Special to The Journal Last week, I offered an overview of the gastronomic paradise that is Sicily. It touched on everything from the Sicilian habit of dessert-parading-as-breakfast to the long tradition of street food, their penchant for prickly pears and a vibrant repertoire of dolci. In case the article […]
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Special to The Journal
Last week, I offered an overview of the gastronomic paradise that is Sicily. It touched on everything from the Sicilian habit of dessert-parading-as-breakfast to the long tradition of street food, their penchant for prickly pears and a vibrant repertoire of dolci. In case the article made you hungry, and I hope it did, I have two recipes to share.
To delve a little deeper into Sicilian cuisine, I must first start with my home state.
Growing up in Rhode Island, pizza strips — also known as party or bakery pizza — were a staple at cookouts, birthday parties, and anywhere there was a crowd to feed.
Pizza strips come from Sicily?
Pizza strips consist of a tall, fluffy crust generously slathered with tomato sauce. They are topped with little to no cheese (it depends on the bakery) and are eaten at room temperature.
Maybe it was the bready dough or the generous amount of tomato on top, but my first slice of sfincione (pronounced sfeen-cho-nay) in Palermo was déjà vu at first bite.
I did a little research and discovered that pizza strips are indeed a descendant of Sicilian sfincione. They were brought from Sicily to New England where, like a game of culinary telephone, it transformed into what we know as pizza strips.
Like pizza strips, sfincione consists of a substantial crust topped with tomato sauce. However, it also boasts so much more. That includes sweet, slow cooked onions, anchovies, sharp caciocavallo cheese, earthy oregano and a sprinkle of crunchy breadcrumbs. These are ingredients shed over the years as it evolved into Rhode Island’s party pizza. Abundance is a key element for both — Rhode Island pizza strips are served up in generous, party-sized trays, and Palermo’s sfincione is sold in larger than life slabs. Both are best enjoyed at room temperature.
Pasta in Sicily
In keeping with the Palermo theme, I am also sharing a recipe for caponata palermitana, a dish made with an odd array of ingredients that, when cooked together, make complete sense.
Caponata consists of fried, mellow eggplant, mild, crunchy celery, briny olives, pungent capers, buttery pine nuts, candy-like raisins and red onions. They are all dressed in a rich tomato sauce. A dash of sugar and a splash of vinegar make the caponata sing, creating a sweet-and-sour symphony of flavors, colors, and textures.
It is a recipe where there is room for flexibility and improvisation. In the Sicilian city of Trapani almonds and bell peppers are added to the mix, while in Agrigento sweet green peppers called friggitelli are incorporated along with honey and hot pepper. In Messina, locals prefer whole to crushed tomatoes, making for a less saucy caponata, while the town of Bivona tosses in an unexpected addition of peaches or pears.
However you choose to make it, caponata is wonderful served at room temperature. It gets better the longer it sits and proves a great accompaniment to whatever you’ve just grilled.
It is also lovely eaten with lots of bread to fare la scarpetta, or mop up the remaining sauce.
Born and raised in East Greenwich, Francesca Bruzzese has been living in Rome since 2011. Her blog, pancakesandbiscotti.com, features both American and Italian recipes, as well as posts on her travels.
Follow her on Instagram @pancakesandbiscotti or email her at francescainrome@gmail.com.
Sfincione Palermitano
For the base
1½ teaspoons (6 grams) dry yeast
1 cup (250 grams) warm water
4¼ cups (550 grams) all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons (25 grams) of sugar
3 tablespoons (30 grams) vegetable oil
2 teaspoons (12.5 grams) salt
For the topping
2 medium yellow onions
½ cup (120mL) water
2 cans (800 grams) crushed tomatoes
4 ounces (100 grams) provolone cheese
3 tablespoons (20 grams) plain breadcrumbs
⅓ cup (20 grams) Pecorino cheese, freshly grated
⅓ cup (40 grams) anchovies packed in oil, drained
Dried oregano to taste
Olive oil
Salt to taste
Place the yeast in a small bowl and add about ⅓ cup of the water. Let sit for five minutes or until bubbly. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, and oil, and then add the yeast/water mixture. Stir well, and then add the salt and another ⅓ cup of the water. Continue to mix the ingredients together, adding the rest of the water as you go. Squeeze the dough together with your hands to get the water incorporated. If the dough feels dry, add a little more water, a tablespoon at a time.
