I grew up eating "fugassa", a typical Ligurian flat bread with olive oil, sea salt, and onions that can be eaten as snack or appetizer. A wonderful fugassa should be crusty outside and spongy inside. Every time I have been in Rapallo, I stop in every bakery to eat and eat these delicious fugassas.
Nevertheless, as soon as I started to visit other cities in Italy, or even other countries, I realized that what I knew as fugassa was called focaccia , and was not only made with onions, but with other ingredients as well.
Every time I read a new focaccia recipe, I have to try it. Nevertheless, I have to admit that my onion fugassa.....is my favourite.....
Onion Fugassa (Ligurian Focaccia)
3 1/2 cups of flour
2 1/2 teaspoons of active dry yeast
1 teaspoon of sugar
1 cup warm water (more or less depending the environmental moisture, but this is what I use)
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons of sea salt
2 onions (sliced)
Coarse sea salt and extra-virgin olive oil for sprinkling
Mix 1/2 cup of warm water with sugar, and dry yeast. Set aside until is foamy (5-8 minutes). In a big bowl, mix it with the remaining water, and the olive oil.
Mix the flour with the salt. Incorporate this flour/salt mix into the yeast/water mixture until you have a soft dough (it does not have to be a sticky dough). Put the dough on a table with flour, and knead it for 10 minutes. Place this dough in a oiled bowl, cover it, and let it rise at room temperature until double in size (1.5 hour).
Put this dough in a table with flour again, and with a rolling pin, create a rectangle (or circle) depending on your oven pan (now, I use a pizza stone, but I used to place it over a oven pan of 25 cms by 36 cms). With your fingertips, create deep dents of 1 cm. Cover with a dish towel, and let it rise for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven at 435F, and put a container with water to create a moist environment. Distribute the sliced onions on top of the fugassa, and sprinkle with salt and olive oil. Let it bake for about 20-30 minutes, or until golden brown (and cooked!). Serve at room temperature. Enjoy!!
Sun-dried Tomato and Olive Focaccia
500 grams of white flour
2 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast
65 grams of black olives (chopped)
65 grams of sun-dried tomatoes in oil (drained and chopped)
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of sugar
4 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil
320 ml of warm water
Coarse sea salt and extra-virgin olive oil for sprinkling
Mix 1/2 cup of warm water with sugar, and dry yeast. Set aside until is foamy (5-8 minutes). In a big bowl, mix the flour, salt, tomatoes and olives. Add the foamy yeast, olive oil, and the remaining water until you have a soft but not sticky dough.
Knead the dough for ten minutes over a floured table. Place it on a greased bowl, and let it rise for 1.5 hour (until double in size).
Put this dough in a table with flour again, and with a rolling pin, create an oval of 2.5 cms thick, and place it over an oven pan. With your fingertips, create deep dents of 1 cm. Cover with a dish towel, and let it rise for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven at 400F, and put a container with water to create a moist environment. Sprinkle with salt and olive oil. Let it bake for about 20-30 minutes, or until golden brown (and cooked!). Serve at room temperature. Enjoy!!
Last, but not least....a wonderful focaccia.....from Hilmar's website!!......you can see her recipe of Focaccia Express, but enjoy the pictures!!
I wish for the people in Japan strength and courage......
