I have a rather old rosemary plant with no space to repot and overwinter it. Last year I risked leaving it outdoors and took cuttings. It survived the mild winter, but has lost a lot of needles this summer and has barely put on new growth. So I have been harvesting a lot, and a new smaller plant is on my list for spring. So, what can I do with all my rosemary?
My trusty calendar for October had the answer:
🙂
Rosemary Focaccia
- 5oog (1 lb) strong white flour
- 10g (1 tbsp) dried instant yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsps olive oil
- 325ml (1 1/3 cups) warm water
Mix all the ingredients well and knead for 5 – 10 minutes until you have a smooth and elastic dough. Place in a clean bowl and brush with oil. Cover and leave in a warm place to rise for an hour or two.
Divide into two, or if you like you could make up to 6 mini foccaccia. Flatten slightly and place on a lightly floured baking tray. Cover with a tea towel and leave in a warm place for a further twenty minutes. Preheat your oven to 250°C/475°F.
Topping:
- 3 or 4 cloves of garlic, crushed and mixed into 5 tbsps olive oil
- 100g (3 1/2 oz) feta cheese, crumbled into large chunks
- about 10 cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
- sea salt, freshly ground black pepper
- 6 sprigs of rosemary
After the dough has rested a second time, use your knuckles to make little dimples in the top. Place the feta and tomatoes in and around these dimples and then brush the garlic oil all over – nice and generously! Sprinkle with sea salt, pepper and the rosemary sprigs, which you can break up a little.
Bake for 20-30 minutes until firm in the centre and golden and crispy on the outside.
Enjoy while still warm!
(Tip: leftovers can be warmed in the microwave the next day and taste just as good!)
Have you ever made Focaccia?
Words and Herbs 
Lovely. I should’ t think there would be any left overs.
It makes rather a lot, and there are just the two of us!
Dear Cathy:
I like this recipe very much and appreciate your sharing.
The rosemary blooms lignifications, It is ture?
sophia
Thanks Sophia. Glad you like the recipe.
mmmm
Exactly! 😉
Looks amazing!
Wanted to tell you about a blog that features readers gardens from all around the world. It’s through Fine Gardening magazine. I think you should submit photos of your garden!
http://www.finegardening.com/want-us-feature-your-garden-garden-photo-day-blog
Thanks Bonnie! I’ll take a look at that link.
looks delicious 😀
It is! 😉
Mmmm, homemade foccacia! Rosemary is one of those plants I’m never totally successful with… Perhaps overwintering…
If I buy a smaller plant in the spring I’ll have room to bring it indoors over winter for a couple of years. They are tough, but permafrost just finishes them off, even in the ground!
Rosemary has such a nice aroma. Looks like a tasty supper Cathy! I’m a fan of foccacia, but have made it only once and recipe called for a lot more olive oil. Just go home from a “Farm To Fork” presentation and sampled 5-6 dishes made with special olive oils and balsamic vinegars. Will have to visit the speaker’s store soon–fortunately it’s local.
It’s worth using a really good quality oil for something like this, so maybe you could try it if you make some purchases! 😉 I have also seen recipes with a lot more oil, but I found this to be plenty. The outside was lovely and crispy!
Oh, I love this idea, although I have to be Gluten Free so i can adapt. But the toppings are wonderful and I will give them a try.
The rosemary with garlic combination is good, but any herbs would be delicious in combintion with garlic and oil! 🙂
Yum!
That’s what I say! 🙂
Looks delicious Cathy, I’m surprised you can’t overwinter rosemary in the ground, I never had a problem in England and you can’t be much further north than where I lived. Maybe in a pot the roots freeze? I make focaccia quite often, I might make some today after reading this!
I have tried it in the ground, but it either freezes to death or rots, as we often get such damp foggy weather in winter that even my rockery is too wet for it. And several weeks of permafrost like we had in the winter of 2011/2012 are deadly! We don’t have the mild Atlantic air coming our way here! The pot was the alternative attempt and has worked for as long as I could bring it indoors.
If you do make focaccia, enjoy it Christina!
