Authentic Foccacia and Antipasto with Pickled Onions

The word “authentic” means “authoritative, reliable, genuine, of undisputed origin” according to Funk & Wagnalls Dictionary, and this is exactly what Host Chef and Artisan Baker, Mort Rabkin offered his baking class recently in Boquete.

The Foccacia recipe took some work to make it exactly right for the weather conditions in Boquete, and Mort got it just right! It was fun to be invited to his home to “practice” his different Foccacia recipes. Each time the bread was baked, Mort used slightly different ingredients, he varied his timing, and he used an assortment of toppings. Finally, it was best Foccacia any of us have ever tasted!

When the Foccacia was perfected, we could plan the remainder of the class. Because there was time during the class to make two other authentic Italian dishes while the Foccacia was rising and baking, I decided the best accompaniments to a hot Foccacia were a fresh Antipasto, and for dessert, Zabaglione. Mort’s wife Barbara, topped the Zabaglione with her twice-baked Biscotti cookies, a real treat.

One of the toppings for the Antipasto would be Pickled Onion Rings, which was a new dish for everyone. The onions are easy to prepare and they cook in only 30 seconds. They’re perfect to serve with Antipasto to give it an interesting, unexpected tangy flavor. This Antipasto was served with black olives, a variety of cold meats and cheeses, freshly roasted red peppers and Green Olive Tapenade. You can see the Pickled Onions in the top dish, ready to be enjoyed along with this very colorful Antipasto.

Pickled Onion Rings

3/4 cup white vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
1 bay leaf
5 allspice berries
5 whole cloves
1 small, hot, jalapeno or chombo chile pepper, finely diced
1 large onion, peeled, and thinly sliced
In a small saucepan, heat the vinegar, sugar, seasonings and chile until boiling. Add the onion slices and simmer gently for 30 seconds. Remove from heat and let cool completely. Transfer the onions and the liquid into a jar and refrigerate until ready to use.

Photographer, Betty Dabney couldn’t resist gathering everyone together for a “photo-op”. The Antipasto with toppings was beautifully arranged on a big platter, and the eight Foccacias were cut into sample-size pieces so everyone could try each of the breads. After lunch, the Zabaglione was ready to taste, the “icing on the cake” for everyone, made extra special with Barbara’s Biscotti. I’ll post the recipe for this luscious “authentic” Italian dessert soon.

Thanks to Betty for photos that captured Mort’s fun, educational and “tasty” class.

Don’t forget the Chianti!
Cora

The Rye Guy

Boquete Gourmet Host Chef and Artisan Baker, Mort Rabkin has made a big name for himself among rustic bakers all over the world. First, Mort loves to bake, which is truly a passion with him. Folks from Ohio to Panama know of his love of baking, the attention he pays to details, and his passion for sharing his knowledge with others.

Mort has presented eighteen classes in bread-making in the Boquete Gourmet Host Chef Program, more than any other Host Chef. He has taught bakers how to make sourdough from scratch to use in French breads, pancakes, bagels and foccacia. Mort enjoyed sharing his holiday bread recipes, including challah and festive fruit breads.

Since his arrival in Boquete almost 3 years ago, Mort designed and, with the help of his wife Barbara and many friends, built a wood-fired clay oven behind his riverside home. Ever since completing the oven, Mort’s passion has been fueled for his newly-found “avocation”, baking rustic rye and sourdough breads.

The building and refining of Mort’s oven wasn’t easy in Boquete, as not many locals had ever heard of such an oven. To see actual photos of the building procedure, you may click here.

The oven took many weeks to complete.  A design had to be developed, construction materials assembled, builders hired and supervised throughout the entire procedure. Mort had to  dry the bricks, clay and mortar. After that, it took quite awhile to warm up and “season” the oven so it could be used to get consistent results.

Before he could even think about teaching, Mort had to perfect his recipes so he could produce the most delicious, crunchy and authentic artistic breads possible in Panama, especially at high altitudes. It took many weeks to develop the exact loaf of bread that Mort had been dreaming of baking.

Finally, Mort was really enjoying his new-found avocation, making authentic rustic rye and sourdough breads and teaching others how he does it. Some of Mort’s fellow bakers are helping to check the progress of their newly-created breads. Aren’t they loving it?

Doesn’t this loaf of Mort’s warm rye bread look like the best bread you have every tasted? All you need to add is a slice of tender ham, Manchego cheese and a little Dijon mustard, and nothing could be better!
If you’d like to get a loaf of Mort’s freshly baked bread or to learn about other breads Mort bakes, visit his website at www.theryeguy.com.  If you’re interested to learn how to make another of Mort’s favorite breads, traditional French baguettes, click November 17 on the calendar at the above right for information about Mort’s next class.  You’ll learn how to make baguettes using the classic “wet” method.

