Italian Vegetarian cooking...che meraviglia! (Term3 - Lesson3)

This time an experiment! I keep on thinking about the vegan cooking course ... and so... I thought about an experiment for my vegetarian cooking class! This time we used two different kind of flours... Wholewheat for the pizza and wholemeal spelt flour for the focaccia...

Incredible! Everybody was enthusiastic! Some didn't know the splet flour at all and were absolutly happy to try something new! Spelt is such a pure ingredient! Very strong and difficult to modify! It has really a character... and used already in anchient times!

We started with the pizza ... this time no tuna, no anchovies, no salami... only vegetables... but the choice is really great!

PIZZA DOUGH

500gr Wholewheat flour
15gr yeast
300ml (about) warm water
6 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons salt
1 ½ tablespoon dried Oregano

Mix all the ingredients together and start kneading... and knead, knead, knead till the dough has the right consistency: not too dry... and not to sticky! I would at this stage suggest to put the the dough in a good warm place to rise or, as I recently learned, you could put it in the oven over a sheet of baking paper at 40°/50° and let it rise there for about a hour: till the dough has approx. doubled. Then take it out form the oven and turn temperature up to 250° and start shaping you risen dough and then ... at this point you can start to create your own pizza... Afterwards put it into the oven for about 15 minutes.

I couldn't believe it was so tasty! The dough was really wonderful... I am so classic sometimes, but such a good dough was not forseenable!

Our second recipe was the Focaccia... We used wholemeal spelt flour mixed with a bit of wholewheat flour... we weren't really sure about the rising process... if it could be successful or not! But it was a success... look at that after just 45 min!

FOCACCIA WITH ONIONS

Pizza Dough using 400gr of Spelt flour and 100gr of wholewheat flour
Olive oil (a lot...)
Cooked Onions (as much as you like)
Rosemary
Salt

Prepare the dough like the pizza dough and heat the oven at 250°. Cut the onions and fry them slowly in a pan till they are smooth and soft!

Prepare your focaccia by spreading the olive oil, the salt and the onions... and if you want also a bit of rosemary, put it in the oven and let it cook for about 15 min.

It was really good... everybody said it was really lovely! The spelt has such a great flavour... it reminded me to something... I cannot say what... Anyway we had the feeling to eat like the Etruscians!

There is something I left at last but not at least!
This apron is gorgious! All these cheeses you cannot find here...that in Italy we take for granted everywhere we go! I had to take a picture! Wonderful!