Extra virgin olive oil, 2 tablespoons optional, depending on the mozzarella, plus 2 tablespoons for the pizza
4 flat anchovy fillets (preferably the ones prepared at home as described), cut up not too fine
½ cup fresh basil leaves, torn into 2 or 3 pieces
2 tablespoons freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
Salt
1. See the comments on mozzarella in the Margherita topping recipe and follow the instructions there for its preparation, using the optional olive oil, if appropriate.
2. If you have grated the mozzarella, mix the cut-up anchovies with it; if you have sliced it, keep the anchovies separate. If using this topping for 2 pizzas, divide all ingredients in two equal parts, and use one part, following the instructions below, to top the dough that is about to go into the oven.
3. Top the dough with half of the mozzarella and anchovies that you have set aside for one pizza. Slide the dough in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
4. Take the dough out of the oven, quickly top with the remainder of the mozzarella and anchovies reserved for that pizza, add the basil, the grated Parmesan, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, a pinch or two of salt, and return to the oven.
5. In about 5 minutes, when the cheese has melted, take out the pizza, drizzle with a little olive oil as described in Step 6 of the basic pizza recipe, and serve at once.
Sfinciuni—Palermo’s Stuffed Pizza
Sfinciuni is to Palermo what pizza is to Naples and to the rest of the world. A coarse version of sfinciuni is indistinguishable from pizza in appearance, a layer of baked dough supporting a topping. A finer and more fascinating rendition is known as sfinciuni di San Vito, after the nuns of that order who are credited with creating it. It has two thin, round layers of firm dough that enclose a stuffing—called the conza—which are sealed all around. The San Vito conza has meat and cheese, but one can also make other excellent stuffings with vegetables instead of meat.
Dough for a thin 10- to 12-inch double-faced sfinciuni
SFINCIUNI DOUGH
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
¾ cup lukewarm water
2 cups unbleached flour
A tiny pinch sugar
1 teaspoon salt
Extra virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon for the dough plus some for the bowl
2 tablespoons whole milk
1. Dissolve the yeast completely in a large bowl by stirring it into ¼ cup lukewarm water. When dissolved, in 10 minutes or less, add 1 cup flour and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon. Then, as you continue to stir, add ¼ cup lukewarm water, a small pinch of sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and 2 tablespoons milk. When all the ingredients have been smoothly amalgamated, add ¼ cup lukewarm water and the remaining 1 cup flour, and mix thoroughly once again, until the dough feels soft, but compact, and no longer sticks to the hands.
2. Take the dough out of the bowl, and slap it down very hard against the work counter several times, until it is stretched out into a long and narrow shape. Reach for the far end of the dough, fold it a short distance toward you, push it away with the heel of your palm, flexing your wrist, fold it, and push it away again, gradually rolling it up and bringing it close to you. Rotate the dough a one-quarter turn, pick it up, and slap it down hard, repeating the entire previous operation. Give it another one-quarter turn in the same direction and repeat the procedure for about 10 minutes. Pat the kneaded dough into a round shape.
3. Film the inside of a clean bowl with 1 teaspoon olive oil, put in the dough, cover with plastic wrap, and put the bowl in a protected, warm corner. Let the dough rise until it has doubled in volume, about 3 hours. While the dough is rising you can prepare the conza.
Food processor note The previous two steps may be carried out in the food processor.
CONZA DI SAN VITO—MEAT AND CHEESE FILLING
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ cup onion sliced very thin
½ pound ground beef, preferably chuck
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
½ cup dry white wine
⅓ cup cooked unsmoked ham chopped rather coarse
½ cup imported Italian fontina cheese diced very fine
¼ cup fresh ricotta
Note Palermo’s primo sale and fresh caciocavallo cheeses that are both part of this stuffing are not yet, as I write, available outside Sicily. I have replaced them with a combination of fontina and ricotta to achieve mild flavor with a tart accent. I think it works, but if you have other ideas, try them out.
