Focaccia Italiana with meat and roasted garlic is the stand alone appetizer or main to bring your kitchen game to the next level! This two person focaccia is topped with pull apart, slow roasted meat, sautéed mushrooms and garlic puree. All parts can be made in advance!
Nothing starts a meal like a good appetizer! I first tried this meat focaccia in a restaurant in the Tel Aviv port and it was easily the best part of our entire dinner. I knew I had to recreate it for you guys!
This recipe was created for @whisk magazine. Photographed by Shoshi Sirkis and styled by @teimonet.
This recipe was featured in an international food magazine as a main feature!
A couple days before shooting I baked these focaccias and froze them fresh. At the shoot, we let the bread defrost and then warmed it up in the oven(follow my method for freezing and it tastes just as good as fresh!!). The house smelled incredible!!! Of course, after all the photos were taken, we had a stand-in-the kitchen lunch.
No-one could believe how good the bread was! Fluffy focaccia, hearty from the roasted asado, and rich with mushrooms and onions, dipped in a simple garlic puree. It was seriously the perfect lunch.
Everyone asked me send them the recipe RIGHT AWAY.
When you get a recipe request you can be sure its a winner!!
Focaccia Italiana
Focaccia is an Italian, oven baked bread, with a similar texture to pizza. This focaccia recipe makes two perfect focaccia rounds- they are thinner in the centre and thick at the edges. The round 2-person pie is perfect for holding all those delicious fillings! If you want to make four an freeze some you can easily double the dough recipe!
Also try our favorite Cheesy Garlic Breadsticks with homemade pizza dough.
Don’t be put off by the long-er instructions, once you master the technique you’ll be making this bread every week without a second glance!
How long does this focaccia dough take?
The actual hands on time for making the dough is 10 minutes.
- Throw all ingredients into the bowl of your stand mixer.
- Mix for one minute
- Let rest for five minutes to hydrate the flour
- Mix for another 3 minutes
- Perform a stretch and fold from each direction
- Place into an oiled bag and pop in the fridge overnight(or use same day baking instructions)
For the best flavor we use overnight fermentation. This seriously changes the game when it comes to the flavor of your dough. Because we are adding a lot of delicious toppings, you can get away with letting the dough rise at room temperature for 2 to 3 hours before baking.
That said I highly advise making the most delicious dough possible and letting it sit overnight in the fridge! My reasons:
Cold fermentation, which takes place in the fridge, means that we can use less yeast but still get a slow, beautiful rise. The cool temperature keeps the yeast from working quickly and allows the dough to develop a complex flavor.
We also use this process in our Thin and Crispy Focaccia Breadsticks– they are so good!!
How to freeze focaccia
To freeze this focaccia, bake as instructed and pull out of the oven. Let it cool down a little and then, while still warm, slide into a ziplock bag, using a piece of parchment paper in between each dough to keep it from sticking together.
Place in the freezer for up to 3 weeks. Even when I plan on using focaccia the next day, I like to freeze it. It just stays the freshest that way!
When ready to serve, remove from the bag and let thaw at room temperature.
Assemble and warm up(continue reading).
Slow Roasted Asado
The most incredible topping for this focaccia is slow roasted asado(otherwise called short ribs). You’ll make enough to heartily top two pizzas. To make the asado:
- Oil, Salt and Pepper the meat
- Wrap the meat up in parchment paper and foil(for a steamy environment)
- Roast for 3-4 hours
This can be made a day in advance for easy prep! Super easy and the meat is soft and so tender!
At the same time as the meat cooks we also cook the garlic till tender and soft, simply cut the tops off, drizzle with oil, and wrap in aluminum foil and place next to the meat to bake for 1-2 hours.
Sautéed Mushroom and Onion
Sautéed mushrooms and onions add the third layer of flavor to this dish. You can use white or purple onion and your choice of mushrooms.
Tips for Serving
If you prepped in advance or are making everything fresh, serving this up is easy!
Layer all the components on to the focaccia, starting with the barbeque sauce, and then pop in the oven to warm up(if making from pre-prepped ingredients), for 5 minutes. Sprinkle a few green onions for color and serve your best meal!!!
