Wasting food drives me crazy. That doesn’t mean I never throw anything out, but every time I have to, it annoys me so much that I want to beat my head against a wall.
My friend Johnny feels the same way, which is why the offcuts from his gourmet food company are carefully packaged up and sold at heavily discounted prices through his retail shop. When I saw him last week, he handed me several bags and, generous soul that he is, refused to take any money for them. He said, “Celia, I have heaps and not everyone is as enthusiastic about them as you are”.
For the life of me, I can’t figure out why not! I was squealing with excitement over this bag filled with end pieces and wonky slices of Spanish jamon…
On Saturday morning, I added a handful of chopped jamon to our yeasted dough, along with Ford Farm Coastal cheddar and dollops of Pete’s quince paste. The risen dough was then shaped into two focaccias…
I delivered one slab to Johnny’s shop as a thank you, and fed the other to Will and Bethany who’d popped over for lunch (the focaccia we ate had some air-dried ham in it as well)…
The following day, I thought I’d experiment with the chorizo we’d been given…
I chopped it up finely and added it to my dough with cheese. No quince paste this time – I wasn’t sure the flavours would work well together…
Here’s my yeasted focaccia recipe…
- 500g bakers/bread flour
- 10g instant/dried yeast
- 7g fine sea salt
- 320g water
- 50g olive oil
- 200 – 250g (approx) of mixed deli meats and cheeses – for the chorizo focaccia, I used 120g meat and 80g Coastal cheddar.
1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and yeast. Add the water and oil, then add the filling, cut up into small pieces. With a clean hand, squelch everything together to form a sticky dough. Scrape off your hand, and cover the bowl with clingfilm. Allow to rest for about half an hour.
2. Leaving the dough in the bowl, give it a brief knead (doing this in the bowl saves on cleaning up the bench later, and also contains all the inclusions, which tend to fly around otherwise when kneaded). It should only take about 30 seconds for the dough to turn quite smooth. Cover again and leave to rise until doubled – this could take a bit longer than usual with all the added bits and pieces.
3. Line a pan with parchment paper and scrape the risen dough into it. I used a 23cm x 33cm (9″ x 13″) rectangular tin. Gently pat and stretch the dough out to fit evenly into the pan. Cover and let it rest until it puffs up a little – about 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to maximum.
4. Uncover the dough and drizzle with oil, then scatter a little salt over the top (not too much, as the fillings are already quite salty). Push clean fingers through to the bottom of the dough.
5. Put the pan into the hot oven, lowering the temperature to 220C (430F) and bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating the bread once during the baking time. Watch it carefully, as it can brown up very quickly.
The absence of the quince paste resulted in a deliciously salty loaf. The chorizo flavour was very pronounced and paprika oil from the meat added colour to the crumb. Pete and Small Man loved it…
It’s amazing how far offcuts can stretch! Our three focaccias fed ten people this weekend, and we’ve barely dipped into the bags. The jamon has been divided up and vacuum-sealed – I’ve popped a couple of smaller portions into the freezer for future meals.
The next time you see offcuts for sale at your local deli, grab them! They’re wonderful to have on hand – we use them in potato ragout, soups, pastas, breads and more. My mum even adds them to her fried rice!
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
I also hate wastage and would buy these treats if I saw them. Perfect for omelettes. So nice you bartered them for your delicious focaccia :)
Tandy, that’s a fabulous idea! We’re drowning in an egg glut at the moment! :)
You make some great bread and this is right up there with the rest!
Greg, thank you! This one was great fun to make!
Yummmmm!
They really were! :)
The focaccias looks delicious.
Thanks Manuela! They went down a treat! :)
Oh you lucky, lucky lady! We bought jamon with us from Spain but it’s now long gone but as we get to the end of the “leg” and it’s dry, it goes into soups, pasta sauces but never bread…I love the idea of what you did, and I think I have a sad bit of chorizo in the fridge which was going to go into the stock pot but which now, perhaps, has a different destiny! My Big Man loves bread, a meal without it would be unthinkable. He’d eat bread with bread if necessary so he’d love to lurk around your kitchen for a few weeks trying out all your amazing breads!
