Ook Ook

[wotavidone]

The vast majority of my town's sizeable Italian population came from the port city of Molfetta. The Molfettese dialect is different from Italian, and the local Italians say it's rare in Italy these days.
Many local traditional dishes don't have a real Italian name.

One of these is Ook Ook. Many will think I'm describing focaccia, but this is no focaccia from a trendy caf?.
As far as I can tell, the difference is that focaccia is baked in a greased pan, many recipes calling for a couple of teaspoons of oil to grease the pan. Ook Ook has so much oil added it is literally fried, and should drip oil when you bite it.

500g flour, 350g warm water, 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon of yeast, 2 teaspoons sugar.
Make it into a dough.
Let it double at least.
(You must all know how to make a nice wet dough by now)
Shape it into a form that suits your baking tray and let it rise some more.
Use a thin metal rectangular tray about the size that, if the dough is shaped to fit, it will be a layer about 2.5 cm thick.
Pour some olive oil into your dish - aim for about 3-6mm oil.
Yep, 1/8 to 1/4 inch deep - I didn't say this was healthy.
Put the dough in, let it rise some more.
Dimple the surface with your finger tips to create little wells to hold even more oil.
Use a basting brush to paint on more oil that has been infused with garlic.
Layer thin slices of ripe tomato on top. A little more oil on the tomato. Sprinkle with sea salt and mixed herbs. The little wells should fill with oil.
Bake in hot oven (about 260 degrees centigrade) until it is golden brown.
The oil disappears into the cooked Ook Ook. The Ook Ook will be chewy rather than crisp and crusty, with little soft gooey craters under the tomato slices, and dripping with salty, garlicy, herby oil.
It is rather addictive, and you'll soon pass by that dry baked focaccia stuff.

[stonecutter]

Re: Ook Ook

Where are the pictures?

[wotavidone]

Re: Ook Ook

I'm still trying to edit the flaming recipe. Dunno what's going on here. I even managed to post twice.
The other problem is, once it comes out the oven it's hard to hang onto it long enough to photograph it. Dunno how many times I've set out to make some to take to work and it hasn't even lasted long enough to cool to room temp. (best eaten cold IMO.)

[wotavidone]

Re: Ook Ook

Some pics:

[wotavidone]

Re: Ook Ook

Results after 20 mins:

[stonecutter]

Re: Ook Ook

It does look similar to focaccia. Thanks for the recipe and pics.

[wotavidone]

Re: Ook Ook

It does look similar to focaccia.

Yeah, as far as I can tell, the only difference is the amount of olive oil, and the fact that Molfettese can't spell focaccia. (Am I spelling it right myself?)
It essentially is focaccia soaked in olive oil, I guess. I imagine the reason it tastes so good is because it is really, really, bad for your health.
That little square pan had about 440g dough in it. I made two of those and a larger pan with double the amount of dough. So I guess the four of us scoffed the equivalent of two supermarket loaves of bread, soaked in salty olive oil. (It all got eaten within an hour of taking the photos - as soon as the kids got home from school and work.)
This would explain why the missus announced she would not be cooking dinner last night.
The tomatoes I found in the hen yard. I euthanised the last of my geriatric hens earlier this year and the yard has become overgrown over winter. I discovered a self-seeded tomato plant that is loaded with small but very tasty fruit.

[TropicalCoasting]

Re: Ook Ook

Looks good Ive had similar and it was delicious
There are many variations of foccacios in Italy
Ive never had a bad one
I used to go to a Pizza place in Melb that made a focaccia which was like 2 very thin pizzas with garlic and cheese in them,it was excellent.
I imagine it was a Melbournised version of a Genovese focaccia

The Genoves focaccia is like a gozleme the ones I had in Genova had 3 or 4 different cheese in them and it was almost a flakey pastry.

http://bohemianportal.files.wordpres...ccia-bread.jpg

heres a recipe for gozleme too
Spinach And Feta Gozleme Recipe - Taste.com.au

[wotavidone]

Re: Ook Ook

Many variations, indeed.
Maybe that's what makes it Ook Ook. The local ladies would never serve Ook Ook that was anything other than oil soaked bread topped with slices of tomato with herbs and salt.
Perhaps that would be a good definition of Ook Ook: focaccia with oil, salt, herbs, and tomato.
Anyway, it's highly addictive. I aim for the 3mm end of the range when it comes to putting the oil in the tray. A small concession to my gall bladder.

[cobblerdave]

Re: Ook Ook

Gudday mick
But it's olive oil isn't it .... I was always under the impression that olive oil was part of the Mediterranean diet that gave you a long healthy life.
Good for you and tastes great ....you can't get better!
Regards dave

[Bec1208]

Re: Ook Ook

I made two squares of Ook Ook the other night. One was eaten immediately and we saved the other. I made a sandwich last night by cutting the Ook Ook horizontally and lightly toasting the halves. The sandwich contained Havarti and Gouda cheeses, salmon I had smoked with a lemon pepper rub, lettuce, tomato, and Russian dressing. The sandwich was delicious with the Ook Ook. Thanks for the recipe.

[wotavidone]

Re: Ook Ook

Bec, your Ook Ook looks perfect!
Well done!
I have really no idea whether my recipe is authentic. My friend Andy has a gorgeous Italian wife, and he was the one who set me straight on the dimples for holding extra oil on the top. An Italian guy at work told me about the 1/4 inch of oil in the tray.
Both of these guys use the bread dough you can buy by the kilo in plastic bags at the local Woolworths supermarket, so I had to make up the dough recipe myself.
That's the beauty of this town - Woolworths are a massive national chain, not in anyway related to Woolworths in the UK. However, many of its local employees, including management, are local Italians, so we get lots of good ingredients available. Same for the competition, Coles, where my wife works. I really only make my own dough because I feel like it.
Of course, these people I call Italians are 3rd generation Aussies, at least. My friend Lou once told me he and Maria were "going back to Molfetta for a holiday." Then he laughed and said, "Listen to me! Did you here what I just said? Back to Molfetta! I was born here in the local hospital, and I've never been to Italy before."

[Bec1208]

Re: Ook Ook

Thanks for the comment on my "Ook Ook". The recipe is similar to other focaccia I have made with more oil in the pan. I liked the tomato topping and people loved both the bread and the name. I am sticking to my story that it is an Australian version of focaccia. Again thanks for posting the recipe. Bruce

[wotavidone]

Re: Ook Ook

My mate Andy has taken me to task over the spelling. His wife Angie says there is no letter K in the Molfettese version of the bari dialect. Apparently "We only spell it like that on the signs at the deli so you Aussies can understand us."
Andy reckons it's "ucooc".
Angie says it's just focaccia, Andy says no way it's just focaccia.
He also told me off for the garlic, then said everyone's recipe is different.

[Bianca]

Re: Ook Ook

I just came across this thread after googling ook ook. South Australian town with a high Italian population, you aren't in the states mid north are you? I lived up that way for a number of years and would get Ook ook at one of the local cafes at least once per week! I've been searching for a recipe for years but never could find one til this thread. It was like it didn't exist outside that town! Thankyou so much!