Super-Simple Focaccia

Recipe by Faigy Grossmann

I’m not gonna lie, store-bought pizza dough is one of my most frequently used ready-made purchases. I use it weekly for homemade pizza night, but here’s another favorite.

YIELDS 1 9X13-INCH (20X30-CM) PAN

• 1 store-bought pizza dough, defrosted
• olive oil
• sliced olives
• crushed garlic, rosemary, and kosher salt, to taste

If you’re using a ball of dough, roll it out to fit a 9×13-inch (20×30-cm) pan. Set dough aside to rise for about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).

Smear a generous layer of olive oil over the dough. Poke your finger all around the dough to make deep indentations. Top with sliced olives, crushed garlic, rosemary, kosher salt. (You can add more of your favorite veggies, such as cherry tomatoes, sliced peppers, sliced mushrooms, etc.)

Bake for about 25 minutes until baked through.

Beef Cheek Monkey Bread

Recipe by Michal Frischman

I developed this recipe for Purim (kids were jungle animals, and monkey bread was my half-hearted attempt at a theme), and my husband described it as “garlic knots meet pulled beef,” aka: good. Not in the mood for the extra steps? Sub 6–8 ounces of diced pastrami for the beef cheek. No one will mind!

SERVES 8

Beef Cheek

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 mushrooms, minced
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• 1 beef cheek (about ¾–1 lb/340–450 g)
• a few leaves of dill or parsley

Monkey Bread

• ¾ cup dark brown sugar, packed
• olive oil or cooking spray, for dipping
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 Tbsp garlic powder
• 2 Tbsp paprika
• 2 lbs (910 g) pizza dough, room temperature
• 3 Tbsp porcini mushroom powder
• 1½ Tbsp salt

For the beef cheek: In a small saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Sauté onion, carrot, and mushrooms until softened. Season with salt and pepper. Add the cheek and herbs and cover three-quarters of the way with water. Cover the pan, leaving space for steam to escape. Bring to a simmer, then lower and cook on low for 3–4 hours or until very tender. Remove the cheek and shred with a fork. Save the leftover broth for soup, cholent, sauces, or rice.

To make the monkey bread: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).

Mix the spices in a shallow dish. Prepare a sheet of parchment paper. Cut the dough into 1-inch (2½-cm) balls and line them up on the paper. Spray the dough balls liberally with cooking spray or dip each ball in olive oil. Dip each ball in the spice mix, making sure it’s well coated. Spray a tube pan with cooking spray and lay a layer of dough on the bottom of the pan. Add a layer of beef cheek. Add another layer of dough and more beef cheek until all the dough and meat are in the pan. Bake for 45 minutes. Allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then flip onto a platter.

Best served warm and dipped into roasted garlic mayo.

(Originally featured in Family Table, Issue 747)