Make focaccia, create fun
Recipe of the Week
TRIBUTES were paid to a dad who died from coronavirus as a convoy of lorries travelled through West Lancashire villages.
For the third week running, the convoy travelled through areas including Tarleton and Hesketh Bank to pay tribute to those working in the NHS during the Covid-19 outbreak.
The journey coincides with the weekly “Clap for our Carers” on Thursday evenings, but this week the vehicles featured an array of messages in tribute to dad-of-one Alex Lennie.
Alex, 34, who lived in Knotty Ash, Liverpool, grew up in Tarleton, where he was a hugely popular figure.
The nightclub manager was a devoted dad to his daughter, Bella, and lost his life to the virus earlier this month.
Lorries, tractors and vans from local businesses took part in the convoy, with various messages of support for those working to keep everyone safe throughout the outbreak.
This week, a number carried “RIP Alex” or “RIP Lennie” messages, while banners and football shirts bearing his name were also displayed.
Explaining the origins of the convoy, a spokesman said: “Every Thursday
WHILE we are all spending time at home, I thought this lovely recipe would provide some creative fun, plus it’s a really great way to get the children involved too.
Ingredients: 500g strong white bread flour 7g sachet yeast 2 tsp salt 50ml extra virgin olive oil and extra for greasing & drizzling Bunch of rosemary 200g cherry tomatoes You will need a baking tray – 31cm x 26cm x 2cm deep (12in x 10in x ⁄₄in) is perfect
Method:
Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl, add the yeast to one side of the bowl and the salt to the other so it does not kill the yeast, add 50ml olive oil and 225ml lukewarm water.
With your hands stir the ingredients together to mix, then either attach a dough hook to your mixer or continue mixing by hand to start to form a rough dough.
Gradually add a further 75ml warm water, the dough may look wet at this stage, this gives the focaccia the irregular holes.
Oil your worktop and tip out the dough, knead by hand for a further 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and stretchy without breaking up.
Oil your mixing bowl and replace the dough, cover with a
evening at 8pm, local businesses join forces to convoy through Tarleton to Hesketh Bank.
“The whole idea is to promote and thank our nurses, carers and key workers in our community and indeed nationwide. damp cloth and leave to rise until doubled in size. This may take a few hours.
Generously grease your baking tray and carefully turn your dough out onto it, try not to over-handle but gently stretch the dough out to all corners of the tray making a few indentations across the surface.
Cover loosely with cling film, leave the dough to further rise for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200c. When the dough looks fluffy remove the cling film and spike the rosemary into the dough, and scatter small bunches of tomatoes pressing firmly on the dough’s surface. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with a little sea salt.
“In doing this we also hope to encourage and bring together one another in these uncertain times.
“We thank those who have already participated and hope that you will continue to join us in the coming weeks.”
Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and further drizzle a little olive oil, allow to cool on a cooling rack.
Enjoy!
Making your own focaccia this way means you are in control of what goes into it, so no added sugar and just the right amount of salt for your palate.
Tomatoes are an excellent source of carotene and lycopene and rosemary is surprisingly high in calcium.
● Lesley and husband Roberto own Roberto’s Italian on Southport’s Ocean Plaza.