Ladenia 

(Greek Pizza-Like Pie, 

Topped with Tomato & Onions; 

from Milos & Kimolos, Greece, in the Cyclades)

The recipe is from Diane Kochilas. Although I couldn't get my version to look just like hers, as the dough rose quite high, it was still yummy. The onions and tomato are cooked a bit on the stovetop first, before topping the dough and finishing in the oven. I found that the leftovers reheated nicely in the toaster oven. It's a winner! 

Diane Kochilas Website, Ladenia: Vegan Pizza-Style Flatbread from the Cyclades

Blueberry Focaccia 

(slit open with a filling of store-bought ricotta), 

& Tsik-Tsik 

(Summer Vegetables with Egg)

The Tsik-Tsik recipe is from Mia Kouppa. I could only use a smaller amount of olive oil than the recipe suggested, and it also includes egg, fresh tomatoes, and zucchini. I had already finished up the eggplant I'd bought, and was too tired to bother with adding potatoes. However, in the story along with the recipe, it sounded like this is meant to use up excess or leftover veggies, and so it's okay to put in whatever you have. 😉 This was so good, and I think it will be nice to make again, the next time I have these veggies to use! 

The Blueberry Focaccia is my variation of the Sweet Grape Focaccia in Lauren Chattman's Mom's Big Book of Baking. I just replaced the grapes with fresh blueberries. The bread rose so nicely, that I could easily cut a slit in the middle, and fill it with the ricotta. I've also tried it with some ricotta spread over the blueberries, which is quite good. 😃It might be nice to use for baked French toast.

Mia Kouppa Facebook

MiaKouppa Instagram, Tsik Tsik

Mia Kouppa Website, Tsik-Tsik (Summer Vegetable with Egg)

Stuffed Focaccia Sandwich, 

filled with 

Aloo Mattar (Indian Potatoes, Green Peas, & Tomatoes) 

& Scrambled Egg

After my family's visit was over, I was looking for something simple. I remembered the Focaccia I'd made and then frozen. I found that I also had some Aloo Mattar in the freezer; the recipe was from Raghavan Iyer in The Turmeric Trail. I put it all together, along with some crunchy Indian snack mix, and some whole-milk yogurt (not pictured). It was a very nice sandwich, if I do say so myself! 

Sambhar Focaccia Sandwich

Both the Sambhar and Focaccia are homemade. This photo is from a couple of weeks ago, after I took some leftover Sambhar from the freezer. (Sambhar is a South Indian soupy dal/legume dish with veggies.) It was thick enough that at first, I thought it would make a nice topping for a Focaccia Pizza. However, when I saw the Focaccia, I saw how thick it was, enough to cut in half to make a sandwich with. A successful venture, I'd say! 

Homemade Breadsticks 

These are based on BrownEyedBaker's recipe for Copycat Pizza Hut Breadsticks. (I made these to go along with some homemade spinach-kale dip.) Now, as I had to modify the recipe -- I can't have dry-milk powder, instant yeast, or butter -- the breadsticks don't look like they're from Pizza Hut. However, as I didn't expect them to look exactly like that, I wasn't disappointed. 

These breadsticks are fine, for me, as they resemble focaccia, which I enjoy munching on. If you can make the recipe as-is, with all the suggested ingredients, then I'm sure that would be delicious, too! Now at least I know a good method for making breadsticks, and can experiment with different doughs as well as trying this one again. Thanks, BrownEyedBaker!

BrownEyedBaker Website, Copycat Pizza Hut Breadsticks

BrownEyedBaker Facebook

Grape Focaccia [2] / Sweet Focaccia with Grapes

This bread is from the recipe in Mom's Big Book of Baking, by Lauren Chattman. It is different from the other one that I posted a photo of a few weeks ago, in that: this version specifically calls for red grapes, and there's only one layer of dough. At that time, I had 2 lbs of red grapes, so I needed to make more than one focaccia to use them all up. Both focaccias were delicious, and seemed to freeze well. They make a nice snack, and are good to accompany breakfast.

Grape Focaccia [1]/ Schiacciata All'uva

This bread is based on the recipe at LeitesCulinaria.com from last Oct. 10. The recipe is very specific that one should only use wine-, concord, or other, similar grapes, and definitely not red grapes. Unfortunately, all I had this time were 2 lbs. of red seedless grapes, which I cannot eat raw and didn't want to waste -- so, that's what I used (for this and another focaccia). 😊 I liked this sweet focaccia, which allowed me to once again enjoy grapes. Next time, I'll have to see about using the specified grapes (if I can find seedless).

As it sounded like the bread does not stay for very long, I wrapped up individual pieces and stashed them in the freezer for later. There's a variation of the recipe given, for blueberry focaccia. The recipe says that this is useful if the grapes you need are unavailable or out-of-season, and will resemble the original well enough. I would like to try that some time; it sounds quite yummy.

Leite's Culinaria Website, Grape Focaccia Recipe

Pizza a Caballo, or Farinata with Pizza 

Pizza a caballo ("pizza on horseback"), or a slice of fainá on a slice of pizza. Fainá is the name for farinata in Argentina, where they eat this dish. I first made farinata, a baked chickpea flour pancake, recently, and wasn't sure if I got it right. When I Googled it, I learned about the combination. For the pizza, I used potato focaccia topped with some pizza sauce and toasted. No cheese, so this version is vegan.

Potato Focaccia from Southern Italy, 

From recipe by Anissa Helou in Savory Baking from the Mediteranean. I think the addition of mashed potato may be what causes the focaccia to rise so high. Delicious, and good for so many things, or just by itself.

Focaccia with Soup for a Light Lunch

A light lunch, of homemade focaccia and noodle soup, and potato chips. There’s some scrambled egg in the soup, somewhere beneath all the noodles. 

The focaccia recipe is from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian and I often use it. (It's good for pizza dough, too.)