Italian Grill - Mario Batali [26]
Use a serrated knife to cut each focaccina horizontally in half: hold the top of the bread with your non-cutting hand, maintaining consistent pressure as you cut it into two even halves. Smear the garlic paste over the top halves of the bread and divide the provolone between the bottoms. Sprinkle the rosemary over the garlic halves, and sprinkle the scallions over the cheese halves. Close the focaccine and wrap each one tightly in foil. Grill the sammies, turning once, until they are hot and the cheese is melting, 5 to 6 minutes. Unwrap, cut into 1 ½-inch-wide strips with the serrated knife, and serve.
ROASTED GARLIC
Roasted garlic is delicious, mild and almost sweet. Choose large heads with big, plump cloves; smaller heads with small cloves are tedious to deal with. A very large head will yield 3 to 4 tablespoons roasted garlic puree.
To roast garlic, preheat the oven to 350°F. Slice off the top ⅓ inch or so of each garlic head, exposing the cloves. Wrap the garlic heads individually in foil and roast for about 1 hour, until the cloves are very soft. Let cool, still wrapped in the foil, then remove from the foil and squeeze out the soft garlic from the skins and put it in a bowl. Using a fork, mash the garlic to a puree. (The garlic puree can be covered and refrigerated for up to 1 day; bring to room temperature before using.)
Same dough as the pizzas, but a different format. Each bread is made from half the dough, rather than just a quarter, so it is thicker, enabling you to split the focaccine for sammies.
FOCACCINA
WITH COPPA AND APRICOTS
SERVES 6 AS AN ANTIPASTO
Pizza Dough (page 66)
8 ounces thinly sliced coppa
1 cup fresh ricotta
1 pound apricots, pitted and sliced very thin
Freshly ground black pepper
PREHEAT A GAS GRILL or prepare a fire in a charcoal grill.
Divide the dough into 2 pieces. Using a floured rolling pin, roll each piece out to a rough rectangular shape about 12 inches long, 6 to 7 inches wide, and ¼ inch thick.
Carefully place one rectangle of dough on the hottest part of the grill and cook until the bottom is light golden brown and dry, about 2 minutes. Use tongs or a spatula to carefully flip the dough over and cook on the other side in the same way. Transfer to a cutting board and allow to stand for 2 minutes. Repeat with the second piece of dough.
Use a serrated knife to cut each focaccina horizontally in half: Hold the top of the bread with your non-cutting hand, maintaining consistent pressure as you carefully cut it into two even halves. Divide the coppa between the top halves and press down gently so it sticks. Spread the ricotta over the bottom halves, then divide the apricots between the ricotta halves, pressing them gently into the ricotta. Grind black pepper over the apricot sides. Close the focaccine and wrap each one tightly in foil.
Place the sammies on the grill and heat, turning once, until heated through, 5 to 6 minutes. Carefully unwrap, cut into 1½-inch-wide strips with the serrated knife, and serve.
Try this when you are lucky enough to come across—or pick—ripe, fragrant apricots. The apricots I get in Michigan in the summer are unbelievable, as juicy as a peach.
SCHIACCIATA
WITH CONCORD GRAPES AND FENNEL SEEDS
SERVES 6 AS AN ANTIPASTO
Pizza Dough (page 66)
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups Concord grapes, halved and seeded
¼ cup fennel seeds
Coarse sea salt
PREHEAT A GAS GRILL or prepare a fire in a charcoal grill. Put a piastra (see page 9) on the grill to preheat.
Divide the dough into 2 pieces. Using a floured rolling pin, roll each piece out to a rectangular shape about 12 inches long, 6 to 7 inches wide, and ¼ inch thick.
Carefully place one rectangle on the piastra (or cook both breads at the same time if your piastra is big enough) and cook for just 30 seconds. Carefully