There are not many things better than coming home from work and having a steaming bowl of homemade soup and a warm loaf of homemade focaccia right from the oven. It really was just what I wanted and needed.
The weather turned cold again after the heatwave last week and soup was the perfect dinner.
Victor cooked the squash in chicken broth and garlic, added a bit of heavy cream, sour cream, and Guamanian boonie pepper – a spicy pepper we got from our nephew-in-law, Jay. Cayenne would work in a pinch. He then added a can of cannellini beans and pureed it all with an immersion blender. I have said many time to go out and get one. It is indispensable in our house.
It was awesome! Rich, creamy, and lots of flavor.I had two bowls and there was still enough left for Victor’s lunch tomorrow.
And the foccacia was his old standby. Perfect every time.
Foccacia
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 pkg. active dry yeast
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 cup warm water
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
Directions
In a large mixing bowl combine 1-1/4 cups of the flour, the yeast, and salt; add warm water and oil. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (6 to 8 minutes total). Lightly grease a large bowl; place dough in bowl and cover with a damp towel (make sure the towel does not touch the dough). Let dough rise in a warm place until double in size (30 minutes).
Punch dough down. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll into a 16×12-inch rectangle. Place in a greased 16x12x1-inch baking pan. Let rise 20 minutes.
Top with toppings of choice and bake at 375° about 25 minutes.
And speaking of tomorrow… mid-40s and rain. Whatever to make?!?