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Arriving, Adjusting, Remembering - A Photograph, a Sausage Roll and the Slow Work of Belonging.

Some places stay with you long after you have left, and some recipes carry more than flavours. They carry place, memory, and the long journey of becoming. Our first home in Australia was shared with mamma's sister and her family, all under one roof. She had migrated in the late fifties, married and started a family in this home.  It was a modest weatherboard house, close to the school, full of voices, routines, and the quiet negotiations of a newly arrived family finding their footing. As a child, it felt busy and comforting all at once. That house is still there. Every time I pass it, I slow down and picture us playing in the front yard. And just behind it, further down the same street, sits papa`s current home of care. There’s something quietly moving about that - the place where his life in Australia began, with another chapter unfolding just behind it.  With migration, the past has a way of staying close, but what is sad is that papa`  doesn't remember. We arrive...
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Pizza al Formaggio (Cheese Focaccia)

 


Italy boasts a large variety of cheeses and each region has its signature cheese.  I came across a pocket size guide to Italian Cheeses and titled as such by Riccardo Di Corato - Italian Cheeses - a pocket guide. I am not too sure why the author chose this size, but I love the fact that it talks about all the different cheeses from each region, delves into the history and also offers some recipes in a simplified and succinct format. There are some beautiful lithograph prints as well as clear photos of the final dish.

On flicking through, I came across a focaccia recipe that mamma often made for us.  It was an alternative to pizza on those cold wintery days when the oven was used more regularly to heat up the kitchen in our Victorian single fronted home in Brunswick that lacked heating. Funny how certain dishes set themselves vividly in our memories.  

Pizza al Formaggio as the name suggests uses cheese, but mixed within the dough after it has leavened. The type of cheese you use is purely up to your preference, but the recipe suggests a mild matured pecorino and a strong provolone. The other key ingredient is eggs, also incorporated through the dough. The key method here is not to add these ingredients on top of the dough or encased within, but to incorporate throughout the dough before baking. I think this recipe lends itself really well to cooking in a wood fired oven as originally intended, but works well in a standard oven.


Ingredients:

400 gm leavened bread dough (7 gm instant yeast dissolved in 300ml lukewarm water. 3 cups plain flour and pinch of salt)

100 gm grated matured mild pecorino

100 gm strong provolone

2 eggs, beaten

olive oil

salt


Cut the provolone cheese into small pieces and grate the mild pecorino.  Beat the eggs and add the cheeses, mixing well. The mixture will be relatively thick. Incorporate this mixture well into the bread dough using your hands.

Grease a tall pie dish with oil and turn the mixture into it. Press with your fingers so that the dough reaches the edges and lightly brush with oil. Place into the oven, preheated to a medium-high temperature and cook for half an hour or until lightly golden.  Enjoyed on its own or accompanied with salumi. 

Enjoy!



Comments

  1. Diana Roy20 December 2023 at 21:07

    Italian cheeses, cherished in Riccardo Di Corato's concise "Italian Cheeses - a pocket guide," celebrate regional diversity and rich histories, offering simplified recipes amidst lithographs and enticing dish visuals.

    Within, a treasured recipe surfaces: Pizza al Formaggio, reminiscent of my mother's comfort during cold Brunswick winters. This focaccia, a blend of mild matured pecorino, robust provolone, and eggs, stirs nostalgic warmth.

    Incorporating these ingredients within the dough, rather than atop or encased, defines its essence. While ideal for wood-fired ovens, it thrives in standard ones. A culinary connection, linking the past's embrace to present coziness. And for seekers of the Best Mexican breakfast in San Antonio, this fusion of memories transcends borders.

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