Saturday, August 29, 2015

Zucchini Farro Cakes and Focaccio di Recco

Not sure which side dish to start with. Both were stars. We'll start with the Zucchini Farro Cakes. I have had this on a Pinterest board for while. This recipe is from Cooking Light. I did not make the slow roasted tomatoes. I made half of the recipe and ended up with enough to freeze for either lunches or to use as a side dish again.
My version of Zucchini Farro Cakes:
Ingredients-
Cakes:
1 3/4 cups shredded zucchini (about 1/2 pound)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1 cups cooked farro
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped green onions
3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 1/2  tablespoons whole-wheat flour
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided

Cheese:
1.25 ounces goat cheese (at room temperature)
1 tablespoons 1% low-fat milk
1/4 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
1/4 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Method-
Combine zucchini and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a cheesecloth-lined bowl. Let stand 10 minutes. Gather edges of cheesecloth; squeeze zucchini in cloth until barely moist. Combine zucchini, 1/4 teaspoon salt, farro, and next 6 ingredients (through eggs) in a large bowl. Let stand 5 minutes. Shape mixture into patties, about 3/4 inch thick.

Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 4 patties; cook 4 minutes on each side or until golden. Repeat in two more batches with remaining oil and patties.  Sprinkle the patties with salt when you remove them from the oil. Keep warm.

To prepare cheese, combine cheese and remaining ingredients in a small bowl, stirring until well combined.

Arrange 2 zucchini cakes on each plates. Top with cheese mixture.

The Focaccio di Recco was a recent addition to my Pinterest board for Recipes I Would Like to Try.

Focaccio di Recco, by Emiko on Food 52. Makes 3-4 focacce

Ingredients-
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup olive oil, plus more for greasing and drizzling
2 teaspoons salt, plus more for sprinkling
3 cups bread flour
1 pound stracchino or Crescenza cheese or marscapone cheese

Method-
Using a wooden spoon, mix the water, olive oil, salt, and 1 cup of flour in a medium bowl until smooth. Add the remaining 2 cups of flour little by little, mixing with the spoon until thoroughly combined. Knead by hand in the bowl for 5 minutes or until smooth and elastic (poke it; it should bounce back easily). Let rest, wrapped in plastic, in the fridge for 2 to 3 hours.

Preheat the oven to 480º F, and grease a baking sheet or a round pizza tray with olive oil.

Divide the dough into 4 even pieces and keep them under a tea towel or wrapped in plastic wrap when not in use. Roll out the dough ball initially with a rolling pin on a floured work surface, then begin stretching it carefully with your hands, using the weight of the dough to help stretch it. Get the dough as thin as you can, then transfer it to the prepared baking tray. Lay spoonfuls of the cheese over the dough. Take another piece of dough and roll and stretch again as before. Lay this layer over the cheese. With a knife, a rolling pin, or your hands, tap the edges of the dough together all along the border of the tray to trim the dough to exactly the size of the tray (see pictures for reference). Go over the edges of the focaccia again with your thumb, pressing down to seal the edges of the two layers of dough (again, see the pictures on this link). Gather the excess dough, and roll into a ball to use for the next focaccia.

Pinch the top of the dough in 5 or 6 places to create holes for steam to escape. Drizzle the top of the focaccia with a bit of oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Bake for 7 minutes, until lightly golden brown and the cheese has melted.

While the first focaccia is in the oven, prepare the second with the remaining dough (adding the scraps from the first to the balls of dough) and bake when the first is out of the oven; it is recommended to only baking one at a time as the distribution of heat will be compromised with more than one in the oven.

The dough can also be frozen (wrap it tightly in two layers of plastic wrap and then freeze.) Before using the dough, defrost overnight in the fridge or for a few hours on the counter. The dough will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.

And there was also a sirloin steak to go along with the side dishes.

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