No, and no garlic, no olives and no cheese filling. I bring up these specific items because depending on who you talk to, one or more of them is absolutely essential for an authentic focaccia. I’m sure I’m missing many others. However as I wrote yesterday, there are as many different “authentic” focaccia recipes as […]
READ ONThere are several possible ways to go with focaccia, depending on the texture you like. Here’s my base recipe, and I’ll do my best to show you how to vary it. 16 ounces bread or high-gluten flour (substitute durum flour for up to half of it) 16 ounces poolish (a double recipe) or starter. 1/4 […]
READ ONWhy, a flat bread. An Italian flat bread, to be more specific. An Italian flat bread that hails from the extreme northwestern coastal region of Liguria, to be more specific still. Flat breads have a very long history in Italy, dating all the way back to the Etruscans, a mysterious ancient people who dominated the […]
READ ONHere’s one that will barely fill a day — much less and entire week — of my usual nonsense. But hey, a request is a request! Focaccia is an area of baking into which I fear to tread for the same reason I feared to tread into biscuits and pie. Simply, because there are so […]
READ ONThere’s almost no limit to what can go on focaccia, but like pizza, the sparer you are with your toppings, the better the result. Salt, herbs and oil is the classic combo, and the herbs can be whatever you like: rosemary, thyme, basil, parsley, oregano, chives, sage, tarragon, chervil…either by themselves or in combination. Roasted […]
READ ONGot a fair number of responses to my “Gypsy arm” request, and they broke down into two basic categories. The first I’ll call the “pragmatic”, exemplified by this note from Mexico Bob: You don’t have to go all the way to Spain for the answer. Mexico is much closer. It is called Gypsy arm because […]
READ ONMeant to get more posting done today, but got tied up with my taxes…only two days left, donchaknow. I promise to do better tomorrow!
READ ONFor a know-it-all, I’m quite frequently (and rather easily) befuddled. For example, a reader wrote in late last week to ask if I knew why a jelly roll and/or a Swiss roll is referred to as a “Gypsy’s arm” (brazo de Gitano) in Spain and Cuba. I have absolutely no idea. However I do have […]
READ ONI actually got a little color on my face this past weekend attending an Easter parade, where my youngest, little 2-year-old Joan, was amazed to discover there are places on Earth where people dressed as rabbits throw candy at you (that you can actually pick up and eat). Moreover, she learned that the more she […]
READ ON…I’ll say goodbye for a week or so. I’m taking pre-Easter week off. Call it spring break. I’ve got to take short trip, then I have some projects that need tending to. Say…speaking of Easter, that cake down below — whether made from génoise or regular butter cake layers — might make a pretty good […]
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