thefoodlessprocessed

“Of course there are rules. There is structure to Italian cooking just as there is structure to the music of a dance…Cooking, like life itself, flows out of the experienced past, but belongs to the unique moment in which it takes place.” (Marcella Hazan from The Good Italian Cook, (1973)

Mrs. Hazan regards recipes as a basis for learning techniques and becoming familiar with how ingredients are used within the structure of a specific traditional cuisine. Italian regional cooking is her subject. Her approach moves away from a dependence on recipes towards a reliance on one’s own judgement and intuition that come with experience. Cooking within a structure develops and deepens one’s knowledge and is the framework for genuine creativity.

This version of sfincione is from Marcella Hazan. Sfinciuni are good hot or cold. Whole or cut in wedges and wrapped separately, it travels well.

In keeping with her cooking methods, Mrs. Hazan encourages experimenting with different fillings for sfinciuni.

To read more about less processed ingredient options, you may click on these links: Bacon, Ground Beef, Cornmeal, Emmentaler, Flour, Herbes de Provence, Honey, Milk, Olive Oil, Oregano, Prosciutto, Parmesan, Tallegio, Salt, Water.

Equipment for Making the Dough, the Filling, and Baking the Pizza

• a Standing Mixer with a Paddle Attachment is optional. Alternatively, the dough may be mixed and kneaded by hand.
• 2 Bowls: a large one for the dough and a smaller one for the cooked filling
• a Pan with a Heavy Bottom. thefoodlessprocessed uses a Cast Iron Skillet for this recipe.
• a Pastry Board and Rolling Pin
• Parchment Paper
• a Baking Sheet large enough to accomodate a circle of dough 10-inches (25 cm) in diameter
• a Cooling Rack

Ingredients for the Dough

• 1 teaspoon of SAF Instant Yeast
• 3/4 cup Warm Water (180 ml)
• a very little dab of Honey
• 2 cups of European White Flour (240 g)
• 1 teaspoon Sea Salt
• 1 Tablespoon Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons of Whole Milk

Ingredients for Filling Option 1

• 2 Tablespoons of Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/2 cup of very thinly sliced Yellow Onion (45-50 g)
• 1/2 pound of 100% grass fed Organic Ground Beef (227 g)
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 1/2 cup of Dry White Wine (about 120 ml)
• 3 Slices of Prosciutto finely sliced
• 3/4 – 1 cup of a mixture of Tallegio AOP, cut in small pieces, and grated Parmesan DOP , 75 g total)
• Cut-leaf Oregano

Ingredients for Filling Option 2

• 2 Tablespoons of Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/2 cup of very thinly sliced Yellow Onion (45-50 g)
• 1/2 pound of 100% grass fed Organic Ground Beef (227 g)
• 1/2 cup of Impoted Spanish Dry Sherry
• 3 Slices of Sugarless Bacon, fried and chopped up. For cooks using European bacon: American bacon slices are thicker and bigger than European ones. Add a few extra slices if you wish to equal the amount of American bacon.
• 3/4 to 1 cup of Emmentaler Cheese AOP (100-130 g),cut in very small cubes
• Organic Herbes de Provence (Tarragon also is a good alternative.)

Ingredients for Assembling the Sfincione

• 2 or 3 Tablespoons of Chapelure (fine dry breadcrumbs). thefoodlessprocessed recipe for Chapelure is here: Chapelure ~ a French way with Breadcrumbs.
• 3 Tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
• Organic Cornmeal (medium or coarsely ground)

Making the Dough

• In the bowl of the mixer, add the yeast, the honey and the warm water.
• When the yeast mixture has begun to foam, add 1 Tablespoon of olive oil, the milk, the flour, and the salt. Mix with the paddle attachment until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
• Brush a very little olive oil over the inside of the large bowl and place the dough in it. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise until it has doubled in size. The time will vary depending on such factors as room temperature and humidity.
• The filling may be made and cooled while the dough rises.

Making Filling Option 1

• Heat 2 Tablespoons of olive oil in the pan and add the thinly sliced onion. Cook over very low heat until the onion turns a dark golden brown. Transfer the onions to a plate.
• Add the prosciutto to the pan and cook, stirring, until the edges begin to crisp. Transfer it to the plate with the onions.
• Brown the ground beef in the pan. Return the onions and prosciutto to the pan. Add the white wine and simmer until the wine has almost totally evaporated. (The filling should still be a little moist.)
• Transfer the filling to a bowl to cool.
• Add the cheeses, freshly ground black pepper and a sprinkling of oregano.

Making Filling Option 2

• Heat 2 Tablespoons of olive oil in the pan and add the thinly sliced onion. Cook over over low heat until the onion turns a dark golden brown. Transfer the onions to a plate.
• Brown the ground beef in the pan. Return the onions to the pan. Add the bacon and sherry and simmer until the wine has almost totally evaporated. (The filling should still be a little moist.)
• Transfer the filling to a bowl to cool.
• Add the cheese and a sprinkling of herbes de Provence.

Assembling the Sfincione

• Mark a short streak of butter in the center of the baking sheet and place a sheet of parchment on the sheet. Sprinkle the sheet lightly with cornmeal.
• Divide the dough into two equal portions. Lightly flour the pastry board and roll out one half of the dough into a circle about 10-inches in diameter. (about 25.5 cm)
• Place the rolling pin at the point of the circumference of the circle furthest from you and roll about half the circle loosely around the pin, towards you. Transfer the dough to the parchment-covered baking sheet, placing the unrolled section at one end and unrolling the rest out toward the other end.
• On the pastry board, roll out the second piece of dough into a similarly-sized circle (10-inches or about 25.5 cm in diameter). Hold it in reserve.
• Sprinkle the circle of dough on the parchment with 1 Tablespoon of the chapelure and drizzle 1 Tablespoon of olive oil over it.
• Mound the cooled filling into the center and pat it out over the circle to within 1/2 inch of its circumference.
• Sprinkle the rest of the chapelure over the filling and drizzle the rest of the olive oil over it.
• Transfer the second round of dough to cover the filling by draping it loosely over the rolling pin as you did the first dough circle and unrolling it over the filling. Press the edges of the two circles of dough together to seal in the filling. Crimp the edges, rolling the bottom edge up over the top one all around the circle.

Baking the Sfiincione

Gas or Convection Oven:  thefoodlessprocessed uses a gas oven. The conversions from Fahrenheit to Celsius do not attempt to adjust for differences between baking in a gas or convection oven. I have no experience using a convection oven, and leave adjustments to the better judgement of you who do have.

• Preheat the oven to 400 F (about 205 C) and place the rack in the lower middle position.
• Brush the top of the Sfinciuni lightly with water. (Sprinkling some more of the herb used in the filling or some grated Parmesan over the top is an option.)
• Bake for 25 minutes.
• The top crust will be lightly colored when the sfincione is done. Transfer it to a cooling rack and allow the pizza to settle for at least 30 minutes before cutting it into wedges. Alternatively, the sfincione may be cooled and refrigerated before packing it for travel for an outing or for lunch away from home.