Focaccia Italiana with Meat, Mushrooms, and Roasted Garlic
Ingredients
Focaccia Italiana
- 2 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp instant or active yeast
- 1 TBSP sugar
- 1 cup plus 2 tablspoon water, room temperature or slightly warm
- 1 TBSP olive oil
- cooking spray or extra olive oil
Asado
- 1 kilo asado/short ribs, bone in
- 2 TBSP olive oil, plus 4 teaspoons divided
- 1 TBSP coarse salt
- 1 TBSP black pepper, coarse
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme or 4-6 sage leaves
- 2 heads garlic
Mushroom Topping
- 4 TBSP olive oil
- 1 onion thinly sliced
- 4 large portobello mushrooms, or other type, sliced thinly(see photo)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
Sauce
- 1/8 cup bbq sauce
- 3 TBSP water
Instructions
Focaccia Italiana
- Fit a stand mixer with dough hook and add all dough ingredients. Mix for one minute.Let rest for 5 minutes.Mix on medium speed for another 3 minutes. Dough will be sticky!
- Grease work surface with oil and grease a spatula. Use the spatula to scrape the dough out onto the counter. Grease your hands and stretch and fold the dough once from each direction:reach your hands under the front end of the dough, stretching it out towards you, and folding it back onto the top. Repeat fromt the back of the dough, pulling it outward and folding it back onto the top. Repeat from each side.
- Flip the dough over and tuck it into a ball. Place into a greased ziplock bag, choosing a large bag to allow room for the dough to rise. Seal and leave on the counter for same day baking or place immediately in the fridge for next day(or up to 3 days later)baking. Remove the dough from the fridge 90 minutes before you want to bake. Continue with instructions for same day baking.
SAME DAY BAKING
- To bake on the same day as making the dough, leave the dough on the counter in the bag for 2 hours, or 3 hours in the cold season.Cut the dough in half and shape each into a ball. Place on a baking sheet, cover, and let rest until the oven is preheated.
- Preheat oven to the highest setting(my oven gets to 300 celsius), with a baking steel or stone inside. (use a baking sheet turned upside down if you dont have one)Flour your work suface, and working one at a time, tap the ball of dough into a circle. Flour your hands and slide the backs under the dough, and use your thumbs to stretch the edges, turning the dough as you work. The edges should be thicker than the centre.
- Open the oven and gently slide the focaccia onto the baking stone or steel. Bake 5-7 minutes, until golden and puffed. Set aside or freeze(follow instructions in above post for freezing).
Meat
- Preheat oven to 340 F. Place asado on a sheet of parchment paper. Drizzel over 1 tablespoon olive oil and rub it in. Repeat on other side. Season each side with 1/2 Tabslpoon salt and pepper. Rub in. Move meat to the edge of the parchment and place thyme on top. Fold in the sides of the parchment and roll up the meat. Place the parchment wrapped meat on a big piece of foil and roll up tightly, then place in a baking pan.Slice tops off garlic, drizzle with 2 tsp olive oil each, and wrap in foil. Place next to the meat.
- Roast for 2 hours. Remove the garlic and return meat to oven for another 1-2 hours, until it shreds easily(check for doneness by piercing with a fork and twisting, should be very very soft.) You can assemble immediately or place meat in the fridge overnight.
Mushroom
- Heat oil in a skillet. Add onions and cook till translucent, about 2 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook till softened and turning golden. Add salt, pepper, and vinegar. Cook 1 minute and set aside.
Sauce
- In a saucepan, heat sauce and water and stir till just thickened.
Serve
- Brush focacccia with sauce. Slice or shred the asado and arrange in the centre of the bread. Top generously with mushroom topping. Finish with a brush of sauce. Squeeze out the roasted garlic and arrange on top. Sprinkle with green onion. Return the finished focaccia to the oven to warm for 5 minutes. Slice and eat!!
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Itís difficult to find educated people about this subject, but you sound like you know what youíre talking about! Thanks