artichoke, goat cheese, tomato, and red onion focaccia
Focaccia, that soft, irresistible bread that’s so
popular in restaurants and sandwich shops, is basically just pizza dough baked
in a pan with sides, so it rises a bit higher than pizza and takes on a
squared-off shape. It’s easy to bake your own using store-bought pizza dough,
which is sold both fresh (in the refrigerator case) and frozen (often near the
pie dough) in many supermarkets. Topping it with a few vegetables and some goat
cheese is all it takes to turn focaccia into a great main dish. Look for whole
wheat dough, which is particularly nice in this recipe. The topping amounts
suggested below are on the modest side, because that’s the balance I like, but
feel free to increase them a bit—just be sure to leave some dough showing
through here and there so it browns nicely. You can cut this into large pieces
for dinner, or into smaller ones to serve warm or at room temperature for lunch
or as a party snack. It wouldn’t be a bad breakfast-grab, either.
1 tablespoon cornmeal or unbleached all-purpose flour
1 pound store-bought pizza dough (thawed according to
package directions, if purchased frozen)
One 6.5-ounce jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and
sliced in half, if large
6 large cherry tomatoes (about 1-inch diameter), cut into
3 slices each
1 medium red onion, cut into
¼-inch-thick slices
½ teaspoon dried rosemary, crumbled
½ cup crumbled goat cheese (plain or herbed)
Freshly ground black pepper
1. Adjust the oven rack to the
center position and preheat the oven to 450°F.
2. Sprinkle the cornmeal or flour
onto a baking tray, and spread it into a thin layer. Place the dough on top of
the cornmeal, and gently stretch and press it into a 9-by 13-inch rectangle (see
“Working with Pizza Dough,” below). Let the dough rest for 20 to 30 minutes to
rise and puff up slightly.
3. Arrange the artichokes, tomato
slices, onion slices (separated into individual rings), and rosemary over the
surface of the dough, and then scatter the goat cheese evenly on top.
4. Bake for about 10 minutes, or
until the dough is golden brown on the bottom and the cheese is turning brown
around the edges. Allow to cool at room temperature for a minute or two before
slicing.
5. Serve hot, topped with a few
grinds of black pepper.
GET
CREATIVE
- Make this vegan by omitting the goat cheese.
- Garnish the focaccia with some good-quality olive oil and crunchy coarse salt right after it comes out of the oven.
- Vary the vegetables: You can use Fajita-Style Peppers and Onions , any leftover cooked vegetables, sliced marinated sun-dried tomatoes, capers, or pitted olives.
- Experiment with different cheeses, substituting grated fontina, mozzarella, Asiago, or smoked Gouda.
- Leftovers are great as a brown-bag sandwich (wrap two squares face-to-face).
WORKING WITH PIZZA DOUGH
Before using frozen pizza dough, let it defrost completely
in the refrigerator. If it’s too sticky to handle, flour your hands and the work
surface very lightly, or spray both your palms and the work surface with
vegetable oil spray. Most kinds of dough tighten up the more they are handled.
For this recipe, since you want the dough to be supple enough to stretch out,
don’t knead it or work it very much. Just stretch it into the desired shape and
leave it alone. If it seizes up and won’t stretch, let it rest for about 10
minutes, and then resume.
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