And here it is . . . my last recipe to make as a part of this blogging activity.
I wonder if that is why I was a tad later than normal – trying to savour the experience for as long as I could. It is my pattern to have things made months in advance of my posting date. This I baked today. In fact, Paul is down doing the dishes while I try and finish the post prior to the clock rolling over to Sunday.
I made the mistake of calling this dish a conza. It is not. The conza is the filling; the dish is a sfinciuni – a stuffed pizza from Sicily. Marcella’s dough is easy to make (I followed the food processor directions) and it came together perfectly. The result was a light and crispy dough that was solid enough for this heavy topping.
The filling is simple – essentially sautéed garlic and broccoli.
Once the dough has risen and the filling cooled you’re good to go, as they say.
The dough is split in half and rolled into two rounds. On top of one you sprinkle bread crumbs. Spread fresh ricotta on top of the crumbs. Layer the broccoli/garlic mixture on top of the ricotta, and then sprinkle it all with parmigiano. A quick sprinkle of more bread crumbs and a drizzle of olive oil and you’re ready to place the second round of dough on top.
The two rounds of dough are sealed – ensure that none of the wonderful filling can escape while baking. The entire thing brushed with water and into a 400 degree oven it goes for 30 minutes.
Once baked, let it sit for 30 minutes to allow the flavours to meld.
The result was an amazing addition to our dinner tonight. All we needed was a nice salad on the side, a glass of vino, and we were happy guys!
And there you have it kids . . . we’re done . . . done like an amazing dinner inspired by the genius of Marcella Hazan. Lots of wonderful food, some not so wonderful because of our personal food issues and NOT the lyrical directions in ‘Essentials’, but all in all a brilliant journey through some of the most inspired and well-written recipes I’ve experienced in my 30 + years of cooking.
When I started this journey I pledged to be honest. I’d rave about what I loved and what I didn’t love as well. If things worked I’d talk about that and if they didn’t I’d wonder what I had done to cause the issues. I think I’ve been true to this. Happily we loved most everything! *smile*
I know that there were a couple of times when Marcella was frustrated with my analysis but in the end it was more important for me to be honest. I had no desire to be a cheerleader – the world is too full of cheerleaders. Honesty is a rare thing indeed in my humble opinion.
Grazie per l’ispirazione, il cibo fantastico, le sfide, e le memorie.
Arrivederci!