Rye Tomato Focaccia, delicious, hearty and so rewarding! Accompanied with zingy and spicy Marinated Green Bean and Tofu Salad. Perfect big batch, healthy family meal!
TOMATO O’CLOCK
I’m in tomatoes up to my ears.
But not in a bad way. Because for me, Summer always ends in a bit of hectic, busy but colourful and delicious way – I’m making a year worth batch of tomato preserves. Tomatoes as tomatoes, tomatoes in Sataraš, a dish that entire Balkan is perfumed with these days. And some veggies and beans salad. Oh, yes.
All of that and a few jars more is cooling down in boxes, turned upside down and tucked in a blanket like puppies.
So for a next few days, we’ll be pulling our stomachs in trying to pass next to each other, next to all those big pots and more boxes of tomatoes, bell peppers, eggplants, garlic, purple onions… Washing jars and sterilizing them, cooking and stirring in those big pots, tasting, eating for lunch those few leftover cups that didn’t fill up an entire jar…
So, preserving time it is.
My best of the time of the year. OK, along with time at the seaside. Making preserves at the seaside would be the best, right?
WHEN AMONG TOMATOES, COOK TOMATOES!
We bought like a ton of Roma tomatoes. OK, not a ton but almost a 100 kilograms, which is around 50 pounds, so go figure how much cooking is that! But not too much, if you count in all those cold, winter days when all you can get is store bought out of season tomatoes. Or tomato sauces, which can be full of that whatnot that you don’t want. And in those days, you reach to the shelve and get yourself a nice, healthy and quick homemade sauce, veggie or stew, just to be warmed and thrown over some pasta.
I will surely write about making preserves these days. To see more of what I have been cooking this Summer, check this collection out.
In that spirit and among all of those tomatoes, I had to have them for lunch too! So here’s this delicious, hearty and so rewarding Rye Tomato Focaccia accompanied with zingy and spicy Marinated Green Bean and Tofu Salad.
OH, THE SCENTS, FLAVOURS AND TEXTURES!
This Vegan Rye Focaccia is just as soft as one rustic rye focaccia worth it’s salt should be. Full, carrying a bit of a nutty taste, as a perfect pillow for soft, melting and caramelizing tomatoes on top.
The salad comes as a band of surprise on this baking festival – zingy, spicy, as you would love it to be! Green beans, that great veggie that quickly adapts to any savoury setup, especially to sweet & zingy & spicy marinade to soak some nice tofu in too.
Rye bread is rich and earthy. Tomatoes are falling apart and melting all baked to perfection. Bite-size of focaccia and a forkful of green bean tofu salad, oh, and you are in heaven!
VEGAN RYE TOMATO FOCACCIA
serves 4 – 6, makes 2 Focaccias in large baking sheets
250g / ca. 2 cups rye flour
400g / ca. 3 cups + ca. 5 generous tbsp bread flour
2 tbsp instant yeast
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar (optional, or any other sweetener)
3 tbsp olive oil
450 ml lukewarm water
fresh tomatoes
salt, pepper, dried herbs to your taste
Put everything in the mixing bowl and make a dough that might get firm but sticky. But instead of freaking out, just water your hands a bit and knead for a few mins, and when you get sticky again, wash your hands and then knead a little more, with your hands wet. Adding flour will make your focaccia dense and hard
Prepare two large baking sheets and two matching pieces of baking paper. Put the paper on the table, sprinkle with flour.
When the dough has risen, knead it for a short min, divide it in two. You can either roll the dough with the rolling pin or just oil your hands and spread the dough in an oval. It should be thick as two of your fingers on top of each other. Set aside to rise some more.
Start your oven to heat up to 180°C / 375F. By that time the dough should rise more a bit.
Slice the tomatoes, not too thin, rather thick, or they will disappear during baking. Press the slices gently into the dough, sprinkle with salt, pepper, herbs, to your taste.
Bake the focaccia on 180°C / 375F for good 35 mins or a bit more, or until it’s all nice and deep golden brown, and when you press it, it springs back.
Once baked, leave to cool before eating. Resist, because hot bread is not fun for your tummy, believe me 🙂
MARINATED GREEN BEANS AND TOFU SALAD
serves 4
2 green beans cans (ca. 450g drained) / ca. 2 1/2 cups
125 g tofu (silken or natural will both do) / ca. 1 cup, in small cubes
1 chilli pepper or red bell pepper, if you’re making
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
drop or two of liquid smoke (optional)
5 tbsps of soy sauce
1 tbsp sugar or another sweetener
3 – 4 tbsp olive oil
pepper to taste, soy sauce should give enough salt
Just put everything into the bowl (gently, so you don’t break the tofu) and then toss and turn, again gently. Leave in the fridge for an hour or more, or even overnight, to absorb scents and aromas nicely.
Serve with some rustic bread, and if you don’t have it, then bake this beautiful rye focaccia from above, call your dearest people around the table and share the love!
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