Sfincione 2.0

An updated sfincione recipe with a few small tweaks. I find this version to be superior than it’s predecessor in a few key ways. The onions are finely diced (after sauteing) so they melt in your mouth. I add more sauce in this version giving it a sweeter, saucier bite. And I’ve added two layers of grated cheese which melds it all together.

Ingredients:

2 large onions 

1 x 16 oz can of high quality tomatoes - crushed

Grated pecorino or caciocavallo

Anchovy fillets mashed into small pieces to taste

Dried oregano to taste

High quality olive oil

Toasted breadcrumbs preferably coarse and unseasoned

Salt and pepper

Pizza dough (see recipe here)

Directions:

Oil a rectangular pizza pan liberally. Spread the dough out with your fingers so that it covers the bottom evenly. Press into the dough to ensure you’re spreading it evenly across the pan. Allow it to relax a little if it’s pulling back into the center. Cover with a cloth and allow it to rest while you prepare the other ingredients.

Finely dice 2 yellow onions. Saute onions in olive oil on medium heat until golden and soft. Allow to cool down. Now mince the onions down even further so it almost forms a paste like consistency.

Using a spoon or your fingers, sprinkle the mashed anchovies across the surface of the dough, massaging them into the dough. Drizzle some more olive oil over the surface. Sprinkle on a layer of dried oregano evenly across the surface. Add a layer of grated cheese evenly across the surface.

Ladle on the crushed tomatoes evenly across the entire surface. Be generous here.

Add another layer of cheese evenly on top of the tomatoes. Spoon on the onion mixture and spread out evenly across the entire surface. Make sure it completely covers the surface.

Sprinkle on a layer of breadcrumbs, and work into the onions mixture with a spatula or your fingers. Drizzle the entire thing with some more olive oil.

Bake at 425 degrees for about 25 minutes, checking periodically. As it bakes the edges will crisp and the onions and breadcrumbs will be a beautiful golden brown. 

"The Rockaway" Frittata Sandwich

Over the past few years I’ve been collecting food memories from my parents with the hopes of preserving them before they disappeared. One particular story from when my mom was a girl growing up in Brooklyn recently stood out to me as something I needed to explore further. Video is below.

“The trip out to Rockaway Beach was always by train. We took the L to Myrtle Ave where we transferred to a train to Jamaica Station. There we transferred again and took another train over the causeway. The long rides were always fun, hopping around with our friends. I tagged along with my older sister Josephine who was ten years my senior. We would pack the leftover frittatas from the night before and would be the envy of all the friends with their plain old bologna sandwiches.”

Today a bacon, egg, and cheese on a round roll is one of the more ubiquitous breakfast sandwiches in the Northeast. Through the memory my mom shared, and the reimagined sandwich that followed I somehow arrived back at that classic combination - and dare I say made it even better. This version was a pepper, potato, scallion, bacon and cheese frittata served on a pillow of thick focaccia with flaky sea salt and will definitely be repeated.

The Fritatta:

All of the ingredients should be precooked before the introduction of the eggs. This will ensure everything is tender and perfectly cooked when you remove it from the oven.

If using potatoes, break them down into small pieces and boil for a few minutes. Drain them and let them air out for a few minutes while you work on something else. Once they’ve lost a lot of their moisture, I saute them in olive oil until crispy and set aside.

Mix together all of the cooked ingredients in your skillet and bring up to medium heat. Sprinkle in shredded cheese over the entire mixture. Pour in your mixed eggs so it covers the entire surface. You’ll need to use your best judgement depending on the size of your pan and the amount of ingredients you’re using. Sprinkle more cheese on the top of the entire surface. Bake in the oven at 375F for 20 minutes, or until fully cooked through in the center. You can finish it off by crisping it up under the broiler for another minute or so.

The focaccia recipe was an adaptation of the sesame sourdough rolls I have been making recently, with increased hydration. Recipe can be found here. You can really dress the sandwich up with anything but I like the combination of spicy aioli and baby arugula. Crumbled sausage also works really well as an alternative to the bacon.

Sourdough Focaccia

This is my baseline focaccia recipe. From here, I will often tweak the flour blend to incorporate more whole wheat into the dough, but this works well using plain old all purpose flour. This is a 79% hydration dough which can be baked directly in an oiled pan, or directly on a pizza stone.

Feed your starter appoximately 5-6 hours before you’re ready to build your dough. This recipe is designed to do a bulk fermentation at room temperature overnight so I aim to start building the dough around 7pm. Mix together 420 g of water and 530 g of all purpose flour, cover and set to autolyse for up to six hours. Make sure to incorporate all the flour so there are no dry spots. I generally do this anywhere from 3-6pm in the afternoon. Add 15 g of salt and 90 g of active sourdough starter and start working into the dough with your hands or with a rubber spatula until more or less homogenous. Let rest/relax for 30 minutes. You’ll want to fold the dough at least two more times (with your hands) over the course of the next 1 - 2 hours to develop the gluten. If you have time to continue to repeat folds until you’re ready to go to bed, it will result in a superior structured crumb. By the end the dough should be very smooth and should not stick to your hands while folding. Cover and rest overnight at room temperature (approximately 10 hours). 

In the morning transfer the dough to well oiled pan. Spread the dough out so it has a uniform thickness. Drizzle more olive oil on top of the dough. Use the tips of your fingers to press down into dough to create little pockets. Sprinkle with flake salt and herbs (if you like). Let proof in the pan (covered) for about another 2 hours. You should observe big gas bubbles forming, and the dough should be very soft and pliable.

Set oven to 450F. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until golden brown and well risen. Remove from oven and allow to cool briefly.