Thank you for being enthusiastic with me, I thought it was incredibly exciting! If you ever make it to Sydney, I’ll bake bread for Big Man! :D
I’ve visited twice already (lucky me!) it’s such a wonderful, cosmopolitan city…but you never know, I might get third time lucky and get back again and we’ll be round for a bread feast :)
I’ll have to try this for my carnivores. (and perhaps a cheese and olive version for me.) Looks amazing! Hugs, Maz.
Maz, I’ve made oodles of vegetarian versions, and they work really well! Maybe even stir through a spoonful of chipotle salsa? :)
Celia! You’ve really outdone yourself this time. That jamon and quince focaccia sounds to die for- it’s like the sandwich that makes itself! How nice to be able to play around with a beautiful package of offcuts, that will eventually feed family and friends. Love this post! Xx
Emilie, you are such a kindred spirit, I knew you’d enjoy this one! I burnt the top of the fourth focaccia I made (a jamon and quince paste one), so I cut the top off, sliced the focaccia in half and used it as sandwich bread. I filled it with pulled pork and chipotle bbq sauce and it was ridiculously good! :)
Spanish recipe :)
the result is amazing ! Congratulations :)
Hehe…maybe not a true Spanish recipe, but the flavour of the jamon was amazing!
Baby you are calling my name when you talk about delicious jamon! Isn’t it wonderful that Johnny sells product in this way… I hate waste too and you have created something mouthwateringly good here!
Liz, he donates a heap to charity too – he’s one of the really good guys in the food industry!
Awesome save there Celia. I might be vegan and I might not be so inclined to squeal with joy at a bag of porcine off-cuts but I relish the frugality of using everything, otherwise the waste is a denial of the process of that animals life. Kudos on feeding so many people with so little and I dare say your deli man is going to save his off-cuts for you all of the time if you deliver delicious focaccia back to him on a regular basis :) Cheers for the focaccia recipe, I am going to stud mine with “misc and other” rather than the off-cuts but I used to buy them when I made pizza for the kids, you get some amazingly pricey things thrown into those bags for peanuts and the quality of my pizzas were reflected in those bags :)
Fran, you are such a good sport – you don’t eat meat, but you’re always so generous and non-judgmental of those of us who do. Thank you! And I couldn’t agree with you more – if we’re going to eat meat, we should try our hardest to make the most of what the animal has to offer and not waste any of it.
I’ve made oodles of vegetarian versions of the focaccia – stuffed with olives and leftover antipasto. I think the cheese makes a difference though – is there a vegan cheese you can use?
Yup, I make my own Celia and bread is non sectarian when it comes to diets…there is a bread for everyone :)
I don’t judge anyone for what they choose to eat. It’s my choice to eat what I eat and I would hope that we could all make our own judgement calls in this life without feeling the need to judge and call out anyone else on theirs :)
What a clever solution! This looks so very tasty! :)
Thank you! It was easy to make too, which means I do it all the time! :)
Love this post Celia – I hate waste too – and can never understand people who won’t buy off-cuts or even use leftovers!
Rachel, I know what you’re saying – I know lots of folks who always throw away their leftovers. I’m always stashing them in the freezer, then once every couple of months when I’m too shattered to cook, we have a lucky dip for dinner.. :)
That looks delicious Celia! You are right, who would not love those end pieces of jamon?? I often chop ham or bacon into pieces to use in cooking, so why not end pieces?
Ardys, that’s exactly right! It’s such a happy treat – not only do they taste amazing, but they’ve helped this week’s food budget out no end.. :)
I also hate waste, it drives me crazy, although at least the chooks are next in line. I often buy things that are bagged up and cost little- mature mushrooms for example, which make a very tasty soup, or bags of imperfect peppers, to roast. Your foccaccia looks very speedy to make and filling with the inclusion of meat and cheese. Yum.
Francesca, we’re the same – the chooks and the worms look after almost everything we can’t use.
So good Celia! The orange colour from the chorizo is very pretty indeed. I buy deli off cuts for $4 kg and then go through them sorting which to freeze or use immediately. I have little bags in the freezer marked ‘pizza’ or ‘soup’ etc and they are so handy-and delicious- indeed. I love the lucky dip and bargain! Xox
Becca, they’re such a bargain! And it always amazes me how far preserved meats like this stretch – we don’t need very much at all to flavour an entire dish!
