Grilled Focaccia With Tomato Pesto Recipes

TOMATO AND BASIL PESTO FOCACCIA

Steps:

• Put the strong white flour, type 00 flour, yeast, sugar and salt into a large mixing bowl and make a well in the centre. Pour in the water and combine with your hands until the mixture just comes together. Pour in the olive oil, then mix well with your hands to form a loose dough that feels wet and very soft.
• Turn out onto a clean work surface and knead, using a pastry scraper if you have one and using the 'slap and fold' method (see tips), for about 8 minutes. Alternatively, knead for 5 minutes on a medium speed in a stand mixer with a dough attachment fitted.
• Lightly oil a large clean bowl, add the dough, then cover with lightly oiled cling film. Leave in a warm place for 1-2 hours until the dough has doubled in size (see tips).
• Remove the cling film and tip out the risen dough onto a work surface. Knock it back (knead it gently for 5 seconds) - you want to redistribute the air evenly in the dough, not push it out completely. Lift the dough carefully into a 20cm x 30cm high-sided rectangular baking tin. Don't stretch and pull it. Instead, push it to the sides of the tin gently, using your fingertips. It may not reach the edges of the tin but don't worry - it will puff up and fill out as it proves.
• Cover with a clean tea towel and leave somewhere warm for at least an hour to prove, until it has nearly doubled in size. Check the dough is ready by pressing your finger in softly. If the indent stays, you're ready to heat the oven and bake.
• Heat the oven to 220°C/ 200°C fan/gas 7. Snip the cherry tomato vines into small lengths and arrange over the focaccia, pressing them down lightly. Drizzle over a generous amount of olive oil, scatter with sea salt, then bake for 10-15 minutes until nicely golden. Turn down the heat to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6 and bake for another 20 minutes.
• While the focaccia is baking, make the basil pesto. Either put the basil leaves in a large pestle and mortar, or in a food processor, and pound or whizz until finely chopped. Transfer to a bowl, stir in enough oil to make a drizzling consistency, then add lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
• Once the focaccia is cooked, remove from the oven and leave in the tin for 5 minutes. Take out of the tin carefully and put on a cooling rack for 30-40 minutes. Drizzle with basil pesto, then cut or tear into slices to serve - the focaccia is wonderful just warm or at room temperature.

FOCACCIA WITH PESTO & MOZZARELLA

Steps:

• Put the flour into a bowl and mix in the salt. Mix the yeast into 325ml tepid water. Add the water and oil to the flour, then mix well with a plastic scraper or your hands. When most of the liquid is incorporated, use your hands to bring all the ingredients together into a ball of dough.
• Tip the dough out onto a worktop lightly dusted with flour and work it by pulling and stretching for at least 10 mins. Try to get as much air into it as possible. Put the ball of worked dough into a well-oiled bowl, cover with a little more oil and a tea towel or cling film. Leave to rest for 1 hr or so in a non-draughty warm spot, until doubled in size.
• Now stretch the dough out onto a baking sheet until it's about 20 x 30cm. Leave the dough to rise again to about half as high again, about 30-40 mins in a warm draught-free place, loosely covered with a tea towel.
• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. When the dough has risen, press your fingers into it gently to make some holes. Bake for about 15 mins, then remove from the oven. Tear over the mozzarella, then bake for another 5-10 mins until golden and cooked through. Drizzle over the pesto and scatter with sea salt, if you like. Serve straight away.

TOMATO-HERB FOCACCIA

Steps:

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add 1 tablespoon oil, salt, sugar, garlic powder, herbs, pepper and 1-1/2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky)., Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour., Punch dough down. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Shape into a 13-in. x 9-in. rectangle; place on a greased baking sheet. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. With fingertips, make several dimples over top of dough., Brush dough with remaining oil; arrange tomatoes over the top. Sprinkle with cheeses. Bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to a wire rack. Freeze option: Freeze cooled focaccia squares in freezer containers, separating layers with waxed paper. To use, reheat squares on a baking sheet in a preheated 400° oven until heated through.

TOMATO FOCACCIA

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine 2-1/2 cups flour, salt and sugar. Dissolve yeast in water; stir in oil. Add to dry ingredients; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough., Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover; let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 30 minutes., Punch the dough down. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 12-in. circle. Place on a greased 12-in. pizza pan. Brush with oil. Combine the Parmesan cheese, rosemary, garlic and salt; sprinkle over dough. Arrange onion rings and tomatoes over top, pressing down lightly. , Bake at 400° for 15-20 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Cut into wedges.

