**Sfincione Siciliano Pizza: A Flavorful Journey to Sicily**
Sfincione Siciliano, a traditional Sicilian pizza, is a delectable combination of flavors and textures that captures the essence of the Mediterranean cuisine. This thick, spongy pizza is a specialty of Palermo, Sicily, and is often enjoyed as a main course or a hearty snack. The sfincione is characterized by its focaccia-like crust, topped with a rich tomato sauce, a variety of cheeses, and savory toppings. This article presents two variations of this classic dish: the traditional Sfincione Siciliano recipe and a modern vegetarian version. Both recipes offer step-by-step instructions, detailed ingredient lists, and helpful tips to ensure a successful baking experience. Embark on a culinary adventure as we delve into the flavors of this beloved Sicilian pizza.
FABRIZIA LANZA'S SICILIAN PIZZA (SFINCIONE)
Palermo, the capital of Sicily, is street-food paradise, and among its many offerings is sfincione, a hearty pizza that's baked in a rimmed sheet pan, allowing the dough to rise to a chewy thickness, and cut into large square slices. Sfincione is smeared with a frugal tomato sauce enhanced with umami from sheep's milk cheese, onions and anchovy, along with olive oil and a handful of bread crumbs to make the cheese go further. When baked, the top is juicy, while the bottom is crisp from the generously oiled pan. Despite its origins as a street food, it is the perfect pizza to make at home. This easy and authentic recipe is from Fabrizia Lanza, proprietor of the Anna Tasca Lanza Cooking School, on the family's country estate near Palermo.
Provided by David Tanis
Categories brunch, dinner, lunch, pizza and calzones, main course
Time 2h30m
Yield 8 servings
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- Make the dough: In a mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, put 1 cup lukewarm water and yeast. Add semolina and stir to make a thin paste. Let sit at room temperature for 5 minutes, until bubbly.
- Add flour, salt and olive oil, and mix until dough becomes a rough mass. Knead dough until smooth, about 5 minutes. Dust with flour as needed, but don't add much: This is meant to be a soft dough. Put kneaded dough in a resealable plastic bag or a bowl covered with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably longer, up to 24 hours.
- Make the sauce: Put 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water, and raise heat to high. Simmer briskly until all the water has evaporated and onions are soft. Add tomato purée and bring to a simmer, then turn off heat. Season with salt and pepper, and add red pepper to taste. Allow mixture to cool, then stir in bread crumbs, grated cheese and anchovies. Let mixture rest for 5 minutes, then taste and adjust seasoning.
- Heat oven to 400 degrees. Drizzle olive oil to coat the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch rimmed baking sheet. Remove dough from refrigerator and press down to deflate. Using a rolling pin, flatten dough to a small rectangle.
- Transfer dough to oiled baking sheet, and, using the palms of your hands, stretch dough to the edges. If dough is rebellious and resists, let it rest for a few minutes, then stretch again. (It may take 2 or 3 attempts.) Cover dough loosely with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel, and set in a warm place to rise. After 30 minutes or so, dough should have doubled in thickness.
- Spoon the topping evenly over the dough, then use a spatula or the back of the spoon to spread the topping smoothly over entire surface, leaving a half-inch border. Drizzle surface with 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil.
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes on the oven's middle shelf, until nicely browned. Check the underside to make sure it is crisp, and bake for a few more minutes if necessary. (Tent top with foil if top has browned too quickly.)
- Remove from pan to a cutting board. Sprinkle with a little salt and a large pinch of oregano. Cut into 8 square slices. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 319, UnsaturatedFat 8 grams, Carbohydrate 43 grams, Fat 11 grams, Fiber 3 grams, Protein 12 grams, SaturatedFat 3 grams, Sodium 618 milligrams, Sugar 3 grams
SICILIAN CHRISTMAS PIZZA (SFINCIONE)
Topping a thick-crust pizza with bread crumbs might sound like a strange idea, but it really is the crispy, cheesy secret sauce behind this Sicilian Christmas Pizza. Well, that and the actual sauce of onion and anchovies--ingredients you might want to keep secret from guests. Also key is the extremely sticky dough, which bakes into a feather-light, spongy crust that contrasts perfectly with the crumbly topping. Garnish with the customary dried oregano if desired.
