The Best Focaccia!

I have been neglectful on writing on my Blog so I thought I would share my Focaccia recipe which I am so addicted to.  

I love using this substantial Focaccia Pan that I purchased at the King Arthur Baking Company.  It is made out of aluminum and measures 9" x 9" x 2".  I actually went back to the store and bought another one. 

 

RECIPE:

 

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon instant yeast

1 1/4 cups warm water

1/4 plus cup extra-virgin olive oil 

2 teaspoons flaky sea salt (like Maldon) 

 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped

2 tablespoons Turbinado sugar

 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt (like Maldon)

Using a Kitchen Aid Mixer with the dough hook, stir together the flour and yeast.   Add the water and 1 tablespoon of the oil to the flour.  Mix for a few minutes until a dough forms.  Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise for an hour or until risen nicely.  

Sprinkle dough with the 2 teaspoons of sea salt.  With the dough hook, mix for a few minutes.  Transfer dough to an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours. 

Generously oil the focaccia pan and place a 3" to 4" x 16" strip of parchment paper across the center of the pan, leaving a few inches of overhang on the two sides.

Carefully lift the dough out of the bowl and place in the pan, using your fingers to spread the dough out to the edges.   Generously drizzle the olive oil over the foccacia and use a brush to evenly distribute it.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for an hour or two.   

 

Drizzle more oil if desired.  Using your finger, evenly pock indentations into the dough.  Evenly sprinkle with the rosemary, turbinado sugar and sea salt.  

 

Bake at 475 for 18 to 20 minutes until lightly brown in the highest spots.  Remove the focaccia from the oven.  Using the parchment paper tabs, lift the focaccia out of the pan.  Turn off the oven.  Place the focaccia directly on the oven's lower rack for 5 to 7 minutes so the sides will crisp up.

 

I like to cut 3/4" strips, toast them and spread with a little bit of butter.  So, so good. 

My favorite variation of this focaccia is to add slices of peaches or plums when in season.  Unpeeled and cut into 1/2" wedges.  It is delicious served with a creamy Cambozola cheese.

Next time, I am thinking about topping the focaccia with caramelized onions, strips of jalapenos and a little Manchego or Chihuahua cheese.

 

I know it is time consuming with all the different risings, but it is well worth it. 

 

* The Turbinado sugar just adds another dimension to all the flavors.

* If you do not have a 9" square pan, a 10" cast-iron skillet will work. 

* Your rising environment will impact how long it takes for your dough to rise. 

* Many recipes call for kneading the dough by hand, I find using my Kitchen Aid easier and more efficient.   

 

BON APPETIT! 

 

 

 

 

Travel the ages... From the colonial town of Puebla to the lavish culture of Mexico City

 

I have put together a phenomenal nine day guided tour 

Puebla City and Mexico City 

 

September 17 - 26, 2026

For those who have been on my San Miguel de Allende tours, my Artisan and Architecture tour in the state of Michoacan, Oaxaca tour and exploring the Magic of the Maya World in Chiapas, I know if you join me, Puebla and Mexico City will also capture your heart.  
Helping me on this tour is Rick Hall.  Rick has helped me with a few of my previous tours and he was recently selected by the Mexican Cultural Institute of Artisans to be a judge at all the expositions in the state of Michoacan!  He is a perfect choice for this honor for he has worked directly with numerous artisans in central Mexico over the past 45 years and his personal folk art collection is museum quality.  Rick's knowledge of the history, artisans, etc.,  is remarkable! 
The first part of the tour starts in Puebla.  We will fly directly from Denver to Houston and then on to Puebla.  

Rick will meet us at the airport where we will be escorted to our boutique hotel, CasaReyna.

It was originally the ruins of 16th, 17th and 18th century homes before famed Mexican architect, Ricardo Legorreta re-created this gorgeous space, fusing old world and contemporary Mexico together.

Puebla is a colonial town loaded with Renaissance and Mexican Baroque architecture.  
A city famous for mole poblano, chilies en nogada, excellent dining and Talavera pottery.