Thanks to Mort, Boquete residents are able to enjoy authentic rustic breads, and we’re learning how to create amazing breads at home in our own ovens.  Above all – everyone is HAVING A GOOD TIME doing it.

Come join the fun!
Cora

All About French Bread and More

It was the day before the Royal Wedding when Artisan Baker, Mort Rabkin gathered his class together to share his many secrets for making French bread from scratch.

The plan for the day was for each participant to begin making their own French bread dough using measuring techniques, mixing methods, and kneading procedures that Mort has developed over the years of living in Boquete.

At the end the day, hot loaves of freshly baked French bread, made completely from scratch and baked in Mort’s clay oven, would be taken home to enjoy.

Mort got busy showing how to make the dough, then how to carefully stretch and shape perfect baguettes.

Fourteen-ounce balls of dough were shaped into loaves about 13 inches in length.  Everyone had a chance to practice. Baguettes are generally made with a series of folding and rolling motions and then raised in rows on a flour-impregnated towel, called a couche.

The method for rising was unique to most of us, as heavy linen was laid out in waves that held the baguettes snugly side by side.  Kathy gently rolled her baguette into the couche to rise.

After the dough had risen, it was slashed in “baguette” style, as Nancy is showing below.

Then, the bread was baked directly on the hearth of Mort’s outdoor clay oven. 

No pans are used in artisan-style baking, only in the Americanized version of the traditional baking process are pans used. Generally American style “French Bread” is much fatter, generally meaning over-proofed, and also scored incorrectly according to French baking tradition and not baked in brick or clay ovens. The resulting loaf is much larger, softer, less chewy, and possessing a much more even crumb structure, in contrast to the traditional baguette, which is slender, chewy, and has an uneven and holey crumb structure, and crispy crust.

French bread can be glazed with egg wash, if desired. The wash gives a much browner and shinier crust, as the final bake shows in the photo above. The choice of whether and how to glaze your baguettes is one way to make your authentic French bread so special. Don’t all the loaves look marvelous?

But, as the last group of baguettes were baking, it was time to celebrate the impending Royal Wedding. A Royal wedding cake emblazoned with “William y Kate”, and a fine cup of English tea, probably exactly what the happy couple would be enjoying at Buckingham Palace after their wedding, were served.

Everyone learned to make French bread that day, thanks so much to Mort. And, we were led by Brandy in singing the British National Anthem, we tasted Royal white wedding cake, and we sipped hot English Breakfast tea. Mort’s wife, Barbara, poured!

Cheers to the new Duke and Duchess!
Cora

Make the Best Sourdough Pancakes Ever – Use Your Own Starter!

Make no mistake, my sourdough is the best sourdough anyone could make in a few short weeks. Some sourdough is one-hundred years old, but mine is only about 2 months old and it’s wonderful!

I got my starter from Artisan Baker, Mort Rabkin. our local “Rye Guy”. Mort started his sourdough many months ago and the flavor just keeps getting better and better.

The students in Mort’s “Sourdough and Other Natural Starters” class learned how to feed and care for their tiny bit of starter they received from Mort a week before their class. Their starter became their new-found friend. It grew and grew for 10 days before the class, and each participant made a “sponge” from their starter and brought it to class.

This is where the fun began. Students baked bread from Mort’s seasoned starter, made their own loaves of bread from their sponge, and then
blended a new, all-natural starter of their own design.

This is where I come in, by contributing the best “Sourdough Pancakes” recipe anyone who is “feeding” sourdough can make. It’s really quite easy, as long as you begin the night before you’re planning to have pancakes for breakfast.

SOURDOUGH PANCAKES
The night before:
Measure 1 cup starter into a bowl and mix in 1 cup flour and 1 cup milk. Cover and let sit overnight at room temperature.
The next morning:
Add 1 beaten egg, 2 teaspoons vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon each baking soda and baking powder, 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1 tablespoon sugar and mix well.

Heat a lightly greased griddle until a few drops of water jump around on the griddle. Spoon the batter onto the griddle and cook until bubbles appear all around. Turn and cook until golden brown. I serve the pancakes with homemade maple syrup. It’s easy to make by boiling 2 cups sugar and 1 cup water for one minute and add a teaspoon of maple flavoring.

My grandmother taught me to make this simple syrup many years ago, and it’s almost as delicious as the original, more reasonable, and much easier to keep on hand.

I haven’t been able to find Mapleine Brand favoring in many years, but Frontier All Natural Maple Flavor is excellent. McCormick makes Imitation Maple Flavor that is available everywhere, but their list of additives is long.

The only thing that would make these pancakes better would be to serve them with a hot, steaming cup of Cafe de la Luna coffee from Finca Dos Jefes, Boquete’s premier boutique coffee growers.

Enjoy your sourdough!
Cora