Red Grape, Rosemary and Garlic Foccacia Bread

This is a very interesting recipe I found on line.  I added my own little touch and it is fantastic! Surprising how all the ingredients really come together in this recipe.  It reminds me a bit of one of my favorite restaurants version of roasted garlic buds, brie and raspberry coulis items on their menu.

Ingredients:

1 ball pizza dough
2 large sprigs fresh rosemary (chopped course)
2 large clove garlic (chopped fine)
2 TBSP olive oil
1/4 cup chopped red onion
approximately 12 red grapes ((halved lengthways)
pinch oregano
pinch sea salt

Method:

1. On a large cookie sheet, spread dough out and use fingertips to make dimples all over dough. Let rest covered with damp cloth for 1/2 hour.
2. Brush all over with olive oil and sprinkle evenly with sea salt.
3. Toss on the garlic, evenly, sprinkle with oregano.
3. Add the red onion and rosemary.
4. Lightly press in grapes evenly and bake at 450 degrees for about 9 minutes. Check for hollow sound when tapped on.

Easy Pizza dough

I was in the mood to bake some fresh bread this cold and rainy week-end, and then I thought I would make a yummy red grape rosemary,and garlic foccacia and some scones for my tomato soup. This is traditional pizza dough, so go ahead and make a pizza if you want!


1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/3 cup warm water
2 tablespoons good quality olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
3-4 cups all-purpose flour

1. In a large bowl combine the warm water, yeast, and sugar. Allow to stand for about 10 minutes, until the yeast is foamy. Then stir in the salt and olive oil.
2. Add in 2 cups of the flour and stir well. Then add the rest of the flour bit by bit, until the dough forms into a semi- sticky ball. You may not use all of the flour.
3. Transfer the dough to a floured surface and knead until smooth and satiny, about 5 min, place the dough in a lightly oiled  bowl and cover with damp cloth. Let rise in a warm place for approximately 1-2 hours.

Creamy Tomato Soup

Mmmmm Mmmmmm good!  Way better than the other famous tomato soup from a can and easy peasy to make. I made some pizza dough scones to go with it.  They are not traditional scones, but I loooove the texture of these in this soup. I first discovered this similar recipe, this is my version, from Hank's Mother and Sister Carole.  It was Caroles hubby Ron's favorite meal and this is what they made him for his Birthday. When I tried it, I instantly loved it.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3/4 cup onion, diced small
• 1/2 cup carrot, diced small
• 1/2 cup celery, diced small
• 1 tablespoons minced garlic
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes, crushed by hand and juice reserved
• 1 quart chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon marjoram
• 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup sugar

Directions

Set a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and once hot, add the onions, carrots and celery to the pan. Saute the vegetables, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent and the carrots are soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic to the pan and saute about 30 seconds. Add the tomato paste, the tomatoes and their juices to the pan and stir. Continue to cook until the liquid comes to a boil. Add the chicken stock and marjoram to the pan and return to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, season with the salt, pepper, and sugar and cook until the flavors have married, about 30 minutes.
Remove the soup from the heat and, using an immersion blender, or in batches in a blender, puree the soup until smooth. Return the soup to the heat and add the balsamic vinegar and heavy cream to the soup. Cook for 5 minutes, stir the basil, and serve with yummy scones.

***Recipe for pizza dough for scones, on blog. Simply cut with scissors, a small piece of dough, and toss gently in clean vegetable oil and fry till golden brown. Heat oil on med.high. Drain on paper towel.

***These scones are also good sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and dipped in nutella!!!