 

 The first morning will be a walking tour of the historic center starting in the zolcal0

which is bordered on three sides by the original broad stone arcaded buildings (called portales).

and on the south side is the Cathedral.  The Cathedral, considered by many as one of the most beautiful in all of Mexico, was completed in 1648 with bells only in one tower with one bell weighing 8.5 tons.  

A visit to the Ex-Convento Santa Rosa, converted into a museum to display crafts produced in the state of Puebla.  The above is the former kitchen at the convent constructed with talavera tiles filled with huge caldrons and other earthenware utensils.  It is legend that the Dominican nun, Sor Andrea d la Asuncion, created the famous Mole Poblano.

A special guided tour at the renown , Talavera de Luz, a famous talavera pottery workshop where we will witness the whole production of the talavera pottery.

 

Along with some other tallers noted for their large cazuelas. 

A stop at the Museo Bello with its eclectic collection of over 2,500 pieces of furniture, decorative arts, talavera pottery all collected by Mariano Bello, a 19th century industrialist who owned cigar and textile factories.

One morning we will spend at the International Museum of the Baroque designed by Japanese architect Toyoo Ho.  Not only is the exterior architecture breathtaking, the interior exhibitions are some of the best I have seen in a long time.

Then off to the Great Pyramid of Cholula, the largest known pyramid in the world. Construction started in the 3rd century B.C. and the temple on top was added by Spaniards in the 16th century. Behind it stands Popocatépetl, an active volcano & the second highest peak in Mexico. 

A stop at the lavish Church of Santa María Tonantzintla, valued for its decoration in what is called folk or indigenous Baroque.  You will not believe how elaborate the interior is.

The 16th century Templo de San Francisco Acatepec is a unbelievable piece of architecture with its facade of Talavera mosaics combined with red brick.

Visits to the Museo Casa del Dean, a Renaissance-style home built in 1580 with phenomenal antique frescoes.   A stop at the Casa de Cultura, formerly the archbishop's palace with a facade adorned of bricks and tile.  Up a flight of marble steps to the second floor, you will encounter the Biblioteca Palafoxiana, the oldest library in the Americas.

Dining in Puebla is some of the best.  One night we will dine at El Mural de Los Poblano, shown above.    And much more...

Our private van and driver will pick us up at our hotel in Puebla and we will be chauffeured to an old gem of a hotel, Hotel Geneve, right in the heart of the historic center of Mexico City.  

 

A visit to Palacio de Bellas Artes with its French Belle Epoque exterior 

and Art Deco with Aztec influences interior where the second floor walls are lined with murals from artists of the Mexican Muralist Movement, Rivera, Siqueros, Orozco...

In the pretty Coyoacán neighborhood, we will dine one day at Los Danzantes overlooking the Jardin Centenario with the handsome fountain with coyote figures.

We will immerse ourselves into the world of Frida Kahlo when we tour Casa Azul, Frida's gardens, studio and home.

 Frida's colorful kitchen at Casa Azul.    

 And a visit to Museo Casa Kahlo, a new museum dedicated to Frida's life and work. 

 

Another morning at the Plaza de la Constitucion, invariably known as the Zocalo, one of the biggest public squares in the world.  We will visit the National Cathedral, one of the greatest religious structures in Latin America, 

and the Templo Mayer, the site of the Aztec Teocalli (sacred city). 

A visit to the former headquarters of Mexico’s Secretary of Public Education which now houses a muralism museum, including Diego Rivera's first large-scale mural project.   

  

Stunning in scope and scale, the murals in this gigantic government building depict the history of Mexico, from pre-Hispanic development and the arrival of the Spaniards to the modern era.

A stop at the Palacio de Correos de Mexico (the central post office) built in 1907 is quite spectacular with its eclectic architectural styles.  Pretty amazing.

