A cooking school class is a great way for the entire family to learn simple recipes. This focaccia is fun for the little ones: the fixings are spread at the bottom of the tray, before the dough, for added moisture, then flipped after baking.
Our instructor added rosemary and basil, but whatever herbs you have on hand and enjoy could do the trick.
Need
1 medium-size zucchini, skin and outer layer of flesh grated Handful of fresh rosemary needles1 heaping cup parmesan
1 clove garlic chopped
3-4 TBS extra virgin olive oil
1-2 TBS Bay Leaf Black Pepper Preserved Meyer Paste
1 portion of baking dough, in a covered bowl, proofed
(You can buy this from your local pizza parlor if you ask nicely or find it in the refrigerator section of the grocery store. One portion generally about 1/2 pound of dough)
Do
Line a rimmed baking tray with baking paper. Add vegetable, herbs, garlic and cheese. The vegetable and preserved lemon paste lend steam to this adventure, and moisture to the bread.
Mix oil and lemon paste, and drizzle onto the tray, lightly coating the other ingredients. For a stronger flavor, heat the paste and oil on low for 10 minutes before adding to the tray.
Let the dough rest on the tray for 15 minutes while you preheat the oven to 400 F. Then gently stretch dough to the sides for the baking tray. Bake for 30-40 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let sit for 5+ minutes on a cooling rack. Flip the focaccia so the vegetables and herbs appear on top, and place on a cutting board to serve warm.
Notes
We hesitate to suggest adding salt to this recipe, because the preserved lemon paste is salt-cured citrus, barrel-aged 6-18+months, which amps up the salty flavor.
