Chickpea and Rosemary Frittatas

... did you see how it rains,
feel how it's coming down
and you were saying that it had stopped raining...
(L. Cherubini, Piove)

The fat is in the fire. Dismantled heart, weakened bones, and twisted guts. Lovers to the core. And when the fat is in the fire - damn it - there is no going back.
Don't call it focaccia (... uh... I think I owe you some kind of explanation here: the recipe comes from this delicious book, bought used for $2; one of the most surprisingly well-chosen purchases of my glorious career as foodblogger, except for the fact that in the book these round things here, the subject of my daily post, they are called focacce; but NO!!!, I cannot do this, I just cannot accept it, and I know that among you are those who understand...).
So don't call it focaccia. Because it's a frittata. And it's done. The fat is in the fire.


Chickpea and Rosemary Frittata
for 6 frittatas of about 7" diameter

chickpea flour 90 gr
eggs 3
milk 240 ml - 1 cup
olive oil 1 tablespoon
fresh rosemary 2-3 sprigs
salt, pepper, butter as needed

Whisk the eggs in a bowl. Add the flour a little at a time, always whisking and trying to avoid lumps. Incorporate oil, milk and chopped rosemary. Season with salt and pepper.
Melt very little butter in a small crepes pan of approximately 7" diameter. Pour in just enough of the mixture to cover the bottom, and cook for a couple of minutes until set. Flip the frittata using a spatula and cook the other side for slightly less than one minute.
Repeat for the remaining frittatas, until you run out of mixture. Serve hot ot warm.

P.S: to tell you the truth, I wouldn't even call these frittatas, as they really are too thin to qualify as such. They are little round things. Infused with love and rosemary. Things so damn round and complete that everything else doesn't count anymore.

Meyer Lemon Focaccia with Sea Salt and Rosemary

Another day, another focaccia. Because Focaccia - you know that already, and already - is the best thing in the world.
Ehm... ok, ok, I have to admit, maybe I let it get out of my hand a bit, but for sure you can agree with me that Focaccia is pretty, oh so pretty, good, oh so good, tender, oh so tender. Now, you tell me if this isn't the kind of stuff that makes you fall head over heels.
And then Focaccia is also free, like a canvas sheet you can write what you want on it, there's no cheese or tomato sauce to hold you.
So, let's welcome even this focaccia California-style, with thin lemon slices (for the lucky devil... Meyer lemons), which, after being baked, leave behind an adorable, soft, and a tiny bit sour, dimple.
And for this week, over and out. Goodbye for now, until the next focaccia.


Meyer Lemon Focaccia
with Sea Salt and Rosemary
for two 12" x 10" pans

all-purpose flour 500 gr
fresh brewer's yeast 9 gr
potato flakes 12 gr
lard (gotta do what you gotta do) 18 gr
extra virgin olive oil 10 gr
lukewarm water 300/310 gr (depending on the flour)
salt 10 gr
malt 1/2 teaspoon
lemons or Meyer lemons 2
rosemary, olive oil, sea salt to dress it as needed

You do what you want, but me, for this baking trip I wanted to try the recipe of the Wonderfully Soft Focaccia (which, by the way, is also branded N.K., No-Knead, what's better than this...?) by Paoletta Anice e Cannella, her name itself is a guarantee. And the focaccia turned out exactly as promised, wonderfully soft. And phantasmagorically easy.

Mix all ingredients by hand, just enough time to pull everything together and have one smooth dough and without streaks. Place it in a bowl, cover well and let rise for about 2 hours or 2 hours and 1/2, depending on outside temperature. Take the dough out of the bowl, place it on a floured surface and gently roll it out in a rectangle. Fold 1/3 of the dough on itself, and then fold the free side above the already folded one, as if it were an envelope. Don't worry, it's all actually very simple, just look at the visual explanation by Paoletta, here.
Divide the dough in two parts and fold each one the same way; flip each piece trying to shape into a ball and keeping the "seam" underneath. Cover with a damp cloth and let rest for about one hour.
After this time, take the dough balls, and with oiled hands gently lay them in two, previously oiled pans. Cover with the cloth and let rest for another 30 minutes, until it has slightly swollen.
Sprinkle focaccia with chopped rosemary sprigs, then using your fingertips poke dimples in the dough and season generously with a mixture of olive oil and water. Arrange thin slices of lemon on the surface, sprinkle with coarse sea salt and drizzle some more olive oil on top.
Bake at 450 for about 20 minutes, until focaccia is golden brown.
Hot, super hot; soft, super soft; good, super good.