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FOCACCIA. A bread that is known and liked all over the world. Focaccia is a flat bread, Italian bread baked in the oven, which is very similar in texture and style to Pizza.https://privatechefcorfu.com

Italian Focaccia

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Italian Focaccia. A bread that is known and liked all over the world. Focaccia is a flat bread, Italian bread baked in the oven, which is very similar in texture and style to Pizza. The first confirmation of the word focaccia appears in 1300. In Ancient Rome, called panis focacius was a flat bread baked in a hearth. The word comes from the Latin hearth “hearth, place of baking“. The basic recipe is believed to have originated from the Etruscans, but today it is widely associated with Ligurian cuisine.
I love good focaccia. Great dough a little thicker than pizza dough, olive oil, rosemary and salt.
The flavors combine beautifully with each other and it is one of my favorite things that I eat as an appetizer or alone and of course everyone likes it.
Wanting to make a Focaccia after many attempts in the past, some with success and others without the right result, I thought of experimenting a bit not with the appearance, not with the baking but mainly with the process.
Usually when I was making a focaccia, I just kneaded the dough, left it to rest for 1 hour and baked it.
The result is usually mediocre but tasty.
I thought that in focaccia we add dried tomatoes, salt and rosemary, without thinking that we can work other variations.
So I made this focaccia, without dried tomatoes and rosemary, but I replaced them with onions and basil.
I replaced the flour for all uses with type 00 flour. I removed the bench mixer and the dough was made by hand.
Baking time reduced by 15 ‘
The big difference was in the rest times.
Kneading and 1 hour rest, light kneading and 1 hour rest, kneading and 1 hour rest.
A total of 3 hours of rest from 1 hour that I was used to.
The result is extremely amazing.
A much more fluffy focaccia emerged and the most important thing is that after 3-4 days it is still quite fluffy.
There is also the theory that 4 hours of rest are needed, which I will try in the near future

 

 

 

 

Beer-Braised Beetrootshttps://privatechefcorfu.com

Beer-Braised Beetroots

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Beer-Braised Beetroots

Beer-Braised Beetroots

Beer-Braised Beetroots

SERVES 4

Braised Beetroots
4 Beetroots about 200gr.each unpeeled
2 cups diced white onion
1 cup diced carrot
1 cup diced celery
2 sprigs thyme, plus ½ teaspoon thyme leaves
2gr,Fennel seeds
1 bay leaf
1300gr.Beer plus ¼ cup extra beer
Salt
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1L.Vegetables stock
1 tablespoon butter
Ground black pepper

Wash under running water the Beetroots. In a large glass bowl, combine the Beetroots with the onion, carrot, celery, thyme sprigs, and bay leaf. Pour in the beer, cover, and marinate for 48 hours in the refrigerator. Remove the Beetroots from the marinade and pat dry on paper towels. Strain the marinade,reserving both the liquid and the vegetables. In a medium saucepan, bring the liquid to a
simmer over medium heat, until it comes to a boil. Strain through a chinois. Preheat the oven to 135°C. Season the Beetroots with salt. Heat the oil in a large ovenproof straightsided sauté pan over high heat. Sear the Beetroots on all sides, 1 to 2 minutes per
side, and remove from the pan. Drain any excess oil from the pan, lower the heat
to medium, and add the reserved vegetables. Sweat until tender, about 10
minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for 3 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the
reserved liquid and reduce by half. Add the stock and bring to a
simmer. Return the Beetroots to the pan, cover, and transfer to the oven. Braise
in the oven until the Beetroots is tender and can be easily pulled apart with a fork, about 2-2½ hours. Remove the pan from the oven and allow to rest, uncovered, for 30
minutes. Gently remove the Beetroots from the braising liquid and set aside. Peel the beets when is warm.Strain the liquid and discard the vegetables. Return the liquid to a saucepan over
medium-high heat until it comes to a simmer. Lower the heat to medium-low and reduce the liquid to
3 cups, skimming frequently. Add the remaining ¼ cup of beer,Feenel seeds and the thyme
leaves and whisk in the butter. Season with ground black pepper to taste

Potato Mousseline

500gr potatoes
Salt
2 smashed garlic cloves
100gr heavy cream
1 tablespoonsbutter
Whole nutmeg
Fleur de sel

Peel potatoes and simmer in salted water to cover until tender, about 15 minutes. While potatoes cook, place cream in a small pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook until reduced to about 2 cups.
Place butter in small pan and heat until it just begins to brown and it smells nutty. Set aside.
Drain potatoes and run through a food mill or ricer. Pass potatoes through a fine sieve into a bowl. (A splatter screen set over a bowl can work well. Move potatoes through screen with a plastic scraper.) Lightly fold in the cream.
Reheat browned butter if needed. Swirl browned butter and garlic into potatoes. Top with several grinds of nutmeg and a sprinkling of fleur de sel.

