an italian grilled cheese sandwich

Who doesn't love grilled cheese sandwiches? After all, they're about as American as apple pie.

But how would the Italians make them?

Imagine creamy cow's milk taleggio or stracchino cheese sandwiched between layers of crispy, hot pizza dough baked to golden perfection on a pizza stone. That's my version of an Italian grilled cheese sandwich! Nothin' like what Mama used to make.


I was first introduced to a luscious focaccia al formaggio at Manuelina in Recco along the Ligurian coastline. That was years ago, probably my first trip to Liguria. I traveled to Recco just to taste this Italian Riviera masterpiece and it was worth every single calorie, every single kilometer.

I decided I liked the concept which prompted me to write my own recipe for flatbread with gooey cheese all melted inside. This is what I came up with!

Grab a glass of Barbera from neighboring Piedmonte and enjoy!


FOCACCIA WITH CREAMY TALEGGIO

2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/4 cup (2 fl oz/60ml) plus 1 cup (8 fl oz/240ml) warm (110°f/43°c) water
3 tablespoons (1 1/2 fl oz/45ml) extra-virgin olive oil
3 cups (12 oz/350g) unbleached bread flour
Salt
12 ounces (350g) taleggio or stracchino cheese, coarsely grated
1/3 cup (1 1/2 oz/45g) finely grated aged pecorino cheese

Whisk together the yeast and 1/4 cup (2 fl oz/60ml) water and let sit until creamy, about 20 minutes. Add the remaining 1 cup (8 fl oz/240ml) water, the olive oil, flour, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth and soft, 7 to 8 minutes. Place in a well-oiled bowl and turn the dough over to coat the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place (75°f/24°c) until it doubles in volume, about 1 1/2 hours.

Place a pizza stone or tiles on the bottom shelf of the oven. Heat the oven to 500°f (260°c) for at least 30 minutes.

Divide the dough into 4 pieces and form each piece into a round ball. On a well-floured surface, roll 1 piece of dough at a time into a 9-inch (23-cm) circle, 1/8-inch (0.3cm) thick. Transfer 1 piece to a well-floured pizza peel or paddle. In a bowl mix together the taleggio and pecorino. Spread one-third of the cheese mixture on the dough, leaving a 1-inch border. Brush the edges of the dough lightly with water. Roll another ball to the same size and place on top. Crimp the edges to seal well. Pinch a hole in the second piece of dough in the center.

Bake the focaccia on the hot stone until light golden and crisp, 8 to 11 minutes. Repeat with the remaining dough and cheese filling, making 1 more focaccia. Serve immediately.

Makes 2 focaccie and serves 10

suckling pig at la ciccia

I've visited Sardinia a couple of times and loved the rustic food, the vernaccia and cannanou wines, the dramatic terrain and sunny Mediterranean climate. When I'm home in San Francisco and need a Sardinian fix, I head straight to La Ciccia. I even hate to write about it for fear that more people will discover it!

Lorella Degan and Massimiliano Conti performed miracles there last night in the dining room and kitchen! What a dinner,- a tribute to the pig!

We started with little roasted triangles of pancetta drizzled with arugula pesto. They had a crunchy exterior but melted in your mouth. Next, was a platter of the most delicious salumi, some house made, some from Italy, along with pickled onions, carrots, fennel, celery and briny black olives.

The pasta was to die for. Some enthusiastic diners at our communal table called it gnochetti while others swore it's called malloreddus. Malloraddus is shaped like a little canoe with more grooves on the bottom to catch the sauce. Originally those grooves were made by pressing the pasta into a straw basket but now they are pretty much machine-made. The ragu was so unbelievably delicious. Imagine stewed pork loin, sausage and pancetta with tomatoes and a tiny hint of fennel and pepper. The wine was flowing so I'm not sure that anyone noticed I helped myself to thirds!

And then out of the kitchen came Massimiliano flaunting the perfectly roasted suckling pig. In Sardinia, this is called porceddu, a traditional dish simply made with a touch of rosemary and salt and served with raw vegetables and an herb vinaigrette. For dessert (as if we needed it).... fresh ricotta with Sardinian honey and toasted sliced almonds.

I woke up today with a smile on my face until I got on the scale!

my new favorite tequila cocktail, the prado

I'm talking about one of the absolute best tequila cocktails, the Prado. I'm not talking Prada, the designer, or the art museum in Madrid. No, no, no! Tequila is playing a big, big, big role in my house these days with the launch of my new TEQUILA book and for the last 3 Saturdays I've shaken up this tequila cocktail. Inspired by Kacy Fitch of ZigZag Cafe in Seattle, this is what I call sophistication in a glass. Throw a couple ounces of blanco tequila into a shaker with lime juice, Maraschino liqueur and egg white. Maraschino liqueur is made from crushing Marasca cherries pits which give the liqueur a mellow almond-flavor. Kacy doesn't do it, but I like to add a teaspoon of agave nectar. Next, shake it up so vigorously that you're winded and don't need to work out! Open the shaker and the trick is with a small whisk, I go like crazy to add some additional foam! Strain it into chilled martini glasses. It's sexy, it's frothy, its luscious. Check out the recipe.

sunday on pine

Sunday's class was even better. I've spent a lot of time in the Piedmont teaching but that isn't where my love of focaccia al formaggio started. It started long ago when I was on the Ligurian coast and ate dinner at a place called Manuelina in Recco. Never forget it! NEVER! There were the little buckwheat corzetti with brown butter and toasted hazelnuts! Thoes were delish but the focaccia al formaggio, I will never forget. The dough is made with yeast and butter, LOTS of butter, kind of like a yeasted puff pastry. Mine is definitely a variation but about one-tenth of the work. Check it out! You will be on the next plane to Genoa! Or to my cooking class on Pine!

