It’s a rather blustery day, as Winnie the Pooh would say. And next to having Piglet by your side, perhaps nothing could be better in weather like this than a warm pan of freshly baked focaccia — and perhaps a jar of honey and a cup of tea if you are Pooh and Piglet. To the rescue, Abby Dodge comes through with her new recipe for No-Knead Focaccia — and it’s a game changer.
A crunchy, crispy, salty, rosemary-infused crust and a moist, airy, chewy texture are the results of this great technique. It couldn’t be easier (no mixer, no experience required): Stir together flour, yeast, salt, sugar, olive oil and water into a lumpy dough and pop in the fridge for a long, slow rise (18 to 28 hours). Shape in the pan and let rise again at room-temperature before topping and baking. The timing takes some planning but the actual hands-on time is very minimal.
Abby loves to serve the focaccia with soup (our suggestions follow) and one of her favorite Cook the Vineyard recipes, Spanish Pot Roast. She recommends eating the focaccia on the day it is baked (as if you couldn’t), but leftovers, split in half, make excellent ham and brie sandwiches or egg and bacon sandwiches.
As for those soups? We’re thinking simple pureed “creamy” soups for this week.
Ginger-Apple Squash Soup is hearty yet vegan.
Tomato-Ginger Bisque is a no-brainer.
Parsnip-Mushroom Soup will surprise you with its deep flavor.
Creamy Cauliflower and Leek Soup may be a jump on winter, but it’s a winner.
If you don’t wind up making the focaccia this week, you can have a Cheddar, Bacon, Thyme and Caramelized Shallot Grilled Cheese with your soup.
Or perhaps Warm Ciabatta Toasts with Lemony Chickpea Hummus and Sautéed Veggies on the side.
And if you are breaking your Yom Kippur fast tonight, how about offering Cathy Barrow’s Puttanescizza Bagels and Eliza’s Fresh Egg Salad Toasts for light eating?
With celebrations honoring indigenous people coming up on Monday, we have the perfect recipe to make good use of The Big Three (corn, squash and beans).
Sure it might feel a little Thanksgiving-y, but it’s straight-up harvest fare, with a few twists: Cornmeal Pancakes with Roasted Squash and Cranberry Maple Butter.
Speaking of harvest fare (and getting ahead of season just a wee bit), I’m ready to add this salad of Warm Wheat Berries with Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Toasted Walnuts, Dried Cranberries & Balsamic Butter Sauce to my lunchbox rotation.
And while we’re in autumn-flavor mode, why not consider these Individual Maple Bread Puddings for a comforting dessert? Or breakfast!
“When you wake up in the morning, Pooh,” said Piglet at last, “What’s the first thing you say to yourself?”
“What’s for breakfast?” said Pooh. “What do you say, Piglet?”
“I say, I wonder what’s going to happen exciting today? said Piglet.
Pooh nodded thoughtfully.
“It’s the same thing,” he said.
— A.A.Milne
Have a very fine blustery day. We’ll see you on Instagram @cookthevineyard. Be sure to follow us if you haven't already.
Fishing and Hunting
If you are fishing the Derby and looking for bluefish recipes, look no further: Here’s the whole bluefish recipe collection. We especially like Cathy Walther’s Maple-Dijon Grilled Bluefish.
And bow hunting season began this week. If you have venison coming in (or still in your freezer from last year), consider making Brian Athearn’s Venison Bourguignon.
What's Open on Martha's Vineyard
With the change of seasons, some markets and restaurants are shortening hours. To keep abreast of changes and to see a complete list of what's open, including hours, websites, and contact numbers, visit What's Open on Martha's Vineyard.
