Focaccia Di Recco – Thin Savoury Crust Tart Filled With Melty Fresh Cheese

This lovely flat pie - pizza really means pie and refers to both savoury and sweet pies in addition to the iconic Neapolitan pizza. This focaccia-like stuffed bread is filled with braised bitter greens such as escarole or broccoli rabe, capers, pine nuts and fat fleshy black olives. You might add anchovies, you could also add sultanas. Unlike other focaccia, which are more like pizza, this is unleavened, essentially a flatbread, and it is stuffed, pie-like, with a unique and delicious young cheese known as Stracchino. If you can’t get Stracchino you can use another young, soft and meltable cheese such as Kalari, Bandel, or even a fresh paneer. Gorgonzola mixed with Mascarpone is probably excellent, too.

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Pizza Di Scarole – Focaccia like dough filled with bitter greens

This lovely flat pie - pizza really means pie and refers to both savoury and sweet pies in addition to the iconic Neapolitan pizza. This focaccia-like stuffed bread is filled with braised bitter greens such as escarole or broccoli rabe, capers, pine nuts and fat fleshy black olives. You might add anchovies, you could also add sultanas. Serve in squares as an appetizer or in bigger squares or wedges with salad for lunch or supper. It is good fresh from the oven, but surprisingly, better still the next day eaten at room temperature; you often see them displayed in Naples in glass cases in front of caffe-bars, to have as a snack along with whatever you are drinking at the moment, perhaps a cooling glass of lemonade or a juice?

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Basic Pancakes (Sweet & Savoury) – Italian Crespelle

Recipe Of The Month - August
Crespelle is the Italian word for the French crepes and English pancakes. Thin, deliciously tender and quickly made, they are based on eggs and the highest quality flour. Delicious and eaten on their own, or with a little butter or chocolate spread.

Crespelle is so versatile though, they are perfect for serving at any celebration with family and friends, or for Independence Day. You can stuff them with cheese or meat, and bake them in tomato sauce like Cannelloni. Or you can fill them with spinach and ricotta, and bake in bechamel and cheese. Crespelle, layered with a pureed vegetable, cheese then baked into a savoury loaf, makes a delicious do ahead vegetable pate, served cold. For a sweet treat, layer the crepes with whipped cream for a trendy—and delicious—cake.

Why not keep a stack of crespelle in the freezer—they freeze exceedingly well. Whenever you are in the mood, defrost and fill as you desire.

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Mixed Olive Ciabatta

Ciabatta translates into slipper, for its oblong, slightly flattish shape. A tender bread with an airy crumb, it is terrific baked plain and eaten. It tastes like a bread of tradition, one of the Italian breads steeped in antiquity, redolent of authenticity. But...this is not the case. Well, not exactly. In Adria, a town near Venice, 1982, a small group of bread bakers gathered together to discuss the popularity of French baguettes and how Italian breads were being overwhelmed by their increasing prevalence, especially for sandwiches! What about the old standby of panini? Was Italian food on its way of being baguette-ed? Arnaldo Cavallari, a miller in his late forties, created a bread to rival the baguette. Like the baguette, it can be made into sandwiches, or spread with something tasty as a snack, or eaten with soup or a meal. He called it Ciabatta Polesano. He used a very wet high-gluten dough, and as all of his products are natural, he aimed for a very old-fashioned, traditional taste and sensation. First he was thrilled when he finally got the recipe to his satisfaction; then he looked at it and thought, 'What to call it?' As it was a similar shape to a slipper, he named it 'ciabatta'. Now Cavallari's firm, Molini Adriesi, licenses production of its ciabatta in 11 countries. Many regions of Italy now have their own variation of ciabatta: from the area around Lake Como, the ciabatta has a crisp crust and a very porous centre; in Tuscany, Umbria and Marche, the ciabatta has a firm crust and more open inner texture, and in Rome, a favourite seasoning is marjoram. New variations of the bread continue to be developed. Wholemeal ciabatta is known as ciabatta integrale; when the dough is enriched with milk, it becomes ciabatta al latte. In this version, black and green olives are added; so inviting when you slice into the bread and have each mouthful seasoned with a bite of lovely, salty olive. You don't need anything else, except perhaps butter or olive oil and tomatoes.

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Michetta

This round traditional Italian white bread roll has a hard crust, with an airy, slightly hollow crumb. It is believed that michetta was invented in Lombardy during the period of the Austrian rule. The officials who were located in Lombardy brought with them the traditional Austrian dishes from their homeland, including the Kaisersemmel—a crusty round bread roll. Locals felt it was too soft and created a similar roll but with a slightly hollow centre, giving the roll the ability to stay crisp for longer. The name michetta, which initially meant crumb, is believed to stem from micca, a local term that was once used for Kaisersemmel. The bread is best served fresh, especially as a sandwich filled with almost anything you like: mozzarella, pesto, cheese, olives, spinach, roasted peppers, egg, or any combination; you name it. Sometimes known in other regions as bignè, rosetta, or stellina, the michetta is so important as a local gastronomic speciality, that in 2007 it was officially granted a local designation of origin. 

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