I really don’t like wasting food.
That doesn’t mean I don’t do it (with regret and all too often), but it does drive me a little crazy when I have to throw something out.
Our filled focaccia is a quick and easy way to use up bits and pieces in the fridge. It’s made with bakers yeast, which makes it a very quick dough, and one that can be thrown together on the spur of the moment. I’ll often make this when we have last minute guests for lunch.
Today, I opened the fridge and found a little ricotta cheese, a piece of Cheddar, and a wedge of Manchego, all leftover from our brunch with the cool kids. There was also a bag of turkey breast offcuts that our mate Johnny had kindly given us, and a handful of organic figs from Pete’s muesli stash.
The basic dough recipe doesn’t change, and you could really throw in anything you like, providing you don’t mess around with the liquid quantities too much. It works particularly well with leftover deli meats, cheeses and antipasto.
- 1kg bakers flour
- 640g water
- 20g dried/instant yeast
- 14g fine sea salt
- 100g extra virgin olive oil (plus extra for drizzling on top)
- flaky sea salt (for scattering)
- deli meats, leftover cheese, dried figs and antipasto (any combination thereof)
1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, yeast and fine sea salt. Stir in the add-ins – I used grated hard cheeses (about 250g), chopped turkey breast (about 200g), half a cup of ricotta and eight dried figs, cut into pieces.
2. Add the water and oil. Squelch everything together with a clean hand. Scrape off your hand, then cover the bowl and allow to rest for half an hour.
3. Uncover and give the dough a brief knead in the bowl – this should only take a minute or so. Cover the bowl and let it sit in a warm spot until it’s doubled in size (this should take an hour or so, longer if the weather is cool).
4. Preheat the oven to maximum. Line two baking trays with parchment paper.
5. Turn the dough out onto an oiled surface and divide it into two. Push and stretch each half into a rectangle and place it on a lined baking tray. Drizzle over the extra oil, and sprinkle with the flaky sea salt. Allow to prove for another 20 minutes or until the dough has puffed up slightly.
6. Dimple the top of each focaccia with your fingers, pushing all the way to the bottom of the dough. Reduce the oven to 220C with fan, and bake for 20 minutes, or until dark brown (start checking at the 15 minute mark).
We took one of the focaccias to Johnny’s factory, where it was shared between his staff. The other one fed Pete, Big Boy and I for lunch. That’s not bad value for the $2 in flour and oil it cost to make them! Best of all, I didn’t have to throw out the cheeses, and the offcuts (which in turn are a reflection of Johnny’s reluctance to waste anything) were free.
We still waste more food than we’d like to, but we’re working on it. It’s certainly easier now that we have the garden (where we can pick only what we need for a meal) and the chooks and worms (who effectively recycle much of our waste into eggs and fertiliser).
Sydney chef Stefano Manfredi has written a very interesting blogpost on the subject of waste in high end restaurants. It’s a fascinating read and gives some insight into how much food is wasted in the name of “art”.
How do you deal with leftovers at your place?
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
What a fantastic way to use up leftovers Celia. What a fabulous tasty loaf.
:-) Mandy xo
Thanks Mandy! It’s very simple to make! :)
Great use of leftovers Celia, TRUE!
Food wastage is a BIG pet peeve of mine! I could go for a slice of your focaccia right now too!
Thanks Joanne! I try not to waste too much, but it’s a work in progress! Lovely to chat yesterday! x
So Celia, here I am visiting Sydney for a long weekend and what am I TOTALLY excited about doing?! Well tomorrow I’m going to the CHEFS WAREHOUSE in Surrey Hills!!!!! Can’t wait, will think of you while I’m there!!!! Thanks for all your great posts, always enjoy them! XXX
Hahaha…take money, Kathy!! :D Have a great time!
Well done you, although it does make me feel a little guilty for my less than diligent approach to food leftovers. Thank god for the chooks.
Amanda, you have dogs and chooks..and teenagers! I’m sure very little goes to waste at your place!
Thanks for this post Celia. Rhonda at DTE reminded everyone today that we should comment on blogs we enjoy and she is right. My grandbaby and daughter are in hospital for an extended stay and this will be a good portable meal for her that I can take in with a salad.
Madge, thank you. I hope your daughter and grandchild are ok – I’ve done the extended stay in hospital thing, and it’s very hard. Please wish them our best. x
Great post and one I’ll be emulating! I’m always looking for ways to ‘use up’ odds and ends.
Pat, you’re so good at it! :)
Wonderful, creative bread Celia! Food waste is almost non-existent here. Either I cook or reuse leftovers or the chooks or dogs or worms get them. Your bread is a really good idea. I am off to read the Stefano link now!
