Focaccia with Oven-Roasted Tomatoes, Ricotta Salata, and Basil Oil

Preparation

1. Step 1

   To make the dough, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water in a bowl and stir to dissolve the yeast. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of the olive oil and the fennel seeds along with their liquid.

   Step 2

   Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer. Gradually add the yeast mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until well incorporated. If using a stand mixer, use a dough hook on low speed. Mix until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl. No kneading is necessary for this flatbread.

   Step 3

   Place the dough in a lightly oiled large bowl, turning the dough to coat with oil. Cover the bowl with a damp towel or plastic wrap and place in a warm spot to rise until doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Using a dough scraper, fold the dough two times and cover to rise until doubled in size again, about 1 hour. Or, for more flavor, cover and refrigerate the dough overnight. Remove from the refrigerator 1 to 2 hours before shaping and let come to room temperature.

   Step 4

   Prepare a hot fire (450° to 475°F) in a wood-fired oven or grill. If using an oven, keep a small fire (one small log) going in the left rear of the oven. This will help to maintain the desired temperature and add flavor to the focaccia.

   Step 5

   Lightly brush a 12 by 17-inch rimmed baking sheet with olive oil. Line with a sheet of parchment paper and brush generously with olive oil, making sure you oil the sides of the pan. Place the dough on the prepared pan and stretch to cover as much of the pan as possible. Using your fingertips, dimple the top and stretch the dough more. This very wet dough will not hold all of the dimple marks, but that’s okay. Some dimples will remain, and they will hold the drizzled oil. Cover with a dry towel and set aside to relax for 15 minutes.

   Step 6

   Drizzle the dough with 1/4 cup of the olive oil. Dimple the dough again and sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Place in the middle of the wood-fired oven, about 8 inches from the small fire. Bake, rotating once or twice, until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and drizzle with the Basil Oil.

   Step 7

   Place on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Top with the tomatoes, herbs, and cheese. Cut into serving-size squares or rectangles and serve.

2. Basil Oil

   Step 8

   In a large saucepan of salted boiling water, blanch the basil for 5 seconds. Drain and plunge the herbs into a bowl of ice water. Drain well and squeeze out all the liquid.

   Step 9

   Puree in a blender with the olive oil. Cover and let stand overnight. Strain through a fine double-mesh sieve. Pour into a sterilized glass bottle or plastic squeeze bottle, seal, and refrigerate for up to 1 month, though it is best used within 1 week.

3. community cooking in priscilla hoback’s horno

   Step 10

   Priscilla Hoback is a well-known native Santa Fean potter and sculptor who I was introduced to by her neighbor, Deborah Madison. Priscilla’s family owned the legendary Pink Adobe restaurant in Santa Fe for many years. As a potter, she knows fire well. It’s no wonder that she would build a Native American horno on her compound outside of Santa Fe. It’s made from slabs of a form of silica (found on her property) at the base, then fire bricks for the floor; the dome is a mixture of clay (also from her property) and straw. After building the horno, Priscilla went on to make her own cooking pots from New Mexican micaceous clay. One late spring day, a group of friends and neighbors gathered in her kitchen to cook together in the horno. The flavors and aromas of the food we cooked that day in Priscilla’s handmade clay pots were amazing! Nothing beats a wood-firecooked feast eaten with friends around a big community table.