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Monday, August 9, 2010

"Focaccia" Being Good!


“Focaccia”-----Being Good!

I love family traditions. Many of our family traditions involve time spent in the kitchen preparing foods and meals for special occasions. As children, we were often rewarded with food when we were “being good”---pizza on Friday, cake on our birthdays, holiday cookies at Christmas, and homemade pasta at Nonna’s on Sunday. Many of these traditions I’ve passed on to my two boys. One of my earliest memories of a tradition that involved food was with black olives----yes, I said black olives. This tradition dates back to when I was a young child racing to the kitchen whenever my mom or dad would open a can of olives. I would find myself standing in the kitchen begging for olives. If I had been a good girl, and if I got to my parents when they were in a good mood and feeling generous, I would receive five olives. Oh, I did not eat the olives because I did not like the taste, but I loved to play with them. I would place one olive on each of my four fingers with the fifth one finding a home on my thumb. Once my fingertips were covered with olives, I would pretend they were the nails of a witch, the claws of a bear, the fingers of an alien, or the nail polish on a movie star.

After playing with my olives, they would eventually find their way into my dog’s stomach. I could always count on Cricket, our family Toy Manchester, to eat one. After eating the first one she would discover that she did not like the taste and would spit the second one out in a somewhat chewed-up heap. Then, without my parents knowing, I would sneak off and throw the remaining olives into the trash or flush them down the toilet.

Getting five olives from my mom and dad seemed to work for several years, but as our family grew, so did the number of fingers for olives. My sisters and brother wanted olive fingers too. This lead to my parents rationing olives as the supply and demand grew beyond the number of olives in a can. To solve this dilemma we would each get one olive---not as much fun, but what’s a girl to do? Now, another dilemma I faced was to decide which finger I should place my olive on. Most of the time it would find its home on my pointer finger. I would run around the house chasing my brother and sisters with my olive finger, and I would try my best to talk them out of their olives. On occasions, I would end up with two or three olives, but the days of five olives became a thing of the past. A good thing that came from my parents rationing the olives is that I developed a taste for black olives. I found I could eat one, then two, and before I knew it, I loved black olives. Today, I use olives in many of my recipes. I love olives in salads, cheese balls, spreads, and on the top of homemade pizza or fragrant herbed focaccia bread.

On our recent trip to Italy, our villa had an olive orchard. Since it was early June, there were tiny olives that were just waiting for the cool morning rains and the warm Tuscan sun to allow them to ripen to their full potential. Many of these olives will be used to make delicious bottles of Italian olive oil, and the remaining will find their way into olive jars and cans to use in recipes, as relishes, or to make family traditions on the tiny tips of children’s fingers. Even though those days have passed, I still have the memories of my fantastic olive fingers. My boys put olives on their fingers when they were little, as did all of my nieces and nephews. I cannot wait until our newest addition to the family, Michael, gets his tiny little fingers covered with olives---and the tradition will go on!


If you like homemade bread and do not have the time to make it, you need to try making focaccia bread. It is a very easy bread to make. You can simply eat it plain with a herbed infused olive oil for dipping, or you can add one or a variety of ingredients and herbs on the top to change the look and taste of the bread. We made focaccia bread at our cooking class in Italy. Since returning home, I have made it several times. Each time I put on different toppings; however, each time I used black olives---I find it so Tuscan---and who knows, maybe someday my Olive Focaccia Bread will become a family tradition just like my memorable olive fingers.


A Recipe for Starting a Family Tradition
Take ten olives (Five if you have a big family).
Stick one on the end of each finger.
Now, let your imagination run wild (This is easier to do if you are a kid!).
Finally, eat the olives one at a time.

Tuscany Focaccia
Ingredients:
2 teaspoons dried yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup warm water
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Olive oil, to grease and top the bread
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
Small can 3-4 oz. of black olives
3 thinly sliced sun dried tomatoes
Three garlic cloves thinly sliced
3 tablespoons Parmesan Cheese
Italian Seasoning
1 teaspoon sea salt flakes

Directions:
1. Combine yeast, sugar and water in a bowl. Stand in a warm, draught-free place for 10 minutes or until foamy.
2. Sift flour and salt into a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in yeast mixture and extra virgin olive oil. Use a flat-bladed knife or wooden spoon to stir until combined, and then use your hands to bring the dough together in the bowl.
3. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Brush a large bowl with olive oil to lightly grease. Place dough in bowl and turn to coat in oil. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and stand in a warm, draught-free place to prove for 1 hour or until dough doubles in size.
4. Pour small about of olive oil on a 9 x 13 inch baking tray, enough to lightly cover the bottom (I use a cookie sheet with sides). Punch down the raised dough with your fist. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 2 - 3 minutes or until smooth and elastic and dough has returned to its original size. Put dough on baking tray and press dough to the edge of tray (It is not necessary to press it to the sides of the tray). Stand in a warm, draught-free place for 30 minutes or until the dough has doubled in height.
5. Preheat oven to 400° F. Use your fingertips to press dimples into the dough. Remove rosemary leaves from sprigs and poke rosemary, sliced garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and sliced olives into dough, spacing evenly. (At this point you can press in any additional ingredients---red onions, pepperoni, grated cheeses, peppers, etc). Drizzle with an additional 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, and salt (optional). Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Brush with extra olive oil, then bake 5 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Great with dipping oil.
"Buon Appetito"