Last week, driving to Santa Margherita Ligure from Piedmont, I instigated a lunch stop in Recco to sample the famed Focaccia di Recco at its source, Manuelina. This is, in fact, its commercial originator way back in 1885. I was in the area and had to make a small detour try it.
Most Houstonians might only know, even if just by name, Focaccia di Recco from the version at Rosie Cannonball, a stalwart on its menus since opening a few years ago that has drawn raves and press from Alison Cook in Houston Chronicle, Eric Sandler in CultureMap and Houstonia among others. Quite distinct from the puffy, familiar focaccia found throughout Liguria, which I love – usually flecked with some rosemary when I have to order it – the Recco version features unleavened dough and is essentially a baked, thin, flat sandwich filled with cheese. Consisting of two very thin pieces of olive oil-laden dough featuring finely milled “top quality” high-gluten flour interspersed with dollops of stracchino, a creamy, mild fresh cow’s milk cheese from Lombardy, then drizzled with more olive oil, some salt and it is finally baked in circular cutouts in copper pans in a moderately hot oven until crisp.
Arriving at the table looking a lot like a Tex-Mex quesadilla, the result is that kind of cooking alchemy that you happily come upon every now and then, with the combination of seemingly simple straightforward components makes for something much more interesting and amazingly pleasurable. At the first bite I could understand why this dish has resonated so loudly. The classic version with just cheese, La Focaccia di Recco col formaggio IGP – it has its own protected designation – was crisp, gooey and wonderful. It made me think of a lighter, more refined, more Italian version of a grilled cheese sandwich. We also ordered version topped with slices of culatello, the cured heart of the prosciutto, and another with nduja, the greasy, piquant Calabrian fresh sausage. Both were terrific, though my favorite was the original, unadorned, and I had a tough time not picking up yet another wedge. With good reason Italian dining guidebook author Fred Plotkin called over a quarter century ago, “probably the most addictive food on the planet.” Even my Parisian-trained pastry chef sister-in-law was dutifully impressed with the focaccias.
Though the Focaccia di Recco was the reason for our stop, the rest of the meal was excellent and you can be assured of having a very enjoyable time without even ordering one. Anchovies and butter to start then a traditional Ligurian pansotti, a stuffed pasta, in a walnut sauce were both superb. The attention to quality extended to the top-notch German-style pilsner on tap from a long-standing small brewery in the Veneto and a tasty bottle of Rossese di Dolceacqua – which is not always so as we were to find out later – from the very short list of wines. Service was efficient, friendly accommodating and the lunch was comfortable and delightful throughout. The adjacent ristorante is Michelin-recommended and the quality of this focaccia-focused trattoria is indicative of the great utility of the Michelin guide, even for the related restaurants.
But, it you are going to visit, get the Focaccia di Recco, as every table in the dining room did, too.
Manuelina Focacceria Bistrot
Via Roma 296
16036 Recco (GE)
manuelinafocacceria.it/recco/
Most Houstonians might only know, even if just by name, Focaccia di Recco from the version at Rosie Cannonball, a stalwart on its menus since opening a few years ago that has drawn raves and press from Alison Cook in Houston Chronicle, Eric Sandler in CultureMap and Houstonia among others. Quite distinct from the puffy, familiar focaccia found throughout Liguria, which I love – usually flecked with some rosemary when I have to order it – the Recco version features unleavened dough and is essentially a baked, thin, flat sandwich filled with cheese. Consisting of two very thin pieces of olive oil-laden dough featuring finely milled “top quality” high-gluten flour interspersed with dollops of stracchino, a creamy, mild fresh cow’s milk cheese from Lombardy, then drizzled with more olive oil, some salt and it is finally baked in circular cutouts in copper pans in a moderately hot oven until crisp.
Arriving at the table looking a lot like a Tex-Mex quesadilla, the result is that kind of cooking alchemy that you happily come upon every now and then, with the combination of seemingly simple straightforward components makes for something much more interesting and amazingly pleasurable. At the first bite I could understand why this dish has resonated so loudly. The classic version with just cheese, La Focaccia di Recco col formaggio IGP – it has its own protected designation – was crisp, gooey and wonderful. It made me think of a lighter, more refined, more Italian version of a grilled cheese sandwich. We also ordered version topped with slices of culatello, the cured heart of the prosciutto, and another with nduja, the greasy, piquant Calabrian fresh sausage. Both were terrific, though my favorite was the original, unadorned, and I had a tough time not picking up yet another wedge. With good reason Italian dining guidebook author Fred Plotkin called over a quarter century ago, “probably the most addictive food on the planet.” Even my Parisian-trained pastry chef sister-in-law was dutifully impressed with the focaccias.
Though the Focaccia di Recco was the reason for our stop, the rest of the meal was excellent and you can be assured of having a very enjoyable time without even ordering one. Anchovies and butter to start then a traditional Ligurian pansotti, a stuffed pasta, in a walnut sauce were both superb. The attention to quality extended to the top-notch German-style pilsner on tap from a long-standing small brewery in the Veneto and a tasty bottle of Rossese di Dolceacqua – which is not always so as we were to find out later – from the very short list of wines. Service was efficient, friendly accommodating and the lunch was comfortable and delightful throughout. The adjacent ristorante is Michelin-recommended and the quality of this focaccia-focused trattoria is indicative of the great utility of the Michelin guide, even for the related restaurants.
But, it you are going to visit, get the Focaccia di Recco, as every table in the dining room did, too.
Manuelina Focacceria Bistrot
Via Roma 296
16036 Recco (GE)
manuelinafocacceria.it/recco/
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