"Friday night, but we're keeping it simple after a long and busy week: wholewheat spaghetti, kale, tomatoes, anchovies, garlic, chili, capers and parmesan. Freshly baked thyme onion no knead focaccia alongside"
Kale and Tomato Spaghetti with Capers and Homemade Focaccia
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No-knead Onion & Thyme Focaccia
Dough, mix the night before baking:
3 grams (1 tsp) fresh yeast (about the size of a pea)
350 m ( 1 1/2 cups)l cold water
1 tbsp runny honey
200 grams (1 1/2 cups) organic wheat flour
160 grams (1 cup) organic spelt flour
20 grams semolina ( 2 tbsp) , plus more for dusting
2 tsp sea salt
Topping:
5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp sea salt
a small bunch of fresh thyme
2 new (green) onions, halved and finely sliced, including the green tops
Directions
For the dough, start the night before you plan to bake the focaccia. Dissolve the fresh yeast and the honey in the water, add flour and salt, and mix with a spoon until everything just comes together to a wet, sticky dough. Cover with foil and a cloth, and leave to rest overnight in room temperature, for about 15 hours.
The next afternoon, start by attaching a baking sheet to your countertop with freezer tape, in order to prevent it from moving about as you fold the sticky dough. Dust the sheet with semolina, and use a rubber spatula to scrape the dough onto the sheet. Use your hands to stretch the dough to one side, and fold it over itself. Repeat on the other three sides until you have a reasonably round shape. Dust with semolina, cover with a clean cloth and leave to rest for two hours.
Meanwhile, put the olive oil, thyme and sea salt in a pestle and mortar, and bruise the herbs to make a rustic thyme oil – some whole stalks and leaves are fine. Mix the sliced onions into the oil. Pour the oil over the risen focaccia dough, distribute the onion evenly with a rubber spatula, and use your fingers to make wholes all over the surface, pressing down the dough slightly as you go. It will get a bit messy because of the oil, but don’t worry! It will be worth it.
Leave to rise for another 30-40 minutes, uncovered, while you heat your oven to 270 degrees C / 500 degrees F. At the same time, put one oven tray in the bottom of the oven, and one on the lower third level. When ready for baking, slide the sheet with the focaccia dough onto the hot tray (this is easiest to do if you are two – one to hold the tray and the other to do the sliding), and gently place it on the lower third level of the oven. Immediately throw 100 ml of water (or ice cubes) onto the hot tray in the bottom level of the oven.
Lower the temperature to 240 degrees C/ 450 degrees F, and bake for about 25 mins, watching closely to prevent the focaccia from getting to dark. Cool on rack.
Prep time 15mins
Cook time 20mins
Serves or Makes: 4
Recipe Card
For the Pasta
ingredients
- 1 bunch kale, tough stalks removed, leaves chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 fresh red chili, minced
- 1 teaspoon red chili flakes
- 6-7 anchovies packed in olive oil (optional)
- 1 (28 Ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 1/4 cup capers, drained and rinsed
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 4 medium fresh tomatoes, diced
- 1 pound spaghetti of choice
- fresh Parmesan cheese, for serving
Method
Step 1
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and set up an ice bath. Once the water reaches a boil, add the kale and cook for about 1 minute, or until wilted slightly and bright green. Plunge blanched kale into the ice bath, then drain immediately and set aside.
Step 2
Heat the olive oil in a large pan, and fry the garlic, fresh chili and dried chili flakes for a minute. Add the anchovies and continue frying until they dissolve in the oil. Add the canned tomatoes and the capers, cover, and simmer on a low heat for about 15 minutes.
Step 3
Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to packet instructions.
Step 4
To finish off the sauce, add the diced fresh tomatoes and the blanched kale, as well as a splash of water if the sauce seems too thick. Adjust the seasoning (you might not need any salt or pepper because of the saltiness of the anchovies and the capers, and the heat of the chili).
Step 5
Mix the cooked pasta into the sauce, and serve with freshly grated parmesan and some extra virgin olive oil on top.
No Knead Onion & Thyme Focaccia (Optional, for serving)
ingredients
- 1 teaspoon fresh yeast
- 1 1/2 cups cold water
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 cup spelt flour
- 2 tablespoons semolina flour, plus more for dusting
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
For the Onion and Thyme Topping
ingredients
- 5 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1 bunch fresh thyme
- 2 scallions, halved and thinly sliced (whites and greens included)
Step 1
For the dough, start the night before you plan to bake the focaccia. Dissolve the fresh yeast and the honey in the water, add flour and salt, and mix with a spoon until everything just comes together to a wet, sticky dough. Cover with foil and a cloth, and leave to rest overnight at room temperature, for about 15 hours.
Step 2
The next afternoon, start by attaching a baking sheet to your countertop with tape, in order to prevent it from moving about as you fold the sticky dough. Dust the sheet with semolina, and use a rubber spatula to scrape the dough onto the sheet. Use your hands to stretch the dough to one side, and fold it over itself. Repeat on the other three sides until you have a reasonably round shape. Dust with semolina, cover with a clean cloth and leave to rest for two hours.
Step 3
Meanwhile, put the olive oil, thyme and sea salt in a pestle and mortar, and bruise the herbs to make a rustic thyme oil – some whole stalks and leaves are fine. Mix the sliced onions into the oil. Pour the oil over the risen focaccia dough, distribute the onion evenly with a rubber spatula, and use your fingers to make wholes all over the surface, pressing down the dough slightly as you go. It will get a bit messy because of the oil, but don’t worry! It will be worth it.
Step 4
Leave to rise for another 30-40 minutes, uncovered, while you heat your oven to 270 degrees C / 500 degrees F. At the same time, put one oven tray in the bottom of the oven, and one on the lower third level. When ready for baking, slide the sheet with the focaccia dough onto the hot tray (this is easiest to do if you are two – one to hold the tray and the other to do the sliding), and gently place it on the lower third level of the oven. Immediately throw 1 cup of water (or ice cubes) onto the empty hot tray in the bottom level of the oven.
Step 5
Lower the temperature to 240 degrees C/ 450 degrees F, and bake for about 25 mins, watching closely to prevent the focaccia from getting to dark. Cool on rack.