Ciabatta

Sun dried tomatoes and basil Ciabatta rolls

"Where do we spend our vacation this time Honey?"

Oh I love that question! As I was busy preparing our dinner last night, my hubby popped that question to me. I have no idea yet, I replied. The truth is, after our common passion for food we both love travelling. And who doesn't? Travelling is always the best way to discover and meet people, their culture, their cuisine and their way of life. When we were students we were backpackers who would stay, eat and travel the cheapest way. Oh you wouldn't imagine how severely I haggle just to have discounts. :-) But gone are those days. Not that we have more money and we have grown older now. I guess it's just different now because we have a kid. Our perspective in life changes to a new dimension. No more risky travel I guess.

As I continue to contemplate our next destination, I couldn't help but remember one of the best places I have been, Italy. The spectacular monuments, churchers, museums and plazzas and their delectable cuisine. Do not blame me if I ended up baking some ciabatta.

This is my entry to Grow Your Own a blogging event created by Andrea and is being hosted by Bee of Jugalbandi. You have until July 30 to send your entries.

Sun dried Tomatoes and Basil Ciabatta Rolls
(there exist a lot of recipes in making this Italian slipper bread and this recipe is one of them)
460 g of flour
250 ml of warm water
1 sachet (about 1 teaspoon of dry yeast)
4 tablespoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon of sea salt
1 tablespoon of chopped Sun dried tomatoes
1 tablespoon of chopped basil (you can use fresh or dry ones)
(you can add more or less of the tomatoes and basil )

Dissolve the yeast on the warm water and add about one cup of flour on it. Let this stand for about an hour. Once little bubbles are formed on your yeast you can start putting the rest of the flour on your working table. Make a whole in the middle and add your dissolved yeast. Add the salt and olive oil. Work this dough for about ten minutes. Do not hesitate to put flour if it becomes too sticky. Add your chopped tomatoes and basil. Form a big ball and let this stand for an hour, cover it with wet towel. After the first rise cut the dough in six equal parts. To form the ciabatta bread, with the aid of your rolling pin flatten each ball of about 1 cm thickness. Fold from top to the center and the lower part to the center. You will now have long rectangular shaped dough. Fold again from right to the center and the left to the center. Imagine it will be like a folded square towel that is a little bit plumpy on the top. Powder it with flour and let it rise for another hour directly on your parchement papers. Preheat the oven at 200° celsius and bake the bread for about twenty to twenty five minutes. You can put a ramekin with a water inside the oven while baking the bread to have a crusty bread.

Believe me its delicious!!!

My other bread recipes:

Caramelized Onions, Roasted Tomatoes Foccacia Bread
Rosemary and Black Olive Fougasse
Mini-flute Bread

Oven dried Tomatoes: Ode to summer's green revolution and tomato invasion

Dried Tomatoes à la Provençal

People often say that I have a "green thumb". I was never really serious in planting but I had quite some successes with them in the past; As a kid I remember succeeded in growing vegetables from what my mom used to throw away when she prepares some vegetable dishes; from ampalaya seeds (bittermelon), squash seeds to kangkong stalks (water spinach) without really putting much effort. Our balcony in Tokyo, had a flowering geranium and stargazers all year-round, much to my husband's surprise. I dont really have a secret I just plant them and wait that they grow.

But when I met my dad-in-law everything changed. When he pulls out his toga costume and puts down his judge's mallet he metamorphosizes into a certified gardener. Adieu with my "anything goes planting techniques and attitudes". "I can't plant this with this soil, or better check a shady area to grow this or I need to nip some leaves if I want them to bear fruit; those were his normal "unsolicited" comments. Don't get me wrong he is really nice and helpful and I truly admire him. And besides he is a judge, what can we expect. :-) Well every summer in the garden of my in-laws we are given a small spot to cultivate any green of our choice. And last summer we decided to plant italian tomatoes. That summer I gave birth andI never had the chance to blog about this.

When I heard about Andrea's monthly food blogging event Grow Your Own that celebrates food that we grow ourselves, I knew that this is my time to shine. Ooops, I mean my dad-in-law to shine :-) But what do you do when you have more than fifty kilos of tomatoes at hand? You eat them in salad every lunch. You cook some in your pasta sauces. Well the rest you throw them in the oven and make own home-made dried tomatoes.

Last batch of tomatoes harvested looked like this..
photo courtesy of my dad-in-law

Oven-dried Tomatoes à la Provençal
(Tomato confit à la Provençal)

1 kg of italian tomatoes

1 head of garlic

some fresh rosemary and thymes (Herbes de Provence)

salt and pepper

5 tbsp of Olive oil

Put the tomatoes in the boiling water for 8 seconds then take them off. Put them afterwards in a bowl of cold water. This process will help you peel off the tomato skin easily. Cut the tomatoes into two and remove the seeds. Season about half a tsp of salt and pepper over the cut tomatoes. Put them carefully (allow enough space in between) in baking dish. Drizzle it with olive oil and fresh thymes and rosemary. Add the thinly sliced garlic. Cook slowly in a pre-heated oven at 100° for two hours and thirty minutes.

Keep them in a jar filled with olive oil in your fridge. You can use these dried tomatoes in all your pizzas, salad and pasta recipes.

A lyrical composition of spaghetti noodles tossed in the

delicious harmony of sliced kohlrabi, sweet pumpkin and dried tomatoes..
such a lovely note in the belly!!

 

For my dear french readers, you will find the french version on lesfoodies.com here: http://www.lesfoodies.com/news/recette/tomates-confites-la-provencale