I’m swooshing into your inbox with the last newsletter of the month just by the seat of my pants. Sorry for the delay, I’ve been away for a couple of weeks in Italy. My head, heart and tummy are full.
Memories of everything we ate there will be trickling into these dispatches throughout the summer and beyond, starting with this red onion, rosemary and raisin schiacciata.
Schiacciata, which translates literally to ‘flattened’ or ‘squashed’, is a Tuscan bread with a texture somewhere between Roman pizza and focaccia. It’s bubbly, but not quite as thick as focaccia, with blistered, crispy edges. It’s often made without toppings and sliced to make a panino, but back in our little London kitchen I have taken it in a different direction, topping it with tangles of red onion (some of which sink and soften into the dough, others caramelise and become wispy-crispy), rosemary, and raisins that have taken a bath in red wine vinegar.
Below the recipe, there is also a round up of my favourite baked bits and bobs from the trip (cecina, schiacciata crocante, pizzette, and more) to pin on your google maps for any future trips of your own, and/or to use as a springboard for creations in your kitchen.