Cathy this looks delicious and I love the photo of your Rosemary, It can be cold here so grow mine in a raised bed all through the year but do take cuttings now and then as they root very well.
I took cuttings last year too, and they rooted nicely – one will come indoors and one is in the ground so I can compare how they get through the winter!
I adore rosemary but don’t have enough sun to grow it. Your house must smell wonderful! Looks so yummy.
It does smell good – I think fresh rosemary has a very uplifting aroma, so it should feature in winter recipes more too!
That takes me back to holidays in italy. I find it very hard to believe that you would have any leftovers!
The leftovers didn’t last for long… by lunch the next day it was all gone! 😉
wonderful, this looks so good, tasty and yummy
You should try it! 😉
I’ve never made focaccia before but yours looks really good. Have to try that one out!
You should try it Simone – really tasty! 🙂
Great recipe. It is lovely having a pot of rosemary in the kitchen during the winter and a jar full of dried sprigs in the cupboard just to enjoy the wonderful perfume.
I agree Christine. One of my favourite scents along with lavender. 🙂
Mmmmmm – that looks good.I’ve never tried to make focaccia Cathy but I am rather partial to it : ) That must be down to my Italian genes. I noticed that my rosemary at the allotment had started to flower when I visited earlier this week. It overwinters here but it must get so much colder with you.
Our regional gardening programme told us yesterday to dig it out and pot it up for winter as it is only hardy to about -12 degrees. We don’t always get such cold temperatures, but if we do they are likely to stick around for a few days at least.
I’ve never made it, nor has Judy. But it looks amazing!
You should try it – so much better than the bought stuff! 🙂
HAPPY NOVEMBER CATHY
And to you Eunice! xx
Hugs coming right back!
I love foccacia, and rosemary with garlic is one of my favourite toppings – I tend to leave the cheese for eating alongside it though. Great use of your rosemary. I am planning to use some of mine with a shoulder of lamb, slow roasted.
I will definitely be trying it without the cheese too this month (as November is World Vegan Month!), so good to know you like it that way. Rosemary and garlic do go so well together.
You’ve given me such a good idea. I have a lot of rosemary and I do make a nice rosemary bread, but I haven’t made focaccia, and yours looks so delicious. I might make some tomorrow–I have all the ingredients and I’m home all day–an unusual circumstance. LOL! I am sorry your plant may survive, but it looks to me like it made a valiant contribution that will take you through until spring. 🙂
Have a lovely day baking Debra!
Great idea! I think I’ll harvest some rosemary sprigs today. We’re finally supposed to get a freeze in the next week or so. It’s been weirdly (enjoyable but weird) mild all October.
Same here Lori – the first few days of November have been gorgeous, with sunshine and 14°C!
Love focaccia with rosemary but have not added the other ingredients…thanks for the inspiration. Our weather here in New England is far too cold for my rosemary to live. I have to replant it each year but all my other herbs come back on a regular basis as soon as the snow melts. 🙂
I shall look for some smaller plants next spring that I can hopefully find room for over winter for a year or two. Nothing beats that aroma! 🙂
I just brought my old and too-large plant around to the garage for the winter…. and too bad I didn’t have this recipe when I was at a loss for cherry tomato recipes!
I’m going to get a couple of small ones next spring and start afresh. 🙂
I have and I love it! Will try your receipe very soon 🙂
Enjoy! 🙂
Oh yum! My mouth is watering looking at your fabulous creation. They look delicious. I used to grow rosemary, but discovered after pruning it that my eyes swelled and watered for hours afterword. I’ve never had a plant reaction before in all my years of gardening, but rosemary needs to sit it out in my garden. It’s a great flavor isn’t it and a pretty flower, too. Best of luck with your plant next year.
A shame you react so badly to it… hope you can still eat it though! 🙂 Thanks Alys. I can’t wait for spring already, and a new aromatic rosemary plant!
I can! It’s just the oil in my eyes that’s problematic. I love rosemary scones. Yummmm!
Such a wonderful combination of ingredients! I’ve never made focaccia, will have to try it using your recipe! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Hope you do try it Sheryl – tomato season is over now, but I think this would be great with just the garlic oil! 😉