Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil Club
Winter 2025 Page 3

Focaccia con Patate

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

In Southern Italy, mashed potatoes are often worked into focaccia dough, but I like to use thin slices of potato as a topping. Fingerling potatoes yield perfectly sized discs, but you can also use creamer or new red potatoes. Getting the slices as thin as possible is more important than the diameter so that they’ll cook and crisp in the time it takes to bake the dough. Serve as an appetizer or even as a hearty side dish at holiday meals.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon active dry yeast
  • 2 cups warm water, between 105°F and 115°F
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 9 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided use
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 5 cups all-purpose, bread, or 00 flour, plus more for kneading
  • 2 fingerling or small red potatoes
  • 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary needles or 1 teaspoon dried
  • 2 teaspoons very coarse sea salt

Directions

Step 1

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the yeast, water, and honey for a few seconds. Turn off the mixer and allow the yeast to bloom (get foamy), about 5 to 8 minutes.

Step 2

Add 2 tablespoons olive oil, the fine salt, and flour and mix until a sticky dough forms. Switch to the dough hook and knead until smooth and elastic, about 7 minutes. The dough will still be somewhat sticky but should pull away from the sides of the bowl as you lift it. If it’s too sticky to handle, add more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time.

Note: If you don’t have a stand mixer with a dough hook, bloom the yeast, water, and honey in a large bowl. Add the olive oil and salt and then the flour, mixing with a large spatula and then with your hands. Turn the dough out on a lightly floured countertop, flour your hands, and knead until smooth, about 7 minutes.

Step 3

Pour 1 tablespoon olive oil into a clean, large bowl. With lightly floured hands, form the dough into a ball and roll it in the olive oil. Place the bowl in a warm spot in your kitchen and cover with a clean dish towel. Let rise until doubled in volume, about an hour. (If you poke it with a fingertip, it should spring back right away.)

Step 4

Pour 3 tablespoons olive oil into a 13×9 metal cake pan and rotate the pan to coat it well. Punch down the dough and turn it into the pan. Use your fingertips to press it out to the edges and into the corners of the pan. Use your fingertips or knuckles to make a pattern of indentations in the dough. Cover the pan with your kitchen towel and let it rest for 20 minutes while you preheat the oven
to 450°F.

Step 5

Use the fine slicing blade of your food processor or a mandoline to very thinly slice the potatoes. Toss in a bowl with 1 tablespoon olive oil and the rosemary.

Step 6

When the dough has risen and is ready to bake, go over the indentations if needed. Arrange the potato slices over the top, drizzle on the final 2 tablespoons olive oil, and sprinkle on the rosemary and coarse salt. Bake for 25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until the focaccia is golden and pulls away from the sides of the pan and the potatoes are tender. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Serves 10

Pallotte Cacio e Pepe

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

Similar to arancini (rice balls) but even simpler to make, pallotte cacio e uova—cheese-and-egg balls—are a classic poor man’s dish from the Abruzzo region that was traditionally made from leftovers. The balls are usually deep-fried, but I prefer to sauté them for a lighter taste. Often served as a first course, they also make a great finger food: reduce the diameter of the balls to about 1 inch and serve on a platter with a bowl of the sauce for dipping. I’ve included a quick tomato sauce recipe, but you can use 3 cups of your favorite jarred sauce.

Ingredients

For the balls:

  • 4 ounces day-old bread
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 4 ounces each freshly grated Parmigiano- Reggiano and Pecorino Romano, more for serving
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons white or golden whole wheat flour

For the sauce:

  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, finely diced
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
  • 2 sprigs fresh basil
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For serving:

  • 4 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly grated

Directions

Step 1

Remove any hard crusts from the bread and tear the soft insides into small pieces. Place them in a wide-bottomed bowl and pour on the milk; let sit for 10 minutes, until the milk is fully absorbed. Squeeze with your hands to distribute any remaining milk

Step 2

Grate the garlic with a Microplane grater right into the bowl with the bread, or finely chop by hand and then add. Add the eggs, cheeses, parsley, salt, and pepper and use your hands to thoroughly mix all the ingredients together. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm up the mixture.

Step 3

While the mixture is chilling, make the sauce. Heat a large frying pan. When hot, add the olive oil and onions. Sauté for 5 minutes until softened, then move them to the side. Add the tomato paste and sauté until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Mix the onions into the paste, then add the crushed tomatoes. Fill the empty can by a third with water, slosh it around to get any remaining juices, and add to the pan with the salt, sugar, and pepper. Stir and bring to a simmer; cook for 20 minutes while you make the balls.

Step 4

Place the flour in a small bowl. Use a 1 1/2–inch ice cream scoop to make 12 balls. Dust your hands with flour (the balls will be sticky), then lightly roll each ball in the flour, placing them on a clean plate.

Step 5

Heat an 8- or 10-inch fry pan. When hot, add the olive oil and the balls without crowding them
(cook in two batches if necessary). Use a spoon to gently turn the balls until browned on all sides, then use a slotted spoon to transfer them to the sauce. Continue to simmer for 5 more minutes. Serve with the grated cheese.

Serves 4

Apple Spice Muffins

Posted on by The Olive Oil Hunter

These muffins are extremely moist and high in fiber as well as being gluten-free. Whole flaxseeds are easy to grind into a meal in a coffee bean or spice grinder. Do this right before you use them. Always store whole or ground flaxseed in the fridge or freezer to preserve the nutrients.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups ground golden flaxseed
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon allspice
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 large apple such as Honeycrisp or Fuji,
  • unpeeled
  • 4 extra-large eggs
  • 2/3 cup brown sugar or sugar substitute
  • equivalent
  • 2 ounces walnuts, coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
  • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil a 12-cup muffin tip or fill with paper liners; set aside.

Step 2

In a large bowl, whisk together the flaxseed, baking powder, spices, and salt.

Step 3

Use a box grater or the grating disc of a food processor to grate the apple.

Step 4

In another large bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar until light in color, then add the grated apple and the rest of the ingredients. Fold in the dry ingredients. Use an ice cream scoop to fill the muffin cups about 2/3 full. Bake until the tip of a sharp knife comes out clean, about 25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through.

Makes 12 muffins