When I treat myself to a personal “food wish,” it’s usually something I’ve eaten out and become obsessed over, and this episode is a classic case. There’s a Ligurian restaurant called Farina near us, and I’ve become a full-blown focaccia di Recco stalker. 

After watching them make it in front of me so many times, I had to give it a try. It doesn’t look like the focaccia most of us are used to, but come to find out, “focaccia” simply means any flatbread cooked in a hearth, and varies region to region.

This particular example hails from Recco, and is nothing more than some Stracchino cheese trapped in between two, super-thin layers of dough. The dough is nothing more than flour, water, olive oil, and salt; but thanks to a very hot oven, and this probably ancient technique, some serious flatbread magic happens.

As I confess in the video, I was scared to use too much cheese, but I’ll use more next time. At Farina, you can see a thin layer of the molten Stracchino oozing out between the layers. My Crescenza cheesewas basically absorbed, but while you couldn’t see it, you could certainly taste it, and it was amazing.

The obvious question is, can you add other fillings to this? Yes, but don’t. It’s perfect…as long as you find the cheese. Please, find the cheese (no substitutions will be offered #toughlove). 

 By the way, I’m officially recommending the quarter sheet pan seen herein, which is what they use in the restaurant, but I think a round tart pan would work as well. In fact, from what I see online, the round pan seems to be the standard. I can’t wait to try this again, and sincerely hope you give it go as well. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 2 small or 1 large Focaccia di Recco (Tip for first timers: Make a double batch of dough so you have plenty to work with!)

*2 cups all-purpose flour (9.5 by weight)

1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp water           

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3/4 tsp fine salt

*use enough flour to form a soft, but not too sticky dough. Knead for about 5-6 minutes to from a smooth, elastic dough. Let rest 1 hour at room temp.

12 oz Crescenza or Stracchino cheese (6 oz for each focaccia) 
extra virgin olive oil and sea salt, to taste for the top

Bake at 500 degrees F.for about 6-7 minutes, or until well-browned

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That's right, apparently October is National Pizza Month, and to celebrate I'm sharing these links to some of our most popular pizza-related posts. Both pizza doughs, the no-knead, and Wolfgang Puck's classic California-style, get rave reviews, and are easy to master, even for a beginner. 

Of course, man cannot live by crust alone, so you'll also need some sauce, a few creative topping ideas, and a brilliant technique to reheat those cold, leftover slices. You know the drill; simply click the links to watch/read the original recipe post. Enjoy!

	No-Knead Pizza Dough So easy and fun to make, unless you like kneading, then maybe not so much.
	Wolfgang's California Pizza Dough The original chef-to-the-stars shares this very user-friendly, all-purpose pizza dough recipe.
	Pizza Sauce Pizza sauce is almost as important as the dough, so don't even think about using something straight from the can.
	Asparagus, Ham, and Ricotta Pizza  I generally don't like a lot vegetables on my pizza, since that's what salads are for, but asparagus with ham and ricotta is another story altogether.
	Sausage and Egg Pizza Eggs on pizza? Yes, yes, and yes. Yes.
	Potato Pesto Pizza Do you love pizza, but wish it had more carbs? Well, this potato-topped pesto pizza is just what the "doctor" ordered.
	How to Reheat Pizza  This went viral for a reason. Simply put, this method produces a better slice of pizza than when it was first made.

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That’s what I’d say about this delicious asparagus, ham, and ricotta pizza if I were trying to fix it up on a blind date. Every once in a while I get a craving for a non-tomato sauce, or “white” pizza, and when I do, I’m forced to choose between béchamel and an olive oil base.

I love both styles, but was in the mood for something different, so I decided to use some ricotta and olive oil to make a spread, which I topped with smoked ham, asparagus, white cheddar, and Parmigiano-Reggiano. It tasted great, but I found its appearance to be somewhat unsightly.