1. Put the olive oil and onion in a saute pan and turn on the heat to medium high. Stir occasionally, and cook until the onion becomes colored a deep, dark gold. Add the ground beef, salt, and a few grindings of pepper. Crumble the meat with a fork and cook it, stirring frequently, until it loses its raw, red color.
2. Add the wine, turn the heat down a little, and continue cooking until all liquid has simmered away. Transfer the contents of the pan to a bowl, and set aside to cool.
3. When cool, add the ham, fontina, and ricotta to the bowl and toss thoroughly until all ingredients have been evenly combined.
ASSEMBLING AND BAKING THE SFINCIUNI
A baking stone Cornmeal
A baker’s peel (paddle)
2 tablespoons plain, unflavored bread crumbs, lightly oasted
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
A pastry brush
1. At least 30 minutes before you are ready to bake—the dough will have been rising for about 2½ hours—put the baking stone in the oven, and preheat oven to 400°.
2. Sprinkle cornmeal on the baker’s peel.
3. When the dough has doubled in volume, divide it in half. Wrap one half in plastic wrap, and put the other half on the peel. Use a rolling pin to flatten it out into a circle at least 10 inches in diameter. The rim should be no thicker than the rest of the disk.
4. Distribute 1 tablespoon of bread crumbs over the dough and 1 teaspoon olive oil, stopping about ½ inch short of the edge. Spread the meat and cheese conza over it, again stopping short of the edge, and top the filling with 1 tablespoon bread crumbs and 2 teaspoons olive oil.
5. Unwrap the remaining dough, put it on a lightly floured work surface, and roll it out into a disk large enough to cover the first. Place it over the stuffing and crimp the edges of the two circles of dough securely together, bringing the edge of the lower one up over that of the top one.
6. Brush the top of the dough with water, then slide the sfinciuni off the peel and onto the preheated baking stone. Bake for 25 minutes. After removing it from the oven, let it settle for 30 minutes to allow the flavors of the stuffing sufficient time to come together and develop. Cut into pie-shaped wedges and serve.
OTHER FILLINGS FOR SFINCIUNI
Sfinciuni are exceptionally good with vegetables in the conza, or filling. A few particularly apt combinations are described below. They all must be cooked in advance, which you should plan on doing sometime during the 3 hours the dough needs to rise.
Tomato and Anchovy Conza
Filling for 1 ten- to twelve-inch sfinciuni
1 pound fresh, ripe, firm plum tomatoes OR 1½ cups canned imported Italian plum tomatoes, drained of juice and chopped
2 cups onion sliced very thin
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Black pepper, ground fresh from the mill
6 flat anchovy fillets (preferably the ones prepared at home as described), chopped to a pulp
Oregano, 1 teaspoon if fresh, ½ teaspoon if dried
LATER, ON THE SFINCIUNI
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup plain, unflavored bread crumbs, lightly toasted
AND
The dough made using this recipe
PLUS
A baking stone
Cornmeal
A baker’s peel (paddle)
A pastry brush
1. Use fresh tomatoes only wh
en they are truly ripe, sweet, and meaty. If they answer that description, wash them in cold water, skin them raw with a swiveling-blade peeler, discard the seeds and all watery pulp, cut them into strips ½ inch wide, and set them aside. If using canned tomatoes, proceed to the next step.
2. Put the onion and 3 tablespoons olive oil in a medium saute pan, turn on the heat to medium, and cook the onion, stirring occasionally, until it becomes colored a light gold. Add either the strips of fresh tomatoes or the drained, chopped canned tomatoes, salt, 2 or 3 grindings of pepper, turn over the ingredients 2 or 3 times, and turn the heat up to medium high. Cook, stirring from time to time, until the oil floats free of the tomatoes, about 15 minutes.
3. Turn the heat down to the minimum, add the chopped anchovy pulp, stir for a minute or a little less, then turn off the heat completely. Add the oregano, stir, and set aside to cool.