The Palacio de Iturbide is one of the best colonial, Baroque buildings in the city.  Built around 1780, it was once the home of Augustin de Iturbide, the first emperor to Mexico after Mexico's independence from Spain.  Later it was a convent, a college and then a hotel before Banamex purchased it.  It re-opened as the “Palacio de Cultura Banamex” and today it hosts numerous temporary art exhibitions, as well as art workshops for adults and children.  The last exhibition was out of this world, who knows what will be in store for us in June.

 

 A visit to Museo Diego Rivera Anajuacalli, one of the most interesting structures in the city to house a museum.  Built out of volcanic rock, it contains Rivera’s astounding collection of over 56,000 pieces of Mesoamerican art.  You will also see many mosaics on the walls and ceilings, based on Rivera’s original designs, that depict the gods and goddesses of the pre-Hispanic times.

A stop at Juan O'Gorma's most lasting creation was the Library of the National Autonomous University of Mexico, which he designed and built in the early 1950s and which has been given UNESCO World Heritage status. The surface is entirely covered with millions of stones chosen by him for their individual colors, and sourced from various regions of Mexico.

 

When on the campus, we will see a few murals by David Alfaro Siquero.

Comida one day at Contramar, famous for their fish and the decor is spectacular.  I love the brilliant blue wall along with the ceiling being covered in the Mexican straw mats, los petates.  It's a popular place.  Author and Chef Rick Bayless just featured Contramar and the San Angel Inn in his latest PBS series of, Mexico, One Plate at a Time with Rick Bayless.  Check it out, Season 12, Episode 6.

A full morning at the Museo Nacional de Antropolgia which houses a world-renowned Pre-Coloumbian collection.  The museum’s large, central patio is almost covered by a 275 foot canopy which sits on a 36 foot pillar, the largest concrete structure in the world supported by a single pillar.  Now that is what I call a fountain!

The collection in beyond description.  Not only is the collection magnificent, the building and gallery spaces are spectacular.

Cena (dinner) at Los Limosneros, a lovely restaurant that puts a contemporary twist on traditional Mexican cuisine.   The walls of this old structure date back to 500 years, part of the fortified walls built back in the days.

We will have a relaxing afternoon, touring and dining on one of the colorfully painted trajinera boats

at the floating gardens (Chinampa) in Xochimilco.  Xochimilco, meaning “Place of the Flowers” in Nahuatl is famous for its Aztec-made waterways surrounding the ancient city of Tenochtitlan, which is now modern Mexico City.

 

Our last night we will have a leisurely dinner at the San Angel Inn.  The San Angel Inn is a long-standing, venerable institution in Mexico City.  Set in a classic, old hacienda (originally a convent), the atmosphere is elegant with blue-and-white Talavera-style place settings and bright white table linens—it has a true Spanish-Mexican colonial feel and is an oasis of calm in the middle of city.  A special place I have been coming to for over 50 years.

For more information, please email me your name and any other contact information and I will send you a complete itinerary along with pricing, a deposit request form and plane travel information.  I am limiting this tour to a maximum of ten and I already have a few people who are interested in joining me. 

TRAVEL THE AGES...

FROM THE COLONIAL TOWN OF PUEBLA

TO THE LAVISH CULTURE OF MEXICO CITY

robindsg@aol.com

Museo del Palacio de Bellas Artes - Mexico City

 Museo del Palacio de Bellas Artes - Mexico City

  

Construction started in 1904, with numerous delays, it was inaugurated on 1934.  Since then, the building has sunk some 4 meters into the soft soil of Mexico City.  The exterior is primarily Art Noveau and Neoclassical while the interior is primarily Art Deco with Aztec and Maya motifs. 

Note the serpents’ heads on the window arches and the Maya Chaac mask, the deity of water, on the vertical light panels.  

The main hall is covered by the Marotti glass and an iron roof.

