This heart-shaped vegetable focaccia is not an entirely new recipe, I’ve already shown it to you on the fb page, right after it was prepared (quite some time ago), and I’m sure some of you remember it, right? 😊
However, I wasn’t completely satisfied with how this focaccia turned out, 😌 because during baking, the carrots shrank considerably (and it was a mistake I had already made!!) so the final look of the decoration after baking was less spectacular than I had imagined before putting it in the oven. So I had put the recipe on standby waiting to try again with other vegetables that would be more suitable to be cut into heart shapes (maybe peppers, they should work well, it’s worth trying).
Anyway, now, as luck would have it, the Light and Tasty column has decided to schedule a release dedicated to leavened doughs for today. And since it falls midway between the heart-filled Valentine’s Day we just had and my wedding anniversary (just tomorrow! 💪), well… wouldn’t you know it, a recipe with a few hearts, even if wonky, is perfect for today? 😍
The deliciousness of the focaccia is confirmed, while for the decoration… well, after all, it’s the thought that counts!!
(PS: stay tuned because I have another one in the works, also with hearts, for tomorrow! 😉).
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If you are looking for ideas for a vegetable focaccia different from the usual, check out these three recipes! 👇
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 8 Hours
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 6 servings
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 1 leavened dough with sourdough
- 1 carrot
- 1 pre-cooked beetroot (or 2, if small)
- 1 red onion (or 2, in case of broken onion hearts 😃)
- poppy seeds
Tools
- Cookie Cutters heart-shaped
- Knife
How to Prepare Heart-Shaped Vegetable Focaccia
Prepare the dough with sourdough following the recipe. It’s a basic dough you already know, and it’s the one I repeat most often because it never fails.
Let the dough rise for a few hours (6 to 8 hours depending on the room temperature), covered with plastic wrap and in a sheltered place.
After 6-8 hours, put it in the fridge for 10-12 hours.
👉 The maturation of the dough in the fridge, although always recommended by those more experienced than me with leavened doughs, is a step I sometimes do and sometimes don’t (this time I did). I must honestly say that with this dough, focaccias (or pizzas) turn out well in both cases.
Taken out of the fridge, let the dough acclimate for about half an hour…
…and then spread it with your hands directly onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Now proceed with cutting the vegetables into hearts.
Cut the carrot into slices.
Then turn each slice into a heart.
You can use a cutter to outline the heart and then refine the edges using a knife.
For the beets, being softer, the heart is obtained more easily using just the cutter.
Getting onion hearts is a bit more delicate because, as you might expect, they tend to break.
I recommend slicing the onions not too thinly and then extracting the hearts with a small spatula.
Distribute the vegetable hearts on the focaccia, then decorate with poppy seeds or other seeds to taste.
Bake in the oven for about half an hour at 428°F (220°C).
Overlooking the destruction of the onion hearts… 😃 Try it! I recommend it! 😋
Salt-Free Tips
If you’ve just landed on this blog for the first time, you might not know that I cook without added salt. 😊 In this article I tell you when and how we started this low-sodium journey, which we take pride in for over two decades. A journey doable by all, without sacrifices, with only one rule: gradualness.
First step: read and apply, little by little, the following tips. 😉
If you are interested in reducing or eliminating salt, always remember to:
▫ Gradually decrease salt; the palate must get used to it slowly and shouldn’t notice the progressive reduction.
▫ Use spices. Chili pepper, black pepper, curry, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, cumin…
▫ Use aromatic herbs. Basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary, mint…
▫ Use seeds. Sesame, pine nuts, almonds, walnuts…
▫ Use spicy vegetables or fruits. Garlic, onion, lemon, orange…
▫ Use my salt-free vegetable granule
▫ Prefer fresh foods.
▫ Avoid boiling, prefer cooking methods that retain flavors (grill, foil, steam, microwave)
▫ Avoid bringing the salt shaker to the table!
▫ Allow yourself to break the rule occasionally. It boosts morale and helps perseverance.
If you don’t want to, or cannot, give up salt:
▫ You can still try my recipes by salting according to your habits.
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Light and Tasty:
And now, here are all the leavened doughs my colleagues from the Light and Tasty Team have prepared for us:
Carla Emilia: Spring Onion Muffins
Cinzia: Modenese Pipas with Bimby and without
Claudia: Whole Wheat Pizza with Vegetables
Daniela: Light Swirls with Jam and Amaretti
Elena: Mother-in-law’s Tongues
Milena: Whole Grain Rolls Stuffed with Broccoli Rabe and Taggiasca Olives
Carla Emilia: Spring Onion Muffins
Cinzia: Modenese Pipas with Bimby and without
Claudia: Whole Wheat Pizza with Vegetables
Daniela: Light Swirls with Jam and Amaretti
Elena: Mother-in-law’s Tongues
Milena: Whole Grain Rolls Stuffed with Broccoli Rabe and Taggiasca Olives