Glazed Vegetables

12 baby carrots, trimmed
12 red pearl onions
2 stalks celery
8 baby spring onions
½ cup Vegetables stock
4 tablespoons butter
½ teaspoon salt

Peel each carrot into a smooth cylindrical shape. Peel the pearl onions and the celery stalks. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and blanch the vegetables until tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl of ice water, and, once cool, drain. Cut the celery
stalks at 45-degree angles in 2-inch sections. In a medium sauté pan over medium heat, warm together the carrots, pearl onions, celery, spring onions,stock, butter, and salt. Cover and simmer until the vegetables are very tender and
glazed, 7 to 8 minutes

To Finish

Potato Puree Mousseline
2 Bread Crisps, broken into shards
Parsley leaves
Sauce reserved from making Braised Beetroots

Spoon the potato puree onto 4 plates. Place the Beetroots on top of the puree
and garnish with the glazed vegetables and bread crisps. Top with parsley and
finish with the sauce

Rye Crisps

RYE CRISPS

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Rye Crisps

RYE CRISPS
Makes 8 crisps
4 (3-mm/⅛-inch) slices rye bread
Salt
Olive oil
Preheat the oven to 160°C/325°F. Cut parchment paper into eight 10 by 8-cm (4 by 3¼-
inch) pieces. Season the bread with salt on both sides. Brush two pieces of parchment
paper with olive oil and sandwich a bread slice between the oiled sides. Repeat with the
remaining slices. Wrap each sandwiched slice around a copper tube, 1.3 cm (½ inch) in
diameter and at least 7.5 cm (3 inches) in length. The bread should nearly encircle the
tube. Secure each sandwiched slice to the tube using a paper clip. Place the tubes on a wire
rack set over a baking sheet. Toast the bread in the oven until browned and crispy, about
15 minutes. Let cool to room temperature before removing the paper clips. Carefully slide
the toasts off the tubes and remove the parchment paper. Break each crisp in half
lengthwise. Reserve the crisps in a dry, airtight container

Pasta Dough

PASTA DOUGH

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Pasta Dough

PASTA DOUGH
Makes about 10 sheets
400 g tipo 00 flour
3 eggs
2 egg yolks
6 g salt
Semolina flour
Combine the 00 flour, eggs, egg yolks, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the
dough hook attachment, mix on low speed until just combined, about 5 minutes. The
mixture should appear quite dry and just barely come together. Turn to medium speed and
mix until the flour is fully hydrated, about 3 minutes. Turn the dough out onto a clean
work surface and knead by hand several times to form into a ball. Cover the dough tightly
with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Unwrap the dough. On a clean work surface, roll the dough out using a rolling pin, just so
it can fit through the pasta machine. Set the machine to the widest setting and begin
running the pasta through the machine. Lower the thickness by one notch with each roll,
until it reaches setting #2. Fold the pasta over itself in thirds. Rotate the pasta 90 degrees
so that the uncreased side will pass through the machine. Return the machine to the widest
setting and repeat the rolling process two more times. After the third pass, do not fold the
dough in thirds. Continue to roll the dough, lowering the setting by half a notch with each
pass to setting #0. Cut the sheet into 30-cm (11¾-inch) long sheets. Stack the sheets, with
a light dusting of semolina flour in between each layer to prevent sticking, and cover with
a lightly dampened paper towel to prevent from drying. Cut the dough to the desired shape
or form and refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 24 hours

BRIOCHE

BRIOCHE

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BRIOCHE
Makes 1 (23-cm/9-inch) loaf
70 g sugar
12 g salt
500 g bread flour
5 eggs, plus 1 egg lightly beaten, for egg wash
100 g water
30 g fresh yeast
250 g butter, softened
Combine the sugar and salt in a mixing bowl and set aside. Combine the flour, eggs, water,
and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer. Paddle on low speed until just combined, about 3
minutes. Switch to the dough hook attachment and mix on medium speed until the gluten
has developed and the dough springs back when pressed, about 7 minutes. Mix in the
sugar and salt in three additions, waiting for the previous addition to fully incorporate
before adding the next. Once fully incorporated, turn to low speed and add the butter all at
once. Continue to mix until incorporated, about 5 minutes. Turn the dough out into a large
mixing bowl lightly sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Flip the dough over to evenly
coat. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight to ferment.
Preheat the oven to 175°C/350°F. Lightly spray a 23 by 13-cm (9 by 5-inch) loaf pan with
nonstick cooking spray. Uncover the bowl and press down on the dough to release the gas.
Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and roll out into a 23-cm (9-inch) square.
Roll the dough into a log. Place the log in the loaf pan seam side down. Cover the dough
with a damp kitchen towel and let sit at room temperature until nearly doubled in size,
about 2 hours. Uncover the loaf and bake in the oven until golden brown, about 50
minutes. Turn the brioche out of the pan and let cool to room temperature before slicing to
serve. The bread may be tightly wrapped and kept, frozen, for up to 1 week.