White Soda Focaccia with Caramelised Red Onion & Cooleeney

A couple of weeks ago I was invited along to lunch at the new Avoca in Monkstown, Co. Dublin. A new venture for the family run Avoca as the full premise is solely dedicated to food. There is a cafe which hosts an exciting seasonal menu, which certainly left me spoilt for choice. There is also a lavish food hall which is impressively stocked with fresh fruit and veg, cheeses, rotisserie Irish chickens, fresh breads and cakes, a craft butcher and many delicious Irish products. It's a food lovers haven, which has many of the best artisan products in the country all under one roof.
In the last number of years I have really come to appreciate the value of well produced, good quality food.  Lucky for us in Ireland there is an abundance of food producers that are truly dedicated to developing products that are held in high esteem world wide. We are blessed in this country to have fabulous land and in turn our animals are served an excellent diet, which results in premium meat and milk. The quality of Irish cheeses, yogurts, butter and meat all goes back to the land and how well that our animals are treated by the farmers.
As well as some well known Irish companies there is now an increasing amount of Irish artisan products appearing in our shops. Indeed these artisan products can be expensive but there is little comparison between them and their supermarket equivalent. It has never been more important than now for us to shop local and buy Irish. International studies have confirmed that 45c of every euro spent with local companies re-circulates back into the local economy. There was a fantastic campaign last year asking us to substitute even one product in our basket for an Irish equivalent. It has really made me think, so now when there is an Irish alternative to something on my list, I generally pick it up. 

White Soda Focaccia with Caramelised Red Onion & Cooleeney

Here is a recipe that is based on a bread I once saw Rachel Allen making in Ballymaloe. It's a recipe for a traditional Irish white soda bread but instead of popping it into a loaf tin it is cooked in an oiled swiss roll tin. The orginal recipe had some Cashel Blue and sliced garlic sprinkled over the dough, which was also delicious. I've topped it with some red onion that I caramelised on the pan with a little olive oil, some creamy Irish Cooleeney, a little grated cheddar, a drizzle of olive oil over the top and the result is a very tasty White Soda Focaccia. This makes the perfect accompaniment to soup but also often when I'm entertaining I will have one cut up into lots of cubes to enjoy with wine, cheese and olives. 

Ingredients

Olive Oil

450g plain flour

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

1 teaspoon salt

400ml buttermilk

Topping

75g (3oz) soft cheese,  such as Cooleeney,  Brie or Camembert
handful grated cheddar

3 tbsp caramelised red onion

Olive oil

Method.
1.    Preheat an oven to 200 ̊C/ 430 ̊F/gas mark 7.
2.    Brush a swiss roll tin or baking tray generously with olive oil.
3.   Sieve the plain flour, salt and the bread soda into a big bowl.

      4. Make a well in the centre, pour in most of the buttermilk, and with one hand stiff and your fingers spread out like a claw, start mixing in a full circle once the butter milk has gone in.
  5. Keep mixing like this until you have a soft dough. Do not knead it but work it very gently to bring it together.
  6. Transfer to a floured surface and roll it out to about 35x20cms (14x8inches), and transfer it to the oiled tray.
  7.  Drizzle the top with some more olive oil and sprinkle evenly with the cheese and onions. 
  8.  Put it in the oven and cook for 18-25 minutes, depending on how thick it is. 
  9.  When cooked, it should feel firm in the centre and be gorgeous and golden brown on top.
  10.  Transfer it to a wire rack and cool for a couple of minutes, then cut it into squares and serve.