 1/4 lbs cooked (peeled and deveined jumbo (16-20 count) shrimp, tails-off, halved (20 ounces total))
1 cup sliced celery
1 1/3 cups good quality mixed Italian pitted olives (such as Castelvetrano and Kalamata Olives, halved lengthwise)
1/4 cup chopped red onion
5 cloves garlic (minced)
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
juice of 2 small lemons
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
black pepper (to taste)
 
Instructions
 
Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix.
 
Refrigerate a few hours or overnight to let the flavors meld.

My Notes:

The only thing I did a little differently was to cut the shrimp into chunks. 

I added some lemon zest. 

I used 4 cloves of garlic. 

I let the salad marinade in a zip lock bag for 5 hours.

Solterito Arequipeño Salad “little bachelor from Arequipeño”

Tony and I hosted a Peruvian dinner with friends (15 June 2023). One couple made this wonderful salad.  It's a perfect summer salad. 

 
[My notes]
 
1 can corn, rinsed
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed
1/2 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. black olives (more to taste)  [sliced]
1 pt. grape tomatoes, halved or quartered  [seeds removed]
Colorful peppers chopped coarsely
Salt and pepper to taste
Smoked paprika to taste
1/2 c. cilantro (hold to end) sprinkle on top
1-1/2 c. queso fresco small cubes (hold to end)
1 avocado small cubes (hold to end)
 
Sauce: 5 T extra virgin olive oil, 3+ T Jalapeno [about 1.8 oz], blend in cuisinart – add at serving.
 
Make early to let salad marinate in fridge.
 
Hold off on avocado, cilantro, cheese when ready to serve.

Festive Olive and Cheese Appetizer

I made this appetizer last night for Christmas Eve. It's very easy and fast to make.

 

Recipe from https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/273496/festive-olive-and-cheese-appetizer/

Servings: 6
 

Ingredients

24 sprigs fresh rosemary
12 ounces marinated mozzarella balls, drained
½ cup pitted Castelvetrano olives, rinsed and dried
¼ cup pitted Kalamata olives, rinsed and drained
¼ cup sugar plum tomatoes

Directions

 
Arrange rosemary sprigs in a 10-inch-diameter circle to resemble a wreath. Start by placing one sprig at a 45-degree angle with the leafy tip facing outwards. Continue adding sprigs in the same direction until you have formed a full circle.
 

Arrange clusters of mozzarella balls, olives, and tomatoes over rosemary sprigs.

Notes: 

The quantities for my dish was a little different. You can place any amount of cheese and olives, depending on the size of the dish. 

I purchased the mozzarella balls from Costco. They were not marinated, so I placed the cheese, olives, and tomatoes in a bowl and tossed them with olive oil, a little bit of crushed red pepper, salt and pepper, and Italian seasoning. Then I placed everything on top of the rosemary wreath.

Baked Feta Appetizer

This baked feta appetizer is so easy to make. It was a hit at last night's Thanksgiving dinner (25 November 2021).  I served it right after taking it out of the oven.

 
This is the recipe I used, but see my notes at the bottom:   https://midwestfoodieblog.com/baked-feta-appetizer/
 
Ingredients:
8 oz. block feta (in brine)
1 cup pitted olives, drained
½ cup sun-dried tomatoes (packed in oil)
⅓ cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon dried rosemary
Kosher salt
Fresh cracked pepper
 
For serving:
 
Fresh chopped parsley
Sliced French bread or crostini
 
Instructions:
 
Heat oven to 350 degrees. 
 
Add feta to a small baking dish (I used an 8”x8”). Add olives and sun-dried tomatoes to the baking dish around the feta.
 
In a small dish combine olive oil, sliced garlic, oregano, thyme, rosemary, and a couple pinches of salt and pepper. 
 
Pour over the block of feta, olives, and sun-dried tomatoes.
 

  

Bake for 20 minutes [uncovered]. Broil for 1-2 minutes.
 
Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and sliced French bread or crostini. 

Here's my recipe for crostini:  https://monicacooks.blogspot.com/2024/06/crostini.html

 

My changes/additions:
 
I prepared this about an hour or so in advance to get the ingredients to room temperature.
I used both green olives (Italian Castelvetrano) and Kalamata olives
I added roasted red peppers
I added a little of the sun-dried tomato oil
I used Italian Seasoning Blend
I didn’t have parsley (wasn’t missed)
I didn’t broil at the end
I sliced up a baguette
 
Next time I won’t slice the garlic so thin. The slices almost disappeared.
I will slice the olives in half.
And I may add some lemon zest slices and cherry tomatoes.
Someone in the comments stated they added chopped dried figs; another mentioned artichoke hearts.

Citrus Roasted Olives and Almonds

Citrus Roasted Olives and Almonds

My friend Carolyn made this excellent Mediterranean appetizer. Her comments are in ( ).
 
Ingredients:
 
2 cups olives with pits (you can mix your favorites or choose a variety for color; our favorites are Kalamata olives and Sicilian dry-cured olives--the wrinkly ones)
 
2/3 to 3/4 cup almonds, un-blanched (the original recipe calls for 1 full cup; I think that is too many)
 
Orange and lemon zest (I used the better part of one orange and one lemon)
 
Sprigs of resinous herbs like rosemary, oregano, thyme, or basil (I used rosemary, which is the most essential, thyme, and a few leaves of sage)
 
Very thinly sliced lemon for garnish (you could use thinly sliced orange too)
 
Extra virgin olive oil
 
Directions:
 
Place everything except the lemon and orange slices in a bowl or casserole dish (suitable for serving), sprinkle generously with olive oil, and toss.  I happened to have some lemon olive oil, so I used some of that too. 
 
Garnish with the slices and heat at 300 degrees until very warm but not too hot to eat (I think it took 10 minutes?). 
 
If you have leftovers, when you reheat them, the lemon slices may be tender enough to eat—a bonus.  Also, the oil left in the bottom of the bowl can be used for dipping bread.
 
Carolyn Z.

(Recipe from HGTV Smart Solutions, 2005)
 

Olive & Ham Cake

From my friend Elena Mayberry, August 2003


Ingredients:
4 Eggs
1-2/3 C Flour
2-1/2 t Baking powder
1/3 C Olive oil
2 T Melted butter
1/2 C Dry white wine (or dry sherry)
1/4 C Port (tawny port)
1 1/2 C pitted, sliced green olives
2 C Chopped ham (e.g., Virginia ham, Turkey ham, or smoked meat of some sort). "Dry" sauté the ham to remove excess liquid - let cool before adding to mix
2 C Gruyere shredded cheese
1/4 t Salt
1/4 t Pepper

Heat the oven to 425F.

Grease a 9 x 5 bread pan.

Beat eggs until lemon colored.

Stir in flour, baking powder, olive oil, melted butter, wine, and port.

Stir in ham, cheese, olives, salt, and pepper.

Pour into greased pan.

Bake 45 - 50 minutes until skewer comes out clean.

Serve cold.