Provided by Chef John
Categories World Cuisine Recipes European Italian
Time 3h
Yield 12
Number Of Ingredients 21
Steps:
- Pour warm water into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Sprinkle yeast on top and let bloom. Add salt, sugar, olive oil, and flour. Knead, scraping down sides as necessary, until dough is very elastic and sticky, 6 to 7 minutes. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 90 minutes.
- Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and salt. Saute, stirring occasionally, until onions soften, sweeten, and turn translucent, 6 or 7 minutes. Add red pepper flakes, black pepper, tomato paste, oregano, and anchovies; mix until anchovies dissolve. Add marinara sauce, rinse out the container with water, and add the water. Stir and let simmer on medium-low heat until flavors come together, about 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
- Combine bread crumbs and Pecorino Romano cheese in a bowl; toss together with a fork. Add the reserved anchovy oil and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Mix until bread crumbs are well moistened.
- Generously coat a rimmed 13x18-inch sheet pan with up to 3 tablespoons olive oil. Oil your hands and turn dough out onto pan. Pull, stretch, and press it to the sides of the pan, pausing to let dough rest whenever it shrinks back too quickly.
- Spoon sauce over the dough and spread up to about 1/2 inch from the edges. Add mozzarella and provolone cheeses. Sprinkle bread crumb mixture evenly on top; do not press down. Drizzle remaining olive oil on top.
- Bake in the preheated oven until pizza is well browned is bottom is cooked, about 35 minutes. Bake for as as long as you can without the crumbs on top burning so that the crust cooks as much as possible.
- Slide pizza onto a cooling rack to prevent the bottom from getting soggy. Transfer to a cutting board once cooled.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 443.5 calories, Carbohydrate 50.5 g, Cholesterol 22.9 mg, Fat 20.1 g, Fiber 3.2 g, Protein 14.7 g, SaturatedFat 5.8 g, Sodium 780.2 mg, Sugar 5.1 g
SICILIAN PIZZA (SFINCIONE)
Deep pan pizzas came to America via Sicily - this thick flavoured bread is topped with sausages, breadcrumbs and ricotta
Provided by John Torode
Categories Dinner, Main course
Time 2h
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- First, make the dough. Mix the yeast and sugar with the warm water. Place the flour and salt in a mixer with a dough hook, or in a bowl, make a well in the middle and pour in the liquid and oil. Mix by hand for 10 mins or 5 mins in the mixer, until dough is silky. Tip into a well-oiled bowl, cover with a cloth and place somewhere warm for about 40 mins or until doubled in size.
- Tip the dough onto a work surface and knead for 2 mins, knocking out any air pockets. The dough should be soft but not too elastic.
- Dust a 25 x 16cm baking tray with a little flour and place the dough in the centre. Using the palms of your hands and tips of your fingers, push the dough to the edges of the tray. Leave it for 30 mins to rise. While the dough is rising, fry the sausage in a dry pan until crumbly.
- Heat oven to 230C/210C fan/gas 8. Spread the tomato sauce over the base, followed by the sausage, ricotta, provolone and dried breadcrumbs. Finally, drizzle with olive oil. Put in the oven for 5 mins, then turn down the heat and cook at 200C/180C fan/gas 6 for 20-25 mins, until golden brown. Leave to cool slightly, then cut into 6 chunks and serve.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 470 calories, Fat 20 grams fat, SaturatedFat 8 grams saturated fat, Carbohydrate 52 grams carbohydrates, Sugar 3 grams sugar, Fiber 2 grams fiber, Protein 20 grams protein, Sodium 2 milligram of sodium
Tips
- Use a high-quality extra virgin olive oil. This will give the sfincione its characteristic flavor and aroma.
- Don't be afraid to use your hands to mix the dough. This will help you to get a better feel for the dough and to make sure that it is well-mixed.
- Let the dough rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size. This will help to make the sfincione light and airy.
- Use a variety of toppings on your sfincione. This could include anything from cheese and ham to vegetables and seafood.
- Bake the sfincione in a hot oven until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Conclusion
Sfincione Siciliano is a delicious and versatile dish that can be enjoyed by people of all ages. It is a great way to use up leftover ingredients and it is also a perfect meal for a party or potluck. With its crispy crust, flavorful sauce, and variety of toppings, sfincione Siciliano is sure to be a hit with everyone who tries it.
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