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Italian-inspired sharing board

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Italian-inspired sharing board

Name: Italian-inspired sharing board
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 7g sachet fast-action dried yeast; 1 tsp caster sugar; 500g strong white bread flour; 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil plus extra for the tin; 1 tsp dried mixed herbs; 75ml extra virgin olive oil; 1½ tbsp sundried tomato pesto; 150g mozzarella pearls (drained weight); 1 tsp chilli flakes; small handful of basil leaves picked and finely chopped; 2 x 400g cans artichoke hearts drained, rinsed and halved; 1 litre vegetable oil; 1 lemon cut into wedges; olives and heirloom plum or cherry tomatoes; cured meats (such as mortadella, salami and prosciutto); cheese (such as taleggio and gorgonzola); breadsticks; white and red chicory leaves

Ailsa Burt

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Serves 6 - 8

Easy

Prep: 25 mins

Cook: 40 mins

plus overnight proving

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Bring a little winter sun to a festive dinner party with this Italian-inspired sharing board with focaccia, marinated mozzarella and fried artichoke hearts

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Ingredients

Nutrition

Units:

MetricUS

For the no-knead focaccia

7g sachet fast-action dried yeast
1 tsp caster sugar
500g strong white bread flour
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

plus extra for the tin
1 tsp dried mixed herbs

For the marinated mozzarella pearls

75ml extra virgin olive oil
1½ tbsp sundried tomato pesto
150g mozzarella pearls

(drained weight)
1 tsp chilli flakes
small handful of basil

leaves picked and finely chopped

For the fried artichoke hearts

2 x 400g cans artichoke hearts

drained, rinsed and halved
1 litre vegetable oil
1 lemon

cut into wedges

To serve

olives

and heirloom plum or cherry tomatoes
cured meats

(such as mortadella, salami and prosciutto)
cheese

(such as taleggio and gorgonzola)
breadsticks
white and red chicory

leaves

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Nutrition: Per serving (8)

kcal468
fat22g
saturates5g
carbs51g
sugars2g
fibre5g
protein13g
salt2.4g

Method

step 1

First, make the focaccia the day before you want to serve. Whisk the yeast and sugar with 400ml warm water in a jug. Set aside for 5-10 mins until bubbly and frothy. Meanwhile, combine the flour, 2 tsp fine sea salt and 2 tbsp of the oil in a large bowl, then pour in the yeast mixture. Stir to combine – the dough will be wet and sticky. Cover and chill for 12-18 hrs.
step 2

About 4 hrs before baking, remove the bowl from the fridge. Line a deep 20 x 30cm tin with baking parchment and generously drizzle with oil. Tip the dough into the tin and gently ease into the corners using lightly oiled hands. Don’t worry if it doesn’t stretch much – as it comes to room temperature, it will expand. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave to prove for 3-4 hrs until bubbly and risen. Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Pour the remaining 1 tbsp oil over the dough and press your fingers into it all over to make dimples. Scatter over ½ tsp sea salt flakes and the mixed dried herbs, then bake for 20-25 mins until golden and risen. Leave to cool slightly in the tin before turning out onto a wire rack to cool until just warm. Cut into squares.
step 3

For the marinated mozzarella pearls, whisk the olive oil and pesto together in a bowl until emulsified. Gently stir in the mozzarella pearls, chilli flakes and basil, and season well with a large pinch each of sea salt and black pepper. Chill until needed, and remove from the fridge 30 mins before serving.
step 4

For the fried artichoke hearts, pat the artichoke hearts dry using kitchen paper. Heat the oil in a large saucepan to 150C, ensuring the pan is no more than two-thirds full. If you don’t have a temperature probe, drop in a cube of bread – it should brown within 50 seconds. Deep-fry the artichoke hearts in batches for 8-10 mins per batch until dark brown and crisp. Transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper to drain, and sprinkle with sea salt.
step 5

To assemble the board, tip the mozzarella pearls, fried artichoke hearts, olives and tomatoes into small serving bowls and arrange on a large serving board. Arrange cured meats, cheese, breadsticks and chicory leaves around the bowls, along with the focaccia squares. Serve the lemon wedges with the artichoke hearts for squeezing over.

Recipe from Good Food magazine, December 2022

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