 Man at the Crossroads - Man, Controller of the Universe 
 Diego Rivera - 1934 

Diego was commissioned to paint a large mural in the lobby of the Rockefeller Center in New York.  Thru his painting, he expressed views on the evils of capitalism and the positive aspects of socialism.  As work progressed,  he added a portrait of Lenin and other communist ideologies, figures not presented in his preparatory drawings.  He refused to change the mural, he was paid off and released from his obligation.  In 1934, it was completely destroyed but in that same year, he received a commission to paint the exact mural at the Museo del Palacio de Bellas Atres in Mexico City.   Note, if you click on the images, you are able to see if full scale.

In the center of the mural is a workman controlling the machinery.   He is holding a giant orb, with four propellers filled with atoms and dividing cells.  These "elongated ellipses" represent the discoveries made possible by the telescope and the microscope.
 
On the left, in between the propellers, wealthy women of high society are shown smoking and playing cards with a group of unemployed to the left looking on.  Behind them, it’s a battle between capitalism, as represented by figures including Charles Darwin (the man with a white beard surrounded by animals)…and Communism, depicted on the far right  hand side / bottom corner, with Leon Trotsky, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels all making appearances.  … Above are soldiers and war machinery.  The other side  portrays Lenin holding hands with multi-racial workers with a Russian May Day rally with red flags above.  Each side has a gigantic statue; an angry Jupiter whose hand holding a thunderbolt had been severed off and a headless seated Caesar.  This was Rivera's interpretation of contrasting social visions.  

The bottom part shows a field of corn along with a variety of other plants, depicting controlled growth of natural resources.

 

 Liberation or Humanity is released from Misery
 Jorge González Camarena - 1963

This is a re-creation of a no-longer-existing mural that had been painted on the Edificio Guardiola, where the Bank of Mexico placed its vaults.  This was the last mural commissioned to decorate the walls of the Palacio de Bellas Artes.  

The first part shows a man tied up in a coffin and a nude tattooed woman to protest agrarian policies after the Mexican Revolution and slavery. The last section to the far right depicts a mestizo woman (someone of indigenous and European blood), a radiant symbol of spiritual liberation.   The central part of the mural shows a man from behind who fights against oppression and destroys the cross to which he is tied.

The New Democracy
 David Alfaro Siqueiros - 1945

This mural cycle was painted to commemorate the end of World War II and to celebrate the victory of the Allied forces over the Axis powers. The cycle is composed of three monumental panels—initially titled Victims of War, Mexico for Democracy and Independence and Victim of Fascism – and later received the name of New Democracy in 1945. This cycle celebrates the triumph of democracy over totalitarian systems, while showing the violence and the consequences of war over the civilian population through the representation of mutilated and tortured bodies. The dynamic force of this mural was made possible due to two technical innovations: on one hand the polyangular perspective for its composition, on the other, the use of pyroxylin, a cellulose-based industrial compound, often used in the automotive industry.

                                Catharsis, or Humanity’s Eternal Struggle for a Better World

José Clemente Orozco - 1935

Orozco, like his contemporary Rivera, was no stranger to controversy, as evidenced by this horrific vision of a terrified society.  Painted at the same time as Rivera’s Man, Controller of the Universe, Orozco’s Catharsis is a blunt criticism of war, mechanization and mass politics during the modern era. The central scene shows a violent fight between two men and the class conflict between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. This struggle opens in a spiral and merges with high-caliber weapons, monstrous machines, riddled bodies, and a protesting mob. The three prostitutes serve as a social commentary on the moral decadence and the hypocritical governmental policies enacted around prostitution. The naked woman, wearing a massive pearl necklace, grins outward and opens her legs to a piece of machinery. She’s known as La Chata (Pug Nose Prostitute) and has the dubious honor of being considered one of the most repulsive images in art. While apocalyptic, the intense flames at the top also symbolize the purifying fire that will give rise to a new society.

 

The Bellas Artes is one of my favorites places in Mexico City.  I could spend hours looking at all the murals and the details of the interior architecture.  Its a real gem!

 I heading back to Puebla and Mexico City next June,  

Join me on my next tour, May 7 - 16, 2026.