4. At least 30 minutes before you are ready to bake—the dough will have been rising for about 2½ hours—put the baking stone in the oven, and preheat oven to 400°.
5. Sprinkle cornmeal on the baker’s peel, then proceed to roll out the dough and assemble the sfinciuni as described, with the following adjustments for this particular stuffing:
• Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of bread crumbs over the bottom round of dough.
• Use a slotted spoon or spatula to lift the tomato and anchovy mixture out of the pan so that as much cooked oil as possible is left behind.
• When you have spread the tomato and anchovy over the dough, top it with 2 tablespoons of bread crumbs and drizzle over it 1 tablespoon of fresh olive oil.
Cover the filling with the remaining dough, seal the sfinciuni, brush the top layer of dough with water, bake it, and serve it as described in the basic recipe.
Broccoli and Ricotta Conza
Filling for 1 ten- to twelve-inch sfinciuni
1 medium bunch fresh broccoli, about 1 pound
Salt
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
LATER, ON THE SFINCIUNI
2 tablespoons plain, unflavored bread crumbs, lightly toasted
¾ cup fresh ricotta
¼ cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
AND
The dough made using this recipe
PLUS
A baking stone
Cornmeal
A baker’s peel (paddle)
A pastry brush
1. Cut off ½ inch of the tough butt end of the broccoli stalks. Pare away the dark green skin from the stalks and the thicker stems.
2. Bring 3 quarts of water to a boil, add salt, and put in the broccoli. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes after the water returns to a boil, depending on the size and freshness of the broccoli. It will undergo additional cooking later, so it should be quite firm at this stage.
3. Drain and chop the broccoli stems and florets into pieces no larger than 1 inch.
4. Put the garlic and ¼ cup olive oil in a medium saute pan, turn on the heat to medium, and cook the garlic, stirring once or twice, until it becomes colored a light gold. Add the chopped broccoli, sprinkle with salt, and cook for 5 minutes, turning the vegetable over frequently to coat it well. Take off heat and set aside to cool completely.
5. At least 30 minutes before you are ready to bake—the dough will have been rising for about 2½ hours—put the baking stone in the oven, and preheat oven to 400°.
6. Sprinkle cornmeal on the baker’s peel, then proceed to roll out the dough and assemble the sfinciuni as described, with the following adjustments for this particular stuffing:
• Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of bread crumbs over the bottom round of dough.
• Spread the ricotta over the bread crumbs.
• Use a slotted spoon or spatula to lift the broccoli out of the pan so that as much of the cooking oil as possible is left behind. Spread the broccoli out over the ricotta, then sprinkle the grated Parmesan over it. Follow it with 1 tablespoon of bread crumbs, and top by drizzling 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the crumbs.
Cover the filling with the remaining dough, seal the sfinciuni, brush the top layer of dough with water, bake it, and serve it as described in the basic recipe.
Variation: Broccoli Conza Without Ricotta
For a more explicit broccoli flavor than the filling in the preceding recipe, omit the ricotta entirely and increase the grated Parmesan to ½ cup. Sprinkle the Parmesan over the broccoli after spreading the vegetable over the dough.
Mantovana—Olive Oil Bread
IF YOU FOLLOW the eastern-bound course of the Po river, Italy’s largest, as it slices much of northern Italy in two, with parts of Lombardy and the Veneto on its left bank, and Emilia-Romagna on its right, you will be traveling across some of the country’s best bread territory, once studded with flour mills powered by the river’s currents.
These handsome loaves, notable for their fine, crisp, tasty crust, and soft crumb are popular on both the Emilia and the Lombardy side, but take their name from the ancient ducal town of Mantua, in Lombardy.
