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    		•  U RecettAriel
    Fugassa co-u furmaggiu,
    Focaccia col formaggio,
    Cheese-filled focaccia

    Focaccia col formaggio
    An ancient dish from the times of the Saracen raiders, when people fleed to safety in the mountains; since flour, oil and locally made cheeses were readily available in their hideouts, they'd make focaccia ripiena (stuffed).
    The renown of this very thin focaccia can in any case be attributed to Recco's most famous restaurant Manuelina; in Recco you'll find it everywhere, from bakers to restaurants to diners.
    Mollana The best cheese to be used in this recipe is Mollana (Mullann-a, in Genoese dialect), a fresh, very young cow cheese made in Valbrevenna and Valle Scrivia, but it's quite difficult to find.
    To serve 6:
  • 500 gr. (5 cups) durum wheat flour
  • 450 gr. (1 pound) stracchino cheese or young Mollana cheese (you may use something mild and creamy that will melt, but NOT Mozzarella, or it will become hard and rubbery)
  • 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • Salt
    Make a mound of the flour on your work surface, scoop a well in it, and pour 4 tablespoons of oil, a small ladle's worth of warm water, and 2 healthy pinches of salt into the well. Work the mixture into a dough and knead it until it is soft, smooth, and elastic, then cover it for an hour.
    Preheat your oven to 180°C (360 F). Divide it into two pieces and roll them out into very thin disks the size of your baking sheet Preparazione(if you have a 12-14-inch diameter metal pizza pan, it would be about right). Lightly oil the pan and lay the first sheet of dough over it.
    Shred the cheese and dot the dough with it. Lay the second layer over the first, roll the edges up and around to form a rim that seals, and give it a decorative pattern by pressing down on it with the tines of a fork.
    Puncture the top here and there so the moisture can escape as the focaccia cooks, and bake it for about 15 minutes, or until it's golden brown. Serve hot.
  • Suggested wine: Cinque Terre DOC (served at 10° C / 50° F)