Sun-Dried Tomato Focaccia with Feta

Focaccia's light texture topped with a touch of olive oil and coarse salt provides a perfect side for nearly every meal.  Filled with savory goodies, the plain dough it an empty palette just waiting to be adorned... Garlic, caramelized onions, fresh herbs or simply shredded Parmesan all come to mind.  Our classic Herb Focaccia has been a staple for nearly 15 years, but when my husband pulled a batch of his home made (by him!) spaghetti sauce from the freezer last night, I wanted something a little more substantial.

Short on time I combined 4 different recipes into an excellent flat bread that will enter our regular rotation.  Sun-Dried Tomato Focaccia with Feta met my time requirements as a no-knead bread, though the rising time will still take about an hour.  The addition of a handful of beautiful sun dried tomatoes and a few tablespoons of Trader Joe's Mediterranean Feta provided an entirely new layer of flavors to the garlic and herb base.  Baked in a hot oven for about 20 minutes, the slightly crisp crust was drizzled with a garlic olive oil and a sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan Cheese for the perfect savory/salty side to our sauce.

Herbed Focaccia

14 years ago, 4 days after my son was born, we had a knock at the door and our wonderful neighbor, Brenda, brought me this delectable focaccia.  After eating hospital food for a few days, I can't even begin to explain how good this homemade treat tasted.  Soft, herby, a hint of garlic and a touch of salt.  Mmmm...  Beyond amazing!

Over the years we have served this bread at dinner parties as a side, with a dipping sauce as an appetizer, and sometimes simply split and layered with turkey and vegies for a quick lunch or snack.  Popping the ingredients into a bread machine on the dough cycle makes easy work of kneading while you are finishing up other errands or daily chores, or simply enjoying a nice glass of wine.  A final stretch of the dough, then topping it with oil, herbs and a touch of salt brings the bread to life as you pop it into the oven, and less than 20 minutes later you have a house that smells like a restaurant and a side of bread that your family will devour!

Usually I simply grind a sprinkle of Sea Salt over the top of the oiled dough, but today I had a special treat.  A couple of weeks ago I was the lucky winner to Deb from the Kahakai Kitchen's Captain Cooked book giveaway!  I won a signed copy of the recently released Captain Cooked book (a tale set in Hawaii with a foodie flair!) and Deb so kindly included spices and other foodie goodies along with the book.  Today we broke out the prized Red Alaea Hawaiian Sea Salt.  Coarse and a lovely reddish color, we ground it a bit smaller and sprinkled it over our oiled and herbed dough.  Traditionally Hawaiians use Alaea salt in ceremonies to cleanse, purify and bless tools and canoes, as well as in healing rituals for medicinal purposes.  Further reading taught us that the salt is rich in natural minerals and is frequently used in traditional Hawaiian dishes such as Kalua pig.  We truly felt special using this blush colored salt, and would like to extend our hearty thanks to Deb for our special treat!!