Focaccia with Rosemary and Grapes

2-3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, more for drizzling

1 pound ready-made pizza dough                                                     
1/3 cup seedless green grapes, halved
1/3 cup seedless red grapes, halved
Coarse salt, for sprinkling
1 shallot, cut into thinly sliced rounds
2 tbsp rosemary leaves, roughly chopped
5 tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 cup chopped blanched almond, optional

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Oil the entire bottom of a large baking sheet unless using parchment paper. Roll the pizza dough into a rectangle like shape about 1/2-1/3 inch thick.  It will probably not cover the entire area of the pan.  It doesn’t need to. It should look rustic and not perfect.  Place the dough on a baking sheet.

Halve the grapes.  Sprinkle the dough with coarse salt, shallot, and rosemary. Spread the grapes over the top of the dough pressing down firmly into dough.  Sprinkle with sugar and almonds.  Drizzle with of oil on top. Bake until golden brown, 20 to 30 minutes depending on the thickness of the dough.

The original recipe is called Schiacciata Con L’ Uva which is very popular in Italy. It is usually made with concord grapes which have lots of seeds. It’s too tedious for me to remove the seeds, so I simplified this recipe by using a store bought dough and seedless grapes.  This focaccia like bread can be served as a snack, appetizer, or even a dessert.  If I serve it as an appetizer, I drizzle a little extra oil on top.  If I serve it as a dessert, I drizzle it with a little honey.  It’s a versatile recipe that can be made with any color grape and nut.  It’s a nice dish to make or bring to any holiday party!