I knew the ricotta and olive oil would separate somewhat in the extra hot oven, but I thought with the other cheeses on top, it wouldn’t be noticeable, but as you can see, it was. The good news is, no one seems to mind, and it did taste great. By the way, you can certainly do a less rich, lower cal version by just using seasoned ricotta without the oil.

Anyway, “new pizza ideas” is always a popular food wish, and I hope this ricotta spread inspires lots of pizza experimentation in your kitchen. If you need a pizza dough recipe, I used this great no-knead version, but if you prefer something faster, this Wolfgang Puck-inspired recipe is also a winner. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

For the spread:

1/2 cup ricotta

1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp cream or milk

2 cloves minced garlic

salt and pepper to taste

red pepper flakes

fresh herbs if so desired

pizza dough for one medium pizza

1 cup asparagus pieces

1/2 cup diced smoked ham

1/2 cup shredded white cheddar

1 tbsp grated Parmigiano-Reggiano as needed

View the complete recipe

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I can assure you that the anchovies in this pizza sauce recipe are there for the subtle saltiness and unique savoriness they provide, and not just so you can tell your friend (the one who really hates anchovies) that they just ate some. Could it be for both? Sure.

This pizza sauce recipe represents a new and improved version of the one we posted way back in 2007. We snuck in some of the aforementioned fish, and we’re also using both fresh and dried oregano. I love this sauce. If there’s a tastier, all-purpose pizza sauce recipe out there, I haven’t tried it.

Convention wisdom says that great pizza is all about the crust. Which is certainly a huge factor, but if you were given the choice between a great crust topped with a bad sauce, and a grocery store crust made with a delicious, world-class sauce, which would you prefer?

Texture aside, no mater how they're combined, flour, water, and yeast can only taste so bad. But, a terrible sauce can actually make a slice of pizza inedible. I can’t remember ever not eating a piece of pizza because the crust was so awful, but I've given up after biting into an inferior sauce before.

Of course, around these parts the argument is completely academic since we’ve not only provided you with a plan for perfect sauce, but given you several great pizza dough recipes, like our famous no-knead pizza dough, as well as the venerable Wolfgang Puck California-style dough recipe. I hope you make pizza soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients (makes about 3 cups):

3 tbsp olive oil

2 anchovy filets

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp chopped fresh oregano

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1 can (28 oz) whole peeled “San Marzano” tomatoes

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 tsp sugar

very small pinch baking soda

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I've been wandering around different food blogs and jotting down recipes that sound good to try.  I happened upon this great recipe from Cassie Craves so I decided to try these pepperoni pizza puffs today from her blog and they really really easy and so delicious.  Also the you can use this batter and really add any of your favorite fillings to change them up.  I think next time I might try spinach and cheedar cheese....YUM!  I made a slight change to the recipe just to lighten it up a little bit but it still tasted totally delicious.

**Nanci just came over and loved them so now we are trying to come up with a new concoction to use with this batter.  Stay tuned.......

Pizza Puffs

Ingredients:

3/4 cup flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon pizza seasoning
3/4 cup whole milk (I used 3/4 cup of skim milk instead)
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 package mini pepperoni rounds (or 1 cup cubed pepperoni)
1/2 cup store-bought pizza sauce


Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 24-cup mini-muffin pan. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and pizza seasoning; whisk in the milk and egg. Stir in the mozzarella, parmesan and pepperoni; let stand for 10 minutes. Scoop batter into greased mini-muffin tins and bake for 20 minutes or until they are golden brown.

Variation - Bacon Corn Cheddar Puffs

(omit pizza seasoning, mozzarella cheese and pepperoni)

Add 1 cup of frozen corn, 1 cup of bacon bits (I used immitation bacon bits) and 1 cup of cheddar cheese

Variation - Tri colored pepper and mushroom puffs

Saute red, yellow, green peppers and mushrooms in a litlte olive oil add salt and pepper to taste.  Add 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese.



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