I asked John to get me a few eggplant at the store yesterday. The best he could find were 2 of the Japanese variety. They were pretty long but past their prime. They have to be used, so today I took one and blackened it directly on the gas burner. After an all over char, I let it cool and carefully pealed off the blackened skin. My habit is to cut it crosswise so there are no long fibers in my dip. Now comes the salt, pepper, cumin, smoked Spanish paprika, tahini, garlic and a good mix. Next I add the lemon juice and another fork mix. When that looks right, I add the olive oil and beat vigorously until emulsified.
I give a taste and it needs more salt and a bit more tahini. Now it needs a bit more lemon juice. OK, I can deal with that. It is scraped into a small glass container and into the cold. It is smoky and rich. Yum.
So, this is what we’ve got to work with. 125 grams of puffy sourdough quite risen in the fridge for the last 40 hours or so. It has more than doubled in the ancient cold box so it looks like it needs a bake. Isabel lets me know. It should be two servings, but it all needs to be used. This focaccia sandwich is going to be huge but I’m feeling too lazy to make two separate ones.
I have a sausage, one of the better brands if I remember correctly. It is a Polish with a non-natural skin on it. I pull as much of that stuff off as I can. I quarter it and chop for small pieces. The dough is plopped on a pizza pan in slowly flattening lump. I pull it to a flattish rectangle and start to apply the toppings. First comes shaved Parmesan cheese of the 12 month variety. All across the dough it goes with a void for the fold. Next, the cut sausage spread as close the the edges as possible while leaving enough for a decent seal.
The Baba Ganoush joins the group as it is spread out evenly. Lastly, a layer of thinly slice green cabbage for a crisp texture. The dough is folded over and crimped. It has outgrown the pizza pan so I get the 8×8 USA pan and slide it in with the parchment it was resting on. Then I tuck in the edges of the fold and let it rest for 45 min.
I have never put these ingredients together so have no idea if it will work. Soon, however, the truth will be known.
Resting time is over so I remove the plastic wrap and sprinkle on sesame seeds and Kosher salt. Then I poke 3 small holes for the steam to escape and into a 450° oven with fan for 25 minutes. After 10 minutes the temp is reduced to 425°. Needs a bit more time, set for an extra 5 but only gave 3.
All said and done it is judged a success. The baba ganoush gives plenty of creamy moisture and a nice garlic note. The deep smokiness comes through as well. The Parm adds some saltiness but the cabbage needed to be cut a bit thicker. It did not retain the crunchy texture I was hoping for.
Visually, it’s a bit dark on the edges but it has a nice crunch to the crust. I recovered some of the images I thought lost and have re-edited this post with more photos.
There are many ways to use your sourdough and a Focaccia sandwich is a good one. They are great for lunches and meals on the go.