What a great idea. You are so clever about using up everything. I hate waste but I’m nowhere as good as you are about eliminating waste.
Maureen, I’m feeding WOLVES. And chickens and worms.. :D
love your creativity celia..and your philosophy on waste avoidance is music to my ears..x
Jane, I know we think alike on this – thanks for understanding how crazy it drives me. :)
Hmm: Have never made anything like this myself, but I have been lifting three ends of chorizo in their separate bags around my fridge for days and I hate throwing anything out so perhaps something new should be added to my recipe list :) !
Eha, it’s a great way to use up those end bits! :)
Celia I have been totally obsessed with your focaccia lately. It’s so easy and such a good way to use up leftovers and I imagine I’m going to need a lot of these sorts of recipes when Ollie gets a bit bigger. I will be keeping an eye out for deli offcuts from now on.
Claire, your little man gets bigger by the minute! He’s such a lucky boy to be growing up with you cooking for him! x
I have got to find a deli like that near where I live!
Food waste is a terrible thing and I have to confess I am guilty too often. Once again you have inspired me to do better. Thanks Celia.
Jenny, we all throw stuff out – it’s almost unavoidable – so it was nice to be able to “save” food with this bread, if that makes sense.. :)
I so agree Celia. Absolutely hate wasting food. Was reading an article on the weekend about the 3rd largest supermarket company in France selling not perfect looking fruit and veg for 30% cheaper. Needless to say it was a great success. Who cares what it looks like, it all tastes the same. And, it also goes without saying that your bread making skills are so amazing:)
Jody, thank you! I’m fortunate to have a family of good eaters. That’s a great idea the French supermarket has – much better than throwing away anything that’s blemished!
Oh gosh yes, I detest food waste so I buy carefully to try to avoid it and try to plan leftovers rather than let them happen. Yesterday I hosted and cooked the main course for 30 and was quite proud of my minimal waste, the same could not to said of nibblies and dessert brought by others — I had to throw out too much.
Rose, well done you! Cooking for 30 with very little wastage is a huge achievement! :)
This would be great for packed lunches, especially during harvest when the tractor drivers hate sandwiches with fillings that fall out when they try to eat them one handed as they drive down the fields. I might try adding a little sun dried tomato.
Anne, I often throw in any old antipasto that I can find in the fridge – works a treat. Hope the tractor drivers enjoy it! :)
I am extremely frugal and hate wasting anything. Your focaccia look fantastic Celia. I would love to have been in your kitchen when they were baking, especially to enjoy a piece as they came out of the oven.
Have a wonderful week ahead.
:-) Mandy xo
Mandy, they were sooo good straight out of the oven, the cheese was all melty.. :)
Waste food? I can still sense Mom’s disapproval, Celia. If I come across a prosciutto end at the Italian market, I consider it a very good day. That’s on Friday. On Saturday morning I go the farmers market and Saturday night’s dinner is pasta using my recent purchases. Life is good. :)
John, I think of you so often when I’m in the Italian shops – I know you’d have been as thrilled with the offcuts as I was! Johnny also gave me a bag with two end pieces of San Daniele prosciutto – I gave a loud squeal for both of us at that one.. :)
I could have your Focaccia with Jamon and Chorizo Offcuts as a meal, accompanied with a big bowl of salad and a glass of wine, heavenly.
Norma, thank you! We were naughty and skipped the salad, and fell on it with our hands.. :)
I so much like focaccia and this looks and sounds really, really good. It’s such a brilliant way to make use of food that would otherwise be passed over and makes the bread so much more than just a nice extra.
Thanks Jan! The bread was astonishingly flavoured from all the add-ins!
Our local butcher has the BEST bacon, which is not cheap. They also have end cuts of this same bacon that I discovered at half the price — hopefully this will stay a well kept secret. What a generous man your friend is indeed! Enthusiasm does have its reward. :)
I am a huge fan of focaccia — I’ve added olives and herbs, but I’ve never added bits of meat to it. This looks and sounds amazing. Just the inspiration I need to plan some focaccia from the sourdough starter on my counter.
