La Focaccia di Recco, Illustrated - Recco's Cheesy Focaccia

Focaccia di Recco is a delightfully -- nay, libidinously -- cheesy variation on the focacce you'll find in many parts of Liguria: It's made by extending a thin sheet of dough, dotting it with a creamy cheese, covering everything up with a second sheet and baking it. The result is wonderful, and in the days of carriages the people of Genova used to take day-trips to Recco to enjoy it.

A little history: Recco's Ristorante Manuelina claims to have invented this cheesy focaccia about a century ago, though Alessandro Molinari Pradelli says it's much older, dating to the times of the Saracen raiders: "...People would flee to safety in the mountains; since flour, oil and locally made cheeses were readily available in their hideouts, they'd make focaccia stuffed with cheese."

Manuelina may not have invented Focaccia di Recco, but is responsible for its current renown, and Mr. Pradelli continues, saying the restaurant's "menu still begins with tradizionale focaccia al formaggio. And now, in Recco you'll find it everywhere, from bakers to restaurants to diners, all who proclaim it their specialty."

In short, Manuelina developed a masterpiece.