Next, turn the dough out on to a lightly floured work surface and knead until the dough becomes soft and elastic, about 10 minutes (this can also be done with the dough hook of a standing mixer, if you have one). Form the dough into a ball and leave it to rise in a in a greased bowl, covered, for 2 hours.
While the dough rises, prepare the toppings. Peel your onions and cut them into thin slices. Cook the onion in a pan over medium heat with a little olive oil until softened, and then add about ½ a cup of water. Turn the heat up to medium, and let the onion cook until all the water is evaporated, stirring occasionally. Season the onions with a little salt, and then add the tomatoes to the pan. Stir well, and let the mixture cook for about 25 minutes, until thickened, stirring occasionally. Taste and add more salt if needed, then set your sfincione sauce aside to cool completely.
When the two hours are up, grease a 12-inch by 14-inch rectangular pan with some olive oil. Punch down the dough to deflate it, and then fit it into the pan, stretching it to the edges. Cover the pan with a tea towel and let rest the dough again for another 30 minutes. While you wait, cut the provolone into small cubes and set aside. Grate the Pecorino cheese, and tear the anchovies into pieces. Toast the breadcrumbs in a small pan over low heat until they are lightly browned.
When the half hour is up, preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Sprinkle the sfincione base with anchovies and both of the cheeses, and cover all ingredients with the tomato sauce, spreading it to the edges but leaving a slight border. Sprinkle the tomato sauce with breadcrumbs and dried oregano to taste. Bake the sfincione for 30-40 minutes, or until the sauce bubbles slightly, the cheeses are melted, and the crust is golden brown. Let cool slightly, and cut into slices.
Notes: The cheese used in traditional sfincione is caciocavallo siciliano, but I find a mix of provolone and Pecorino makes a good substitute. If anchovies aren’t your thing, feel free to omit them, but they do add a nice flavor. Most Italians have a pair of kitchen scissors to cut pizza in to slices, and I recommend you do the same; it is the easiest way to cut the sfincione into slabs.
Serves 6-8
Caponata Siciliana
2 large eggplants, cut into cubes
Olive oil
4 celery stalks
1 large red onion
1½ cups (350ml) crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed if packed in salt
½ cup (100 grams) green olives, pitted and sliced
3 tablespoons (a handful) yellow raisins, left to rehydrate in hot water
A handful of pine nuts
1 tablespoon (about 12.5 grams) sugar
3 tablespoons (37ml) red wine vinegar
A handful of basil leaves
Cut your eggplant in to medium-sized cubes. Heat an abundant amount of olive oil in a large pan over medium heat and fry your eggplant in batches, seasoning with salt as you go. Once your eggplant is fried, move it to a paper-towel lined plate to absorb any extra oil. Note that eggplant absorbs oil quite readily, so you will have to add more oil as needed.
Put a pot of water on to boil to cook your celery. In the meantime, peel the onion and cut into thin half-moons. Trim the celery stalks of any tough ends or strings and cut in to chunks. Sauté the onion in a large pan in a few glugs of olive oil and cook until softened. Once the water is boiling, cook the celery until tender but still with a bite, about 5 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, add the celery pieces directly to the pan with the onion and cook for about five minutes. Next, add the crushed tomatoes to the pan, and cook for about 15 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Add the capers, olives, raisins, and pine nuts to the mixture, stirring well.
Make a well in the middle of the pan and add the sugar and the vinegar to it, allowing the sugar to dissolve in the heat. Stir and cook for a minute or two, then taste and add salt as needed. Turn off the heat, add the fried eggplant, and rip the basil into the pan. Stir everything well and leave the caponata to sit for at least two hours, turning once or twice. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes: Caponata is even better the next day once the flavors have settled in, so feel free to make it in advance.
It goes great with fish or grilled meat and also makes a wonderful topping for crostini.
I also sometimes roast the eggplant instead of frying — this isn’t traditional but still delicious and a little lighter.
In the winter, I substitute roasted fennel for the eggplant to make a fennel caponata.
Serves 4-6