GRILLED FOCACCIA WITH MOZZARELLA DI BUFALA, SWEET ITALIAN SAUSAGE, AND FRESH TOMATOES

Steps:

• Begin by making the dough so it has time to rest and rise. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, or in a mixing bowl, combine the yeast, sugar and warm water and stir gently to dissolve. Let the mixture stand until the yeast comes alive and starts to foam, 5 to 10 minutes.
• If you're using a mixer, turn the mixer on low, add the salt and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the flour, a little at a time, mixing at the lowest speed until the flour has been incorporated. When the dough starts to come together, increase the speed to medium and let it go until the dough gathers into a ball. This should take about 5 minutes. Stop the machine periodically to scrape the dough off the hook. Get a feel for the dough as you're making it by squeezing a small amount together between your thumb and fingers. If it's crumbly, add more water, if it's sticky, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and fold it over itself a few times, kneading until it's smooth and elastic. Form the dough into a round and put it into a lightly oiled bowl, turning it over to coat the dough entirely with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let it rise in a warm spot (i.e., over a gas pilot light) until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Preheat an outdoor gas or charcoal barbecue and get it very hot. Brush the grates with oil to keep the sausages from sticking. Grill the sausages until cooked through, turning with tongs. Set aside. Keep the grill hot to make the pizza. Roll or pat the dough into a rustic, oblong shape, about 1/4-inch thick - do this directly on a lightly floured pizza paddle for ease. Brush the crust with a thin layer of olive oil, and lay oil side down onto the hot grill. Once the dough looks set, in about 2 minutes, turn the crust over.
• Now prepare the topping. Cut up the tomatoes and add to a large mixing bowl. Add the garlic and basil. Crumble in the sausage. Rip the mozzarella into pieces with your hands and add that too along with some extra-virgin olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, add the salad mix and toss to combine.
• Once the crust is set and cooked, transfer it to a platter. Scoop up the salad mix in your hands and spread it evenly over the top. Sprinkle with a good dusting of Parmigiano-Reggiano and finish with a drizzle of olive oil.

GRILLED PESTO PIZZA WITH MARINATED MOZZARELLA AND TOMATOES

Steps:

• Add to a high-powered blender the basil, arugula, Parmesan, garlic and a pinch of salt and blend while streaming in the mozzarella oil until smooth. Taste and add salt as needed. Set aside.
• Preheat an outdoor grill to high (500 to 550 F.) While your grill is heating, lightly oil a large sheet pan (or 3 half-sheet pans) and place your dough balls on top. Use your fingers to stretch the pizza dough balls into a loose circle or oval about 1/8-inch-thick. Don't get too hung up on the shape, irregular is beautiful. Work your way around the dough to make sure that it's an even thickness throughout. Lightly brush oil on the top of the dough as well. Lightly sprinkle the tomatoes with salt.
• Place your doughs on the hot grill and close the lid. Cook until golden brown char marks appear and the doughs are cooked on the underside, 2 to 3 minutes. Open the lid of the grill, flip the doughs over and quickly spoon the pesto over top of the cooked side leaving a little border for the crust. Top with the sliced tomatoes and marinated mozzarella. Close the lid and cook until the cheese melts and the doughs are completely cooked through, about 3 minutes. Remove from the grill and enjoy.

GRILLED TOMATO WITH PESTO

Steps:

• Hollow out the top 1/4 inch of tomato halves with a spoon.
• Top each tomato half with 2 teaspoons pesto sauce and an onion slice.
• Arrange tomatoes in 2 foil pie pans.
• Place tomatoes in the centre of the grill rack.
• Cover and grill for 8 to 10 minutes or until tomatoes are heated through.
• Stir together the cheese, almonds, if using, and parsley in a small mixing bowl.
• Sprinkle mixture over tomatoes.
• Cover and grill for 5 minutes more or until cheese melts.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper, if desired.

GRILLED MARGHERITA® PEPPERONI ON FOCACCIA WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATO OLIO

Steps:

• For the sun-dried tomato olio: Combine the sun-dried tomato pesto, mayonnaise, and olive oil in a small bowl. Stir until well blended.
• In medium saucepan, fry Margherita® Pepperoni over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, or until edges begin to curl.
• Toast or grill sliced focaccia until crispy.
• Layer pepperoni and cheese on the bottom slices of focaccia bread, distributing evenly among the 4 sandwiches. For melted cheese, place built sandwich bottoms on baking sheet. Bake at 225 degrees for 3 to 5 minutes or until cheese melts.
• Remove sandwich bottoms from heat. Add sun-dried tomato olio, top with baby arugula, close with top half of bread.

GRILLED CHICKEN MARGHERITA

Steps:

• Gently pound chicken breasts into even thickness using the smooth side of a meat mallet, about 1/2 inch thick. Place chicken into a resealable plastic bag.
• Whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, Italian seasoning, and salt in a small bowl. Pour over chicken, coat evenly, and marinate for 4 to 8 hours.
• Combine cherry tomatoes, basil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a small bowl.
• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat; lightly oil the grate.
• Remove chicken from marinade and grill with the lid closed for 4 minutes. Flip chicken and grill an additional 3 to 4 minutes. Top each breast with a slice of mozzarella cheese and 1 tablespoon of pesto, then top with cherry tomatoes. Close lid on grill and continue grilling until cheese is melted and chicken is no longer pink inside, about 3 more minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Using a spatula, carefully remove chicken to a serving platter.