Jane, that must be so rewarding! I still need to work harder at it! x
I hate being wasteful too. I feel good about having two dogs as they are very good for eating things that are borderline in terms of being okay for human consumption and great for scraps that would otherwise end up in the bin. They eat all our borderline bacon, sausages, cured meats, grated cheeses, chicken off-cuts like wing tips, back-bone, gnarly gristle bits etc. And they love all these bits! It makes me feel good that the ‘waste’ is feeding our dogs well xx
Charlie, and you’re probably saving a fortune on dog food too! Having dogs really sounds like the big tip for never having to waste anything! :)
Food waste just feels so wrong and yet sometimes I have to push myself to use up things – I am feeling very virtuous at the moment with an almost empty crisper so I don’t feel compelled to use up everything (will change at weekend farmers markets). I love your focaccias – I tend to not get around to using herbs so maybe they could go into such a focaccia
Johanna, herbs would be great in this, particularly rosemary!
Looks great Celia, perfect for a picnic too. I love making focaccia with my daughter – her 5 year old fingers are the perfect tools for those focaccia dimples. Now I want to have some leftovers so I can make this version, maybe including our air-dried ham?
The piggies that cleared our garden for us last year (and provided the ham) were fantastic for helping prevent waste – it was so satisfying seeing perennial weeds being turned into chorizo!
Andrea, how could there possibly be leftovers of your ham? It looked absolutely divine! And that’s too funny about weeds into chorizo – I thought I was doing well getting my weeds turned into eggs! :)
What a great idea. I often make a filled focaccia but never thought to mix the ingredients straight into the dough. Will have to give this a try. Thanks.
Tania, I used to put ingredients on top, but they always burnt! :)
Great Focaccia Celia! I’d love to try a piece, toasted with a slather of home made butter mmmmm ;)
I do hate waste, it really annoys me when I hear of all the food wastage by restaurants. We try to use up every single bit, composting scraps. I think the next step for us is to get chickens too. Sustainable living at it’s best
Lisa, chooks are just fabulous, we adore ours, even though they’re getting a bit old and ratty now. I think they’ll be some new ones here in Spring! :)
A wonderful use of leftovers, Celia. It looks delicious.
Thanks Misky! It was ALL eaten! :)
I haven’t put the bits right in with the flour- always added them on top- thanks for the tip!
We don’t have many leftovers. My sister doesn’t like to cook- so I package up a portion for her from the beginning of our meal and she has meals ready to go. Anything else is lunch the next day- because I don’t like to fuss with food for lunch.
Heidi, I used to put things on top as well, but they always burnt! Much easier just to bung it all in at the beginning! :) Cynthia must love having you as a sister, I know I would! :)
Wonderfully frugal and delicious. I, of course appreciate the approach and ethos of this – cracking stuff!
Thanks Nick! :)
Who would guess this focaccia was made with leftovers.
Norma, it was so nice not having to waste anything. And it fed so many people too! :)
What a great mix of flavours and textures indeed Celia! I can’t imagine your growing boys leave too many leftovers, but it does just feel so wrong and disrespectful to throw food away. I do try hard not to generate kitchen waste, but between the dog, cat, worm farm and compost bin we don’t do too badly. Xox
Becca, for some reason the combination of turkey breast and fig seems to work really well! :)
Luckily hubby eats everything and anything really. I just made a trifle out out of the off cuts from the Neapolitan cake and thankfully he loved it. I don’t know what I’d do if I had a fussy eater!
He’s such a good guy, Lorraine! Remember the blue jelly? (I keep saying that, don’t I? Shows how much of an impact that story had on me!) :)
Well, most of my stirfries and fried rice ‘offerings’ follow the same route and oft end up even tastier than the originals dishes . . . Hate waste and can imagine how much there is in the restaurant world – shall click on the link even tho’ I feel the truth is not going to make one a happy camper :) !
Eha, rice and noodles is a great way to use up leftovers! :)
Your leftovers foccacia looks a far more delcious option than some of mine. At best they are turned into frittata, bubble & squeak, toast topping or into the freezer. At worst I say to the G.O. “this is still all right/only just past its best by date – take it for lunch”, or I will, and then have to answer the work kitchen lunch time “oh that looks good, what is it?” circumspectly rather than accurately which would be… “old leftovers” ;)
But isn’t it great that your coworkers think your leftovers look like a gourmet lunch? They must be pretty fancy, ED! :)
Oh what a great post……..just about to make butter from out of date organic cream.
Woohoo..that’s treasure, Elaine! :)
What a creative way to use left-overs, Celia. For me, it’s either pasta or a frittata. Creating this focaccia masterpiece never would have crossed my mind. It sure does look good!
John, I’ve seen your frittata recipe, it’s wonderful! This is really a very easy bread recipe – as it’s a flatbread, it’s not a huge deal if it doesn’t rise much! :)
I get very angry with myself if something gets lost in the crisper drawer and turns to mush. Waste was not how I was raised. Make do or do without was the motto. Love your foccacia.
I loathe waste and Dave and I eat leftovers for lunch the next day, or I add to my soup pot!
Finally had my oven repaired so I can bake again. Friday stuffed with lots of odds and ends of fantastic cheese – this is perfect.