Judy, it’s amazing what a difference the jamon and chorizo made to the breads. Because they’re mixed in right at the beginning, they seem to infuse the crumb with flavour! Have fun with your sourdough focaccia!
Johnny must have been thrilled with his “thank you”. Both of the focaccias sound terrific.
Karen, thank you, and yes, he was! :)
You know this is why it’s sometimes better to pay a little more at a local shop where the butcher or owner knows you vs. a big store. Loyalty certainly paid off – for both of you. This Focaccia looks great and I’ll bet Johnny was shocked at his payback. Nicely done Celia.
Thanks love, and Johnny was happy with his lunch! It was nice to be able to repay the favour!
I am definitely with you! I hate waste. Unfortunately it does happen but I do try to limit it. I do try to only purchase what we can use and I do have fun trying to revamp leftovers into something new and different! Your focaccia is beautiful! So lovely to have fresh bread on the table.
Lauren, we’re so spoilt for bread these days – it’s hard to eat anything other than homemade! :)
What a kind man to give you those off-cuts and then how good you were to return the favour by giving him one of your focaccias. He must have felt very blessed. I hate waste too and often buy ham offcuts that I chop up to make a cheap but delicious mid-week pasta. It’s so true – why should these things go to waste! xx
Charlie, they’re like the secret bargain of the deli counter! Nice to have you home! :)
What a wonderful way to use up the leftover ends! They are like treasures, I wonder why more people wouldn’t buy them. More for you I guess!
Gretchen, I know! I honestly don’t know why they don’t get snaffled up the minute they hit the shelves..
I love that you gave a loaf to those that gave you the offcuts Its the gift that keeps on giving!
Vita, it was so nice to be able to repay the favour!
You’re great at this, Celia! Thanks for the tips!
Julie
Gourmet Getaways
Thanks Jules! This is an easy way to feed the tribe! :)
MMMM,…Celia! This special focaacia looks amazing & must be ever so tasty too! Yum! You come up with the most tasty ideas!
Sophie, thank you! It was fun to make too!
My latest post is home-made spelt foccaccia with Rosemary & 2 types of tomatoes from my garden: http://sophiesfoodiefiles.wordpress.com/2014/07/31/wholemeal-spelt-foccacia-with-rosemary-2-types-tomatoes-from-my-garden/
Your resourcefulness (and generosity, and cleverness, and humour, and green fingers!) is one reason I love your blog. quince and jamon and cheese – i can feel the italians and spanish and portugese (quince always makes me think of portugese cuisine) nodding in approval :)
Michaela, such a kind comment, thank you! I hope they approve – or at least that they’re not raising their eyebrows! :)
I’m a big fan of offcuts! They’re perfectly good and we bought a 2kg bag from Ivan’s Butchery for $4 or $5. We ate them on home made pizzas and in sandwiches. Next time we’ll try something like this! :D
Woohoo…huge bargain there! Pizza topping is such a good use for the offcuts.. :)
I shouldn’t visit at lunchtime.
I’m thrilled any time you visit! :) How’s George going?
We would never have quiche unless my Mum could buy bacon off-cuts sold by the butcher. It would have been extravagant to cut up strips of bacon. Love this post for many reasons.
Sally, I love that you always understand what I’m trying to say! Thanks love x
I love this post! As I sit here eating bruschetta made with a stack of leftovers from a feast last night. I can’t stand to throw things out, the only consolation is that the chickens are very happy recipients :)
Hi Celia, just popped up my contribution to International Scones Week :)
http://www.themotherhubbardscupboard.com/scones-parmesa…undried-tomato/ Thanks for the reminder! Liz x
Do me a favour Liz and leave another comment on the post when it goes up tomorrow – that way folks will know that your post is up. Thanks!
Hi Celia this looks amazing. I’m wondering if I could use this recipe and substitute gluten free flour? Have you tried the g f flour?
Hi Laurie, I don’t think so – yeast needs gluten to work unfortunately. You might be able to make a soda bread version though? My friend Becca is the queen of GF – might be worth checking in with her for advice…
http://intolerantchef.blogspot.com.au/