Chilli, Cheese & Carbs
An ode to my 3 main loves in this perfect weekend focaccia. Plus 8 other ideas for everyone's favourite Italian bread.
I like to think that I am a simple sort of woman. Give me a bread basket and some butter and I’ll be happy until it all runs out and then proceed to be too full to eat anything else. A simple tried and tested formula. I’ve spoken at length before about my adoration for a bread basket. I dedicated a whole chapter intro to it in my new book and it features heavily in the About section here. It’s safe to say I am mildly obsessed with all things gluten and will always look for the opportunity which will present me with some in any shape or form.
I’m not quite sure what it is about freshly baked bread. Is it the smell? The feeling? The warmth? The coziness coursing through my veins all the way to the last bite? Or is it all of it? Either way, I’ll take a repeat order of all that to go, for the rest of my days please. Bread making was the thing I threw myself into during my stint of unemployment, pre bake off. There is something so gratifying and satisfying, making, working and kneading something all by hand. The results are the results of your time, your effort, your love. And the taste? The taste of bread baked by yours truly is the sweetest tasting bread you’ll ever experience (unless it’s a real shit-tip, then no amount of butter is saving it).
The first bread recipe I stumbled across in the book I declared my baking bible/sanity saviour was for simple bread rolls. Ya know the sort you’d demolish at a restaurant. The ones you want to dunk into hot steaming soup. The ones which shatter into crumby smithereens on the top when you poke it and the ones you FOR SURE want to shovel in a plethora of freshly chopped salad, cheese and meat for a sandwich so epic, all courtesy and manners go flying out the window as you hoover it away.
I’ll for sure share that recipe with you soon. It’s simple, not complicated, no fancy pants equipment needed but it hits the spot every single time. And paired with selection of butters (yes selection, we fancy over here), it truly doesn’t get much better…
Until this. When I first made focaccia, I honestly felt legit. I no longer just felt like someone trying to bake away the boredom, yearning for some structure and meaning to my day. I felt like someone who had some purpose and some joy. I know it sounds daft when I say baking truly saved me, but I mean it. It saved me from myself; from what I thought my life should look like and be. The lack of stability and routine really threw me but in that period of nothingness, I ended up finding everything. So, my friends, when I say I am passionate about bread. I BLOODY MEAN IT. And I mean it for good reason.
Carbs are my lifeline and I want to share one of the recipes which brings me a lot of joy to make and even more to eat. My sister LOVES this focaccia and I can bet my life on the fact she will ask me for it at least once a week. My dad also thought this savoury cake (please don’t ask - I have no clue myself) was one of the best he’s eaten. So, there you have it folks, high and albeit slightly odd praise from two of the most discerning people in my life. And just so we are all working to the same barometer here, my family do not understand censorship to save your feelings or playing it nice for niceness sake. They will tell it how it is (a good and a bad thing) and I wouldn’t change it (I’m saying that in case they are reading this – hi mum x).
The beauty of focaccia is the process. I have made this recipe with and without a stand mixer and both produced incredibly tasty results (one of course having a the slightly messier process). And whilst getting a stand mixer (post bake off might I add) changed my life and efficiency, I love the therapeutic process of kneading a focaccia by hand. Yes, it’s messy as hell. Yes, you will have to call upon help as that one rolled up sleeve keeps finding its way back towards your hand and yes, you will probably sweat and curse me several times for convincing you to try it that way, but it is so worth it.
Use the bread to dunk, to slather or to sandwich when fresh and then toast with a garlic and butter rub, turn it into croutons or blitz into the tastiest breadcrumbs when stale.
I only recently discovered that the origins of focaccia are rooted in Northern Mediterranean before it drifted its way down to Greece and Italy. And then from there, it landed here in your kitchen, today. I am a true believer in making recipes your own. If something I have suggested or added doesn’t tickle your pickle and I can’t convince you to give it a try, swap it out or switch it up. Food for me is a playground and one where I don’t like rules. I take a particular dislike to anything or anyone telling me what to do (youngest child syndrome?) so please DO YOU.
Here's some little switcheroo suggestions:
S W A P -
Olives for Red Onion (sliced raw or even reduced down in a touch of balsamic) or Sundried Tomatoes
Mozzarella for Feta (for a nice salty kick) or reliable Cheddar, Gouda or Provalone
Chilli Oil for Garlic Oil
Rosemary for Sage or Tarragon
Garlic for are you crazy? Garlic is life and should never be swapped.
OR how bout using my base recipe but mixing it up with the below?
C O M B O ‘ S -
Sundried Tomato, Caramelised Onions and Pesto (sub out the chili oil for good quality extra virgin olive oil)
Baby Tomato, Cheddar and Chive (keep the chili oil for a nice heat)
Feta, Lemon & Spring Onion (sub out the chili oil for good quality extra virgin olive oil)
Chorizo, Mozzarella, Passata (just a few dollops here and there) & Oregano (yes, like a pizza focaccia)
With all that deliciousness in mind, I also have an incredible recipe for a sweet focaccia with roasted plums, cherries and lemon thyme which I can’t wait to share with you all in good time (it’s in the new book!) but it’s a recipe which really hits that not too sweet and not too savoury middle ground. A recipe for whichever side of the foodie fence you sit on – perfect for the stereotypical libra that I am.
T H E - G O O D - S T U F F -
My Cheese & Chili Focaccia is laden with all the good, yummy stuff. Nuggets of mozzarella sit nestled in a bed of bouncy, salty, lightly spiced focaccia, topped with crushed green olives, sprigs of fresh rosemary and a light sprinkling of chilli flakes to bring home that gentle warming heat.
But for now, here’s how you make it:
Recipe Makes: 8 x 12 inch tin
Serves: 12 (on a reserved portion size)
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