Whether you’re heading out to one of the Bay Area’s parks or hiking trails, the outing will be even better if you’ve packed a picnic. You needn’t wait for the solstice to arrive — just warm weather — to enjoy Marnie Hamel and Jen Stevenson’s “Summer: A Cookbook” (Artisan Books, 2021), which offers prime picnic inspiration, as well as recipes.
Some of the latter are summer-specific, of course. You’ll need to wait till July to thoroughly enjoy grilled peach panzanella, for example. But there are plenty of delicious things to enjoy this spring, from Jammy Eggs with Old Bay-scented aioli to Cherry Gazpacho and a Sungold Tomato and Lemon Thyme Focaccia.
The focaccia is embellished with tiny Sungold or grape tomatoes, sprigs of lemon thyme and flaky salt, but you can use any toppings you prefer — red onion slivers, grapes and fennel seeds, perhaps, or pitted olives and fresh rosemary. The bread can take center stage, alongside charcuterie or wedges of cheese, or you can use it to make Fantastic Focaccia Sandwiches. Hamel and Stevenson offer up eight ideas for fillings, from soppressata and fresh mozzarella to rapini and artichokes — and an easy out if you don’t feel like baking or things go awry.
“If you’re vacationing with wolves who devoured the focaccia right out of the oven,” they say, “send one of them out to buy some ciabatta rolls instead and proceed.”
Sungold Tomato and Lemon Thyme Focaccia
Makes one 13-by-18-inch loaf
INGREDIENTS
3 cups warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
2 tablespoons kosher salt
6½ cups (880 g) unbleached bread flour, such as King Arthur
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing and drizzling
2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as grapeseed, or olive oil
1 pint tiny Sungold tomatoes
8 sprigs lemon thyme or regular thyme
Flaky sea salt
DIRECTIONS
Combine the water and honey in the bowl of a stand mixer and sprinkle the yeast on top. Let stand for 10 minutes, or until the mixture is foamy. Add the kosher salt, then gradually add the bread flour and stir with a wooden spoon or the mixer’s dough hook until a shaggy dough forms and the dry ingredients are incorporated, about 5 minutes. Pour the 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil into a large mixing bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, turning to coat in the olive oil. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and set it in a corner of the kitchen overnight, for 12 hours, until the dough doubles in volume and fills the bowl.
Grease a 13-by-18-inch rimmed sheet pan with the neutral oil. Gently detach the dough from the side of the bowl and pull it across the top, rotate slightly, and repeat until all the dough is free from the sides, about six times. Remove the dough from the bowl and roughly stretch it to the length and width of the prepared pan.
Using your fingertips and working from the center to the edges, spread the dough as close as you can to the sides of the pan. It will pull away from the sides. Let the dough rest in the pan for 10 minutes, then again use your fingertips to press the dough to the edges of the pan. If it’s still pulling away from the sides, wait 10 minutes, then give it another go. Brush the top generously with olive oil. Press the tomatoes into the dough at random intervals, scatter the lemon thyme sprigs over the top and sprinkle with lots of flaky salt. Let rest for 1 hour in the pan.
During this final proof, heat the oven to 450 degrees.
Bake the focaccia for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden. Remove from the oven and drizzle the focaccia with more olive oil. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. Slice and serve that day. Day-old leftovers are best refreshed in a 350 degree oven for 5 minutes or used in panzanella.
Fantastic Focaccia Sandwiches
Soppressata + fresh mozzarella + spicy pickled peppers + arugula + drizzles of olive oil & balsamic vinegar
Prosciutto + smoked mozzarella + figs + drizzles of olive oil, balsamic vinegar & honey
Mortadella + provolone + shredded iceberg lettuce + pickled peppers + mayo
Rapini (broccoli rabe) + artichokes + fresh mozzarella + red pepper flakes + drizzles of olive oil & balsamic vinegar
Oil-packed albacore tuna + sliced hard-boiled egg + tomato + shredded iceberg lettuce + olive tapenade
Turkey + pecorino + arugula + peach jam
Shredded chicken + mashed avocado (on both sides) + mizuna + quick pickles
Broiled ginger-tamari swordfish + eggplant caponata + tomato + arugula
— Excerpted from “Summer: A Cookbook” by Marnie Hanel and Jen Stevenson (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2021
