Homemade Foccacia w/ Chicken Parmesan Tagliatelle

I get asked all the time about ideas to cook for dinner or special events.  This recipe is good to serve on any occasion.

I personally love this one because I prepared this for a romantic date one evening.  Guys, do this and I promise she will love it!

This recipe is to showcase my fresh baked Focaccia.  I pairs well with pasta and other comfort dishes.

Fresh bread making only uses a few ingredients, but timing is everything.  Just a little patience will go along way in being successful in homemade bread making; and if you master that patience, the rewards are stunning.

So… Lets dive into the recipe!

Poolish

11.25 oz (2 ½ cups) unbleached bread flour

12 oz (1 ½ cups) water, at room temperature

1/4 tsp  instant yeast

• Stir together the flour, water, and yeast in a mixing bowl until all the flour is hydrated
• The dough should he soft and sticky and look like very thick pancake batter.
• Cover the howl with plastic wrap and ferment at room temperature for 3 to.4 hours, or until the sponge becomes bubbly and foamy.
• Immediately refrigerate it.
• When ready to use,
• It will keep for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.

 Herb Oil

2ea garlic cloves, minced

1TBS fennel seeds, smashed

½ cup fresh basil, chiffonade

½ cup olive oil

• Place all ingredients in a pot and place on stove over med high heat
• When the herbs start to bubble, remove from the heat and let infuse for 15 to 20 min

 Focaccia

6oz (¾ cup) warm water

3 1/8 oz (7TBS) olive oil

Poolish, recipe above

3 ¼ cups (13oz) unbleached bread flour

2tsp salt

1 ½tsp instant yeast

½ cup herb oil

• Pour the water, olive oil and the poolish inside a mixing bowl of an electric mixer (or regular bowl if you do it by hand)
• In another bowl, mix together the flour, salt and instant yeast
• Add the dry mix to the poolish mixture in the bowl
• Knead on low speed until the dough just comes together
• At this point scrape down the sides and bottom to make sure all the ingredients are homogenous. Also taste and adjust seasoning.
• Knead for 7-8 more minutes on med high speed until the dough is not sticking to the sides but still sticking to the bottom of the bowl (after 7 minutes, add a little bit of flour if you need to in order to achieve this)
• Flour a clean surface, place the dough on the floured surface. The dough should still be sticky
• Flour your hands, stretch and fold the dough over itself in to a rectangle shape
• Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes
• Stretch and fold the dough again, cover and let rest for one hour to ferment
• Line a sheet tray with parchment or foil
• Coat the pan with olive oil and place the focaccia dough on top
• Drizzle some of the herb oil on top and begin to dimple the dough, pressing the herb oil inside the dough
• Add the remaining oil and repeat the process again, gently dimpling the dough keeping it uniform (DO NOT TEAR THE DOUGH)
• You do not have to press the dough to fill the pan. The dough will fill as it proofs before baking
• Cover with plastic and let proof in a warm place for 1 ½ to 2 hours or until the dough is light and fills the pan
• Preheat an oven to 500F
• When ready, place the focaccia in the oven and lower the temperature to 450F
• Bake for 10 minutes then rotate the pan and bake for an additional 7 to 10 minutes
• The bread should be golden brown and at a temperature between 200F or more
• Remove the pan from the oven and immediate remove the focaccia from the pan to a cooling rack, carefully removing the parchment or foil from the bottom of the bread
• Allow to cool for 25 min before serving; however, this tastes so good coming out of the oven, if you like, just rip you off a piece and enjoy the fruits of your labor

 BONUS RECIPES TO ACCOMPANY YOUR FOCACCIA

Chicken Parmesan with Fresh Tagliatelle

 Oven Dried Tomatoes

Grape Tomatoes

Kosher Salt

Fresh Thyme

Olive Oil

• Slice the tomatoes in half and place in a boil
• Season with kosher salt (this will help release moisture during cooking)
• Add the fresh thyme sprigs
• Mix everything together
• Line a sheet tray with parchment or foil
• Lay the tomatoes on the sheet tray cut side up
• Add the thyme sprigs on top
• Sprinkle with more olive oil
• Bake in an oven at 200F until most of the water is cook out and the flavor of the tomatoes are intense
• The tomatoes should be dry but have a burst of tomato juice when you bite into them
• Set them in a bowl of olive oil and set aside for assembly

