Rosemary Focaccia & Creamy Herb Dip

Alright, it's been a crazy fun week of visiting family and friends, but I think it's time for a blog post! And not just a blog post, but a new recipe set that I hope you find as delicious as I did. While we were on our "grand tour" of California last week, we stopped by in Sacramento to visit some of our best friends, Beth and Stephen. While I consider myself someone who loves food, Beth is a true food genius - one of those people who adores the cooking process, from experimenting with recipes to choosing unique organic ingredients like fresh garden herbs, oat milk, and chia seeds.

While staying with her the first night, she whipped up an impromptu feast of roasted vegetables, fresh baked rosemary focaccia, and several fantastic dips to go with everything. Some standouts from the meal were her homemade bread and an herb dip that she literally just threw together on a whim right before we ate. Although she is a self-professed non-follower of recipes, she helped me pin down the essentials, approximated below. The bread recipe is taken from the Veganomicon cookbook, while the dip is Beth's own creation. The dip can certainly be eaten with the bread, but it was wonderful on everything from our roasted carrots to the baked potatoes.

Rosemary Focaccia Bread

Ingredients:
1 package active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 1/4 cups warm water
3 Tablespoons olive oil
3 Tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary, plus extra for garnish
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
Olive oil for brushing
Coarse salt for garnish

Directions:
1. Combine the yeast and warm water in a large bowl
2. Stir in the olive oil, chopped rosemary, and flour. Knead together to form a soft dough. If the dough is sticky, work in a bit of extra flour one tablespoon at a time.
3. Turn the dough onto a floured surface and knead for 5-6 minutes until smooth (you can also use a stand mixer with dough hook attachment).
4. Pour a little olive oil into the original bowl and add the dough, turning to coat in oil. Cover bowl with a clean dish towel and let rise for 1 hour, or until a hole poked in the side of the risen dough fills up slowly.
5. Punch down the dough, return it to the floured surface, and knead a few times. Then, using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a large circle about 1 1/2 inches thick. Transfer to a lightly greased cookie sheet.
6. Use a fork to poke several holes in the dough, then sprinkle with salt and rosemary leaves and brush with a little more olive oil. Cover again with the dish towel and let rise for 20 minutes.
7. Preheat oven to 350 while dough is rising. Bake 30-35 minutes until bread is lightly browned and firm. Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes before slicing.   

 

  

Beth used a mixture of half wheat and white flour, which is why the bread appears dark in color

Creamy Herb Dip
Combine below ingredients in a blender or food processor until fairly smooth:

4 heaping Tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste)
Juice from 1 lemon
5 tablespoons olive oil
Two big handfuls EACH fresh basil, oregano, and thyme
One handful fresh parsley
4 cloves garlic
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Herb dip appears in the bowl on the left

 The meal was based around an abundant mixture of roasted potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, corn, and onions. It was an unforgettable evening with good friends!