Baguette

This recipe was found at food.com

Ingredients:
1 (1/4 ounce) packet active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 cups water (105 -115 F)
4 -4 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
Directions:
1 In a large bowl sprinkle yeast and sugar over warm water and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
2 With a wooden spoon stir in 2 cups flour until combined.
3 Stir in salt and 2 cups of remaining flour until mixture forms a stiff dough.
4 On a lightly floured surface knead dough with lightly floured hands 8 minutes, or until smooth and elastic, kneading in enough of remaining 1/2 cup flour to keep dough from sticking.
5 Transfer dough to a lightly oiled deep bowl, turning to coat with oil, and let rise, bowl covered with plastic wrap, until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.
6 Preheat oven to 475-500°F (My oven does best with 475°, but it runs hot).
7 Punch down dough and form into a long slender loaf about 21 inches long and 3 inches wide.
8 You can also form individual mini-loaves.
9 Put loaf diagonally on a lightly greased large or 17 x 14-inch baking sheet and let rise, uncovered, about 30 minutes.
10 (Baguette may be made up to this point 4 hours ahead and chilled.) Make 3 or 4 diagonal slashes on loaf with a razor and lightly brush top with cool water.
11 Bake loaf in middle of oven 30 minutes, or until golden and sounds hollow when tapped, and transfer to a rack to cool.
12 Notes: For a chewy interior and perfect, crusty exterior, place a dutch oven filled with water in oven as it preheats for about an hour.
13 The humid enviroment will ensure the texture comes out right.
14 Baking stones don't hurt either.
15 If you don't want to put water into the oven, you can use a spray mister to keep the enviroment moist as it cooks.
Notes:

i) I used a 12g package of dry yeast. According to the instructions on the packet I mixed the dry yeast with the flour separately. I mixed the warm water, salt, and sugar also separately. I stirred the water vigorously so that the salt and sugar dissolved. I poured the water mixture over the yeast/flour mixture and blended them.
ii) I let the dough rise for 3-4 hours
iii) I didn´t grease the bowl and I didn´t grease the ban. I put milk on top of the bread instead of water before putting it in the oven

Torta di funghi (Wild mushroom tart) by Antonio Carluccio

I am very glad to see my beloved 'funghi' were already fashionable 500 years ago.

Ingredients

• 6 tbsp olive oil

• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

• about 800g/1lb 12oz wild mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

• 1 large onion, finely sliced

• about 500g/1lb 2oz spinach or Swiss chard (use only the green part of the chard)

• 300g/10½oz asparagus tips

• 30g/1oz seedless raisins

• 40g/1½oz walnuts, chopped

• 3 slices stale bread, soaked in water to soften, then squeezed and torn into small pieces

• spice mixture: 1 tsp each ground cinnamon, ground pepper, sugar and salt

• herb mixture: 2 tbsp each chopped fresh mint, marjoram and thyme or oregano

• flour, for dusting

• 800g/1lb 12oz ready-made puff pastry (enough for the base and lid)

• 1 free-range egg, beaten

Preparation method

1. Heat two tablespoons of the oil in a pan and add the garlic and the wild mushrooms. Fry gently until softened, then set aside.

2. Heat another two tablespoons of oil in a pan and add the sliced onion. Fry gently until softened, then set aside.

3. Heat the remaining two tablespoons of oil in a large pan, add the spinach or Swiss chard and cook, covered, stirring occasionally until wilted. Squeeze out any excess moisture.

4. Stir the asparagus tips, raisins, walnuts, breadcrumbs and the spice mixture into the spinach. Add the mushrooms and onion and finally the fresh herbs. Mix well.

5. Preheat the oven to 180C/375F/Gas 5.

6. Roll the pastry out on a lightly floured surface. Cut out a round large enough to cover the base and sides of a large tart case and another circle to form the lid.

7. Place the pastry base into the tin and spoon in the filling mixture. Cover with the pastry lid and brush well with beaten egg.