2 mantovane loaves
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 cups lukewarm water
¼ teaspoon sugar
About 5 cups unbleached flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
A baking stone
A baker’s peel (paddle), 16 by 14 inches, OR a cookie sheet OR large piece of stiff cardboard
Cornmeal
A pastry brush
1. Dissolve the yeast completely in a large bowl by stirring it into ¼ cup lukewarm water with the ¼ teaspoon sugar added. When dissolved, in 10 minutes or less, add 2 cups flour and ¼ cup water, and mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon.
2. If kneading by hand: Pour the contents of the bowl onto a lightly floured work surface, and knead steadily for about 10 minutes. Push forward against the dough, using the heel of your palm and keeping your fingers bent. Fold the mass in half, give it a quarter turn, press hard against it with the heel of your palm again, and repeat the operation. Make sure that you keep turning the ball of dough always in the same direction, either clockwise or counterclockwise as you prefer. Add a little more flour, if you find it necessary to make the dough workable, and dust your hands with flour if they stick to the dough. Knead until the dough is no longer sticky, but smooth and elastic. It should spring back when poked with a finger. Shape it into a ball.
If using the food processor: Pour 2 cups flour into the processor bowl, with the steel blade running add the dissolved yeast gradually, together with ¾ cup water. When the dough comes together forming a lump on the blades, take it out and finish kneading it by hand for 1 or 2 minutes.
3. Choose an ample bowl, dust the inside lightly with flour, and put in the dough. Wring out a wet cloth towel, fold it in two, and cover the bowl with it. Place the bowl in a warm, draft-free place, and let it rest for about 3 hours, until it has doubled in bulk.
4. If kneading by hand: Pour the remaining 3 cups flour onto the work surface. Place the risen ball of dough over the flour, punching it down and opening it with your hands. Pour the remaining 1 cup lukewarm water over it, and add the salt and the olive oil. Knead steadily as described above.
If using the food processor: Pour the remaining flour into the processor’s bowl. Put in the risen dough, and the salt, and gradually add first the 1 cup lukewarm water, then the salt and the olive oil, while running the steel blades. Take out the dough when it forms a lump on the blades, and finish kneading it by hand for 1 or 2 minutes.
5. Return the kneaded dough to the floured bowl, cover it with a damp towel, and let it rest until it has doubled in bulk again, about 3 more hours.
6. Thirty or more minutes before you are ready to bake, put the baking stone in the oven and preheat oven to 450°.
7. When the dough has again risen to double its bulk, take the dough out of the bowl, and slap it down very hard several time
s, until it is stretched out lengthwise. Reach for the far end of the dough, fold it a short distance toward you, push it away with the heel of your palm, flexing your wrist, fold it, and push it away again, gradually rolling it up and bringing it close to you. It will have a tapered, roll-like shape. Pick up the dough, holding it by one of the tapered ends, lift it high above the counter, and slap it down hard again several times, stretching it out in a lengthwise direction. Reach for the far end, and repeat the kneading motion with the heel of your palm and your wrist, bringing it close to you once more. Work the dough in this manner for 8 minutes.
8. Divide the dough in half, shaping each half into a thick, cigar-shaped roll, quite plump at the middle and tapered at the ends. Sprinkle the peel (or the suggested alternatives) thinly with cornmeal, making sure the meal is well distributed over the surface. Place both shaped loaves on the peel, cover with a damp towel, and let them rest 30 to 40 minutes.
9. With a sharp knife or a razor blade, make a single lengthwise slash 1 inch deep along the top of each loaf. Brush the upper surface of the dough with a pastry brush dipped in water. Slide the loaves from the peel onto the preheated baking stone. Bake for 12 minutes, then turn the oven down to 375° and bake for 45 minutes more. When done, transfer the loaves to a cooling rack, and let the bread cool completely before cutting and serving it.
Pane Integrale—Whole-Wheat Bread
THE ITALIAN adjective integrale shares the same root as “integrity” in English, and it is customarily applied to whatever can be described as whole and unmixed. When applied to bread it means whole-wheat bread, which is, however, as you will find here, not unmixed at all, but made only partly from whole wheat.
Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking Page 70