FOCACCIA AL FORMAGGIO

2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/4 cup plus 1 cup warm water
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 cups unbleached bread flour
Salt
12 ounces taleggio cheese, coarsely grated
1/3 cup finely grated aged pecorino cheese

Whisk together the yeast and 1/4 cup water and let sit until creamy, about 20 minutes. Add the remaining 1 cup water, the olive oil, flour, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Knead on a lightly floured surface until smooth and soft, 7 to 8 minutes. Place in a well-oiled bowl and turn the dough over to coat the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until it doubles in volume, about 1 1/2 hours.

Place a pizza stone or tiles on the bottom shelf of the oven. Heat the oven to 500°f for at least 30 minutes.

Divide the dough into 4 pieces and form each piece into a round ball. On a well-floured surface, roll 1 piece of dough at a time into a 9-inch circle, 1/8-inch thick. Transfer 1 piece to a well-floured pizza peel or paddle. In a bowl mix together the Taleggio and pecorino. Spread one-third of the cheese mixture on the dough, leaving a 1-inch border. Brush the edges of the dough lightly with water. Roll another ball to the same size and place on top. Crimp the edges to seal well. Pinch a hole in the second piece of dough in the center.

Bake the focaccia on the hot stone until light golden and crisp, 7 to 10 minutes. Repeat with the remaining dough and cheese filling, making 1 more focaccia. Serve immediately.

Makes 2 focaccie and serves 10

persimmon this

I love my job.... What's not to love? I can go out to dinner every night and justify it, it's my job! I can drink wine every night and justify it, it my job!
Did I mention that my new favorite place to eat is Ad Hoc in downtown Yountville. It's kind of like eating at Chez Panisse Downstairs (which is where I am eating tonight... I am so excited!) You don't really have choices and the food is so fresh, flavorful and simple. Totally my kind of dinner. Probably the only difference between Chez and Ad is that Ad Hoc dinner is pretty much served family style. You have to like that kind of thing.
I ate there Friday night. One word... Delicious! The first course was a soup of creamy chickpeas and black cabbage. This is the same cabbage grown in Tuscany and used to make ribollita. They call it cavolo nero.
The meatiest short ribs followed. They were served with the creamiest puree of roasted butternut squash and potatoes. On the top were crispy shallot rings without a trace of oil. And then dessert was not-too-sweet upside-down Fuju persimmon cakes topped with homemade vanilla ice cream.
It made me think about the delicious recipe I have for upside-down cake and I thought, why not persimmons.

PERSIMMON UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

16 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 pound fresh Fuju persimmons, peeled, halved and pitted
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups granulated white sugar
3 eggs
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup whole milk
Pinch of cream of tartar
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar

Butter a 9-inch cake pan. Place the pan over medium heat and melt 4 tablespoons of the butter and brown sugar in the bottom of the pan. Overlap the persimmon slices on top of the melted butter and brown sugar.

Preheat the oven to 350°f . For the cake, sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Cream the remaining 12 tablespoons butter and granulated white sugar together in a bowl until light. Separate the eggs and add the yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add 1 teaspoon of the vanilla and mix well. Add the milk and the dry ingredients alternately to the batter, folding well after each addition. Beat the egg whites to form soft peaks. Add the cream of tartar and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Fold the whites into the cake batter. Spread the batter over the persimmons and bake until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, 60 to 75 minutes.

Cool the cake for 10 to 15 minutes and run a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen it. Turn the cake over onto a serving platter and let it sit another 5 minutes. Remove the pan.

To serve, whip the heavy cream until soft peaks are formed. Sift the confectioners’ sugar on top of the cream, add the remaining 1/4 teaspoon vanilla, and fold together. Serve with the cake.

Serves 8 to 10

oyster heaven

Last day of March, bundled up in a big winter coat walking through the South End, I thought if it weren't for the weather, I could live in Boston again. Boston's getting better and better. We'd seen Doe, my book agent, Saturday night for a little "tequila research" and she asked if I was a Barbara Lynch fan? I wasn't sure how to answer! She said I had to eat at B & G Oyster Bar on my way out of town Monday. Yes, open for lunch. No reservations! All set! I loved B & G the moment I walked through the door. Basically a long grey marble bar lined with crisp white napkins and wine glasses. Immediately I thought "This is the kind of restaurant I wanna have." Sixteen different varieties of impeccably fresh oysters, lots of them from the icy cold local waters. I settled on a cool dozen, -- four Island Creek from Duxbury, very plump and briny with a sweet buttery flavor, known as the oyster that never spawns and my personal favorite! Four large, exceedingly salty Pemaquid from Maine and 4 Ninigrets from the Salt Ponds of Rhode Island. Smooth with an underlying sweetness and a pleasantly mild salinity that defies their Salt Pond upbringing. A glass of crisp Petit Chablis. Call it heaven! Oyster heaven!

boston, you're my home!

Seven hour flight last night Boston to SF? Gotta love those head winds! They weighed my bags but not me, thank God. Few pounds heavier due to non-stop eating in Boston. Damn... I took my camera out to take a shot at Galleria Umberto on Hanover Street in the North End and wouldn't you know it, my battery was dead. I love that place. It's a gymnasium of Formica and hammered metal that can only be topped by the all marble Antica Focacceria in Palermo, Sicily! I wanted to show you the arancini (humongous deep fried rice ball filled with beef and creamy cheese) and the waxed-paper cups of gutsy red vino. Same guy working there serving up thick slabs of pizza, panzarotti and arancini (truly the size of a large orange) since I lived in Boston in the late 70's. He looked exactly the same, only a few extra slabs of pizza under his belt. Who am I to talk? For eight bucks, three of us had the best nostalgic lunch! You've gotta go! No photo but you've got the map!