Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Carmela Soprano's Sfinciuni - Sicilian Onion Pizza (for 10 or 50)

About a month ago I posted a pizza recipe from Charmaine Bucco's chapter 
Cooking for the Whole Famiglia in Artie's The Sopranos Family Cookbook.

Charmaine has another pizza recipe: Sfinciuni - Sicilian Onion Pizza.
This recipe is a little different from the other recipe.
It's in her chapter, so here it is.

Most likely Charmaine cooked it when Carmela was feeling a bit low.
It's a Sicilian recipe.
And even a tough Sicilian like Carm can us a bit of comfort food.


Hints:
An envelope of yeast is equal to a Tablespoon.
The tins and jars of yeast are cheaper than the sets of 3 envelopes.

You let the yeast sit for a minute to see if it starts bubbling.
If it just sits there, the yeast is dead and won't do anything for the dough.

If you're making the 5 pizzas, divide the dough and knead a quarter at a time.

If you have fresh, 2 pounds fresh plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped 
equals one 28 ounce can of tomatoes. 
Ten cups of tomatoes equals three 28-ounce cans.

One 2-ounce can of anchovy fillets will give you 8 fillets.

You'll need a total of 1/4 Cup olive oil for the topping for one pizza, 
1 1/4 Cups olive oil for five.


                        Sfinciuni

Serves 10 (1 pizza)                                             Serves 50 (5 pizzas)

In a bowl combine
1 Cup warm water                                                        5 Cups
1 Tablespoon yeast                                                       5 Tablespoons
Let sit 1 minute, then stir until the yeast dissolves.

In a large bowl combine
3 to 3 1/2 Cups flour                                                  15 to 17 1/2 Cups                  
1 teaspoon salt                                                               5 teaspoons
1/4 teaspoon pepper                                                      1 1/4 teaspoons
Add the yeast mixture and
2 Tablespoons olive oil                                                    10 Tablespoons
Stir until a soft dough forms.
Turn the dough out and knead on a floured surface,
adding more flour if necessary.
Knead about 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic.

Lightly coat a large bowl with oil.
Place dough in oiled bowl.
Rotate dough to cover with oil.
Cover with plastic wrap or a towel.
Let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

The Topping

In a medium saucepan place                                       In a dutch oven place
2 Tablespoons Olive oil                                                 2 Tablespoons 
Cook for about 7 minutes
1 large onion, thinly sliced                                            5 onions, thinly sliced
Add
2 Cups peeled, chopped canned Italian tomatoes           10 Cups
1 teaspoon dried oregano                                              5 teaspoons
salt and pepper                                                             salt and pepper
Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, 
until the sauce is slightly thickened.
Stir in
8 anchovy fillets, drained and chopped                          40 anchovy fillets
Remove from heat.
Let the sauce cool.

In a skillet heat
1 Tablespoon Olive oil                                                   5 Tablespoons
Add
1/2 Cup plain bread crumbs                                          2 1/2 Cups 
Cook over medium heat until toasted and browned.


Oil a 12-inch round pan.                                               Oil 5 pizza pans.
Flatten the dough.
Place the dough in the pan and stretch to fit.
Cover and let it rest 1/2 hour.

Preheat oven to 425Âș

With your fingertips, firmly press the dough to make
dimples about an inch apart all over the surface.
Leaving a 1/2 inch border around, 
Spread half of the sauce over the dough.
Bake 25 minutes.

Remove the pizza(s) from the oven.
Spread the remaining sauce over the dough.
Scatter over the top
1/2 Cup provolone, cut into 1/2-inch cubes                2 1/2 Cups                     
Sprinkle with the toasted bread crumbs.
Drizzle with
2 Tablespoons olive oil                                              2 Tablespoons olive oil each
Return the pizza(s) to the oven.
Bake 5 to 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the crust is browned.
Cut into wedges and serve hot.


Would I make Carmela's Sfinciuni again?
No.
It's a nice enough recipe.
I just still prefer Ma's pizza.


One recipe down.  Eleven more to go.

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