Frugal Fig Flatbread

Say that five times fast. Then take a bite of the most delicious appetizer I think I have ever served.

The recipe is adapted from The Frugal Foodie Cookbook, written by Alanna Kaufman and Alex Small, aka the bloggers Two Fat Als. I met Alex and Alanna at the Union Square Farmer Farmer’s Market a few weeks ago, where they were selling their book and cooking up Eggplant Pasta. Once I learned that Alex is a med student at Mt Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, I knew I had to buy his book. (Even though I passed up the pasta – Y’all know my feelings on eggplant…) I was so excited – another medical food blogger! And with a book deal!

Alex and Alanna, a law student at Columbia University, met while undergrads at the University of Pennsylvania, and created all their recipes in their book while living on a student budget. Each recipe in the book has a little story attached and a cost breakdown per serving. Most of the recipes appear to be originals. The book’s introductory chapter (much too short, in my opinion) reveals the Als’ secrets for saving money while eating well – like making their own stock and breadcrumbs, using leftovers wisely, freezing herbs and making their own bread.

Of course, frugality (and regular bread making) is best accomplished by those with little financial resources but lots of free time. Students fall nicely into that category. It’s much harder being frugal while working 10-12 hour days, and even harder once you start taking night call. So it will be interesting to see how Alex and Alanna adapt their frugal lifestyles once the demands of residency and the law firm begin to take their toll. Hopefully by then, they will have the resources they need to enjoy being foodies without the luxury of free time.

Fig and Fontina Flatbread with Rosemary

The Fat Als use this Mark Bittman pizza dough recipe for their wonderful appetizer. That particular dough recipe calls for instant yeast. Since I only had active dry yeast, my recipe calls for proofing the yeast first. I’ve also adapted the original recipe by adding fresh rosemary and a generous sprinkle of salt and black pepper. Although The Als’ recipe calls for half figs, I’ve found that it is better to use fig slices, so that the juices find their way onto the bread while it is cooking. Next time I’ll use even more rosemary.

This bread goes great with a cold beer.

For the dough –

1 package active dry yeast
1/4 cup hot water (100 degrees – very hot tap water will do)
A pinch of sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour (I used King Arthur’s bread flour); more as needed
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus a little more
2 teaspoons coarse kosher or sea salt
3/4 cup water

For the topping-
1 cup shredded Fontina cheese
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 lb. black mission figs
Fresh rosemary
Salt and pepper

Pour 1/4 cup hot water into a small bowl. Sprinkle the yeast on top along with a pinch of sugar. Give a quick stir and let sit till bubbles rise. Combine flour, salt, olive oil and activated yeast in a food processor. Begin processing and add 3/4 cup water through feed tube. Process, adding a little more water if necessary, until mixture forms a slightly sticky ball.

Turn dough onto a floured work surface, and knead to form a smooth, round ball. Put dough ball in a bowl, and cover with a clean damp towel. Let rise until dough doubles in size, 1-2 hours.

Just before the dough is done rising, preheat your oven to 400 degrees fahrenheit. Slice the figs by cutting them in half lengthwise (de-stem the ends with the knife if needed), then trimming the backsides flat, so you end up with nice thick slices with skins just around the edges. Divide dough in half and roll it onto lightly oil-greased baking sheets. Rub a little olive oil over the doughs, and divide cheese and figs among them. Sprinkle generously with fresh rosemary, salt and freshly ground pepper. Bake in the oven on the top shelf for 8-10 minutes, until golden. Cut into squares using a pizza cutter and serve.