Wholemeal focaccia with curly endive and smoked scamorza cheese

• 10 minutes to prepare • 30 minutes to cook • Serves 4

 

 

Smoking does not kill. Sometimes.

Lettuce is lovely, don’t let me be misunderstood — it’s a fresh and tender mate, available to accept any other ingredients. But endive, the leafy green chicory, has a pleasant bitter taste that makes every recipe more interesting to eat. Paired with the right companions, it is out of this world.

It comes in a range of sizes — from small heads to curly larger ones — and taste is very different depending on layering: middle ribs and heart are juicy and crunchy, as well as the inner white leaves are bittersweet. Reserve them for raw preparations. The outer green leaves are bitter and chewy. These are the best parts for cooking.

Today we will try curly endive with a combination of partners you can't go wrong with: scamorza cheese, anchovy fillets, toasted pine nuts...and wholemeal pizza dough. The resulting focaccia will conquer your heart!

Here's what you will need for the 8-serving recipe:

 

500 g wholemeal pizza dough
400 g curly endive
200 g smoked scamorza cheese
4 anchovy fillets in oil
30 g pine nuts
EVO oil
salt and pepper

 

1. Preheat oven to 220°C
2. Rinse endive under cold water and cut ut into strips. Braise it with 2 tablespoons of EVO oil, salt and freshly ground pepper (be generous with it). Set aside
3. Cover the baking pan with baking paper, then lie down - on bottom and sides - the pastry cut into a flattened disc-shape, about 3 mm thick. Drill some small holes to allow air to be released during the cooking from inside and let it rest briefly
4. Toast pine nuts in a pan and place them in a blender. Blend them for a few seconds
5. Cut scamorza cheese into thin slices
6. Pour braised endive and chopped anchovy fillets in. Spread over scamorza slices and chopped pine nuts
7. Cover it with the remaining pizza dough sealing well the edges. Drill some small holes on top and brush with oil
8. Bake in oven at 220°C for 30 minutes, until the surface of the focaccia becomes golden
9. Once cooked, pull out the focaccia from the oven and let it cool. When focaccia is cold, transfer it over on a serving dish. Serve at the table.

Finally, you find below Nutrition Facts of this dish. Data is provided per serving.

The secret ingredient is always cheese.