The Focaccia Chronicles; Quarantine Kitchen

Mix the flour, water, oil, yeast and salt together

So on my last flight from New York to San Diego, I binge-watched episodes of the Great British Baking Show, and two episodes of the Netflix series Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat.  The Fat episode takes place in Italy, and the focaccia that host Samin Nosrat made in Liguria intrigued me.  Focaccia is something I love, but frankly, knowing the time it takes with a long slow rise, coupled with the fact I'm not a baker, I don't make it at home.  But, that has all changed since we have been in self-isolation.  So the fact that I have lots of time, and the ingredients and that dinner at my Italian friends' house on Saturday night included some of the best focaccia I'd ever had, I knew that I wanted to give it a try. 
The recipe is here.  This is really simple to make. It requires an overnight rise, and then a bit of fiddling to get it into the pan.  Other than that it's pretty much a no-brainer.  Make sure to use a high-quality olive oil, I use the organic from Cuore Verde which you can buy from Enoteca Properzio.  And, use a flaky sea salt like Maldon for the finishing. 
Without further ado, here are the focaccia chronicles of days 4 and 5. 

3 hours in

Good Morning!

Rub the pan with olive oil (I used foil on the pan for ease of cleanup--my sheet pans are a mess)

Scrape onto the oiled pan

Add caption

pour oil over the dough

spread the dough over the pan

Make indentations in the dough with your knuckles

pour the brine over the dough

 

sprinkle with salt and I used some rosemary

Really hot oven

Finally!

As many of you know, here in California, we have been advised to stay home, and not go out.  I'd ask you to heed all the warnings from your state officials and the health officials at CDC and NIH.  If they say don't go out, don't do it.  Your health and the health of those that you come in contact with are paramount at this time.  Stay well everyone, and keep on cooking. 

Hot Enough for You?

Dr. C. and I are living in a rented apartment in a palazzo at the top of the hill in Spello.  It is beautiful, with a gorgeous terrace, and yard, frescoes on the ceilings, and huge bedroom.  At the beginning of October, it is legal to turn on the heat here in Italy...don't ask.  So our landlord who is a heck of a nice guy came over, and programmed the thermostat.  But that night, no heat.

So we told our rental agent, and she told the landlord, he came back again, but this time with a hammer, and he hammered on the furnace (I couldn't look) and we got heat that night, but the next morning, nothing.
This little dance has gone on for about 2 weeks, with our landlord coming over, hammering on the furnace, and saying, speriamo, meaning, "we hope".  So far nothing had worked, we'd get heat immediately after the hammering, but then nothing in the morning.  Dr. C. decided it was the pump in the furnace that was bad, but that got lost in translation.

On Monday we were promised we'd have heat, a technician was coming, and he had the magic solution (hammer).  I wasn't home when they came, but Dr. C. said there was a lot of hammering, and there was heat when I got home that evening, and the next morning it was so hot in the house, I had to open up the windows.  The thermostat was set at 24 degrees C, that's about 78 degrees F.
So, we have heat, and now we have to figure out how to tell the landlord, we don't need that much heat!  Every day here is a new adventure, with interesting predicaments, and solutions.
During our no heat phase the landlord said he'd send over the gardener to mow the lawn.  So a guy came and pushed the lawnmower through OUR LIVING ROOM, and out to the yard.  And, yes, he pushed it out through the living room again, since there is no other access to the yard.  This is life here, and I wouldn't trade it for anything.  Ciao for now. 

Cruising on the River Po, May 2014

Join Phillis Carey and I May 18, 2014 in Venice, for a cruise on the Uniworld River Countess.  Our trip will begin in Venice, with stops in Padua, Ravenna, Verona and Bologna the gastronomic capital of Northern Italy.
At the end of the trip, you are invited to extend for 4 days in Tuscany, where we will travel to the Siena area, first stopping for lunch at the famous butcher Dario Cecchini, who was featured in Bill Buford's book Heat. Dario quotes Dante and sings arias as he butchers.
Once situated either in Siena or on the outskirts, we will have 1/2 day wine and olive oil tasting, 1/2 day tour of Siena, and 1/2 day cooking class.  We do not have the pricing for the Tuscany extension, since most hotels have not set their prices for 2014, but our travel agent with her magic wand, promises something in the next few weeks.  If you are interested, please go to my website and click on the brochure at the bottom of the page, all the information is is there.  Merlene will take great care of you, and can help with airfare, and other arrangements.
Here are a few photos from the places we will visit on our cruise, enjoy!

The Grand Canal, Venice

Piazza San Marco

Ravenna

Ravenna

Ravenna

Padua

Padua

Verona:  It's not all Romeo and Juliet!

Verona

Bologna

Bologna

Mercato in Bologna

Pappardelle Bolognese

The Po River

Fall in love with Italy, and come along with Phillis and I as we see the beautiful cities along and near the Po River.  May is a perfect time to be in Italy, warm with spring flowers covering the hillsides, and fewer crowds, it is the perfect time to go.  I hope you'll plan to join us!