 Fresh Pasta Dough

1cup all-purpose flour

4ea large egg yolks

1tsp olive oil

2tsp water

Pinch of Kosher salt

• Pour flour on a clean surface and make a well
• Add the remaining ingredients inside the well
• Mix until the dough come together
• The dough will look like a shaggy mass
• Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 10 minutes for the gluten to relax
• Knead the dough into a smooth ball, about 7-10 min
• Cover with plastic and let rest in the refrigerator of at least 30 min
• Once rested, roll the dough out through required settings on dough rolling machine
• If rolling by hand, roll thin enough for you to see your fingertips showing through the thin dough
• Cut Tagliatelle noodles from the sheets of pasta and dredge them in flour to prevent from sticking together
• Set aside for assembly

 My Tomato Sauce

(This recipe is by Taste!  There are no actual measurements. Taste, Taste, Taste and Cook with Love!)

Roma Tomatoes

Sweet Onion

Garlic Cloves

Salt

Sugar

Paprika

Oregano

Fennel Seeds

Tomato Paste

Chicken Stock

Fresh Basil

• Sauté the diced onions until translucent
• Add the chopped tomatoes and minced garlic
• Season with salt and sugar (this will help remove the moisture)
• Cook until most of the moisture has cooked out and the mixture looks dry
• Add the tomato paste and cook until browned some
• Add chicken stock, paprika, oregano, and fennel seeds
• Simmer over med heat for 15-20 minutes or until the mixture has reached its desired thickness to your liking
• Taste and re-adjust your seasonings to your liking
• When finished, tear the fresh basil with your hands and add to the sauce
• Remove from the heat and set aside for assembly

 Breaded Chicken

Chicken Thighs

Kosher Salt

Seasoned Flour

Egg Wash (egg and milk mixture)

Seasoned Bread Crumbs

Canola or Grapeseed Oil

• Clean chicken and season with kosher salt
• Place on a plate, cover with plastic and let it sit in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes
• The salt will bring out some of the water of the chicken which will help for a crispy bread crust during cooking
• Pat the chicken very dry with paper towels
• Dredge the chicken in the flour, then the egg wash, then the bread crumbs
• Heat enough oil in a pan for shallow frying
• Cook the chicken on each side for 2 ½ minutes until golden brown and cooked through
• If the chicken browns too fast, you can finish the cooking in the oven to prevent from over browning or burning
• Set aside for assembly

Assembly

Olive Oil

Spinach

Mozzarella Cheese

Parmesan Cheese

• Cook pasta in salted hot boiling water
• Drain and reserve some of the starchy water for cooking
• Coat the noodles with olive oil to prevent sticking together
• Add the some of the starchy water, noodles, and spinach to a pan
• Cook until spinach is partially wilted
• Add some of the tomato sauce (or as much as you desire)
• Mix together gently and set aside for plating
• Meanwhile, turn the oven on to broil
• Place the breaded chicken down on a baking tray
• Spoon on some of the tomato sauce
• Slice pieces of the mozzarella and place on top
• Place the chicken in the oven under the broiler and cook until the cheese is melted and browned
• Slice a piece of the Focaccia and place on a baking tray
• Drizzle with olive oil (you can season or place cheese on top if you like)
• Place the Focaccia in the oven under the broiler and cook until browned and crisp
• Place some of the tagliatelle in the middle of a plate, top with the breaded chicken, place the toasted Focaccia on the side and spoon on the oven dried tomatoes
• Add more sauce to your dish if you desire
• Also plate your dish as you desire
• Let your creativity show!