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sfincione

aka Italian Christmas pizza, decided to bake one for Thanksgiving this year, along with some fettuccine, I'm tired of turkey.

So you can go crazy trying to replicate authentic dough for this or hack it like I did with my standard two rise dough, this is around 6 or 8 hours in & nearly ready for topping:


first add caciocavallo cheese from the mother ship along with a bit of anchovy



next a layer of caramelized onions , this was two giant white onions after about 1 hour of slow sauteing in olive oil & hot pepper flakes


then the tomatoes, this was a jar of simple crushed tomatoes from Sardinia, just beautiful, I added only salt & pepper


the topping is critical & I think is what really sets this apart from other Sicilian pizzas, or pizza in general, it's a good amount of plain breadcrumbs with an equal amount of grated locatelli, I'd guesstimate about a cup of each.  To that I drizzled a couple tablespoons of anchovy oil & a couple of plain extra virgin olive oil, mix it well so it is all fairly damp then spread it around evenly




baked at 425 for about 25 minutes


the caciocavallo is a fairly hard sheep's milk cheese & resembles the texture of a good aged provolone, it doesn't seem like it'll melt well when you're laying it down but it actually does, you can see some of it on the edges


I literally cannot describe the joy you will experience if you give this a try, it's very simple, oddly light in flavor considering the strength of what's on there, but man it's just delicious.  I think it's because the onions and tomatoes are so sweet that it tones down the rest.


while I had flour everywhere I figured why not cut some pasta


with a simple tomato basil




in between the sfincione & fettuccine is some slow simmered kielbasa with sauerkraut & potatoes my girlfriend brought over, it was incredible & really rounded out the non-traditional flavors of the day.



hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving
happy in the hut
West Chester Pennsylvania

Comments

  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 19,780
    That's a wonderful spread.

    My pops LOVES anchovies, and probably would have skipped T-Day at our place, to go to yours. 

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
  • Wow I’ll take that over turkey any day! Very nice. 
    Snellville, GA


  • That all looks and sounds pretty awesome.
    "I've made a note never to piss you two off." - Stike

    "The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand." - Deep Throat
  • loco_engr
    loco_engr Posts: 5,818
    Totally awesome cooks Marc!
    aka marysvilleksegghead
    Lrg 2008
    mini 2009

    Henny Youngman:
    I said to my wife, 'Where do you want to go for our anniversary?' She said, 'I want to go somewhere I've never been before.' I said, 'Try the kitchen.'
    Bob Hope: When I wake up in the morning, I don’t feel anything until noon, and then it’s time for my nap
  • Photo Egg
    Photo Egg Posts: 12,137
    Buddy, you’re killing it like the old days!
    Awesome to see this 
    Thank you,
    Darian

    Galveston Texas
  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,109
    Love it!
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
  • northGAcock
    northGAcock Posts: 15,173
    That's a might fine pizza pie right there.
    Ellijay GA with a Medium & MiniMax

    Well, I married me a wife, she's been trouble all my life,
    Run me out in the cold rain and snow
  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 36,698
    If you're gonna change up Thanksgiving turkey, that is the way to do it.  Great writeup and even better execution.  Banquet across the board.  
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period. CHEETO (aka Agent Orange) makes Nixon look like a saint.  
  • blind99
    blind99 Posts: 4,974
    damn that's a fine looking pie.  nicely done.
    Chicago, IL - Large and Small BGE - Weber Gasser and Kettle
  • Please note that only foodstuffs produced on or with the use of the Big Green Egg™, The Ultimate Cooking Experience©, as popularized by Dr. BBQ, may be posted in this forum. Your food  was clearly not kissed with the tell-tale hint of smoke one gets from a charcoal fired BGE, the original Kamado cooker (since 1974).


    As you appear to be a newcomer or infrequent poster (welcome!), perhaps it should be stated (and reiterated for those long-time members who repeatedly transgress), per forum rules:

    "This forum is about food, cooking, having fun with your EGG. Please don’t post links or images or create posts that are irrelevant for the purpose of this forum. This includes posts on topics which have nothing to do with enjoying a Big Green Egg.

    If you do any of this, they will of course delete the post and call upon the Buffalo to determine the extent of your suspension or permanent ban."

    Frankly, I am not sure these are even your photos, and believe they may have been stolen.  A long-time forum member named Little Steven had that exact same granite countertop.  Did you use his photos from an older post?


  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
    He's baacck! :rofl:

    I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

  • Zippylip
    Zippylip Posts: 4,768
    PigBeanUs said:
    Please note that only foodstuffs produced on or with the use of the Big Green Egg™, The Ultimate Cooking Experience©, as popularized by Dr. BBQ, may be posted in this forum. Your food  was clearly not kissed with the tell-tale hint of smoke one gets from a charcoal fired BGE, the original Kamado cooker (since 1974).


    As you appear to be a newcomer or infrequent poster (welcome!), perhaps it should be stated (and reiterated for those long-time members who repeatedly transgress), per forum rules:

    "This forum is about food, cooking, having fun with your EGG. Please don’t post links or images or create posts that are irrelevant for the purpose of this forum. This includes posts on topics which have nothing to do with enjoying a Big Green Egg.

    If you do any of this, they will of course delete the post and call upon the Buffalo to determine the extent of your suspension or permanent ban."

    Frankly, I am not sure these are even your photos, and believe they may have been stolen.  A long-time forum member named Little Steven had that exact same granite countertop.  Did you use his photos from an older post?



    I can’t quite put my finger on it but this all has the stink of familiarity. 

    You’ve taken an awful big speculative leap assuming my pie wasn’t baked on the BGE.  After all, and apparently this will be coming as a newsflash to you (and directly from) the BGE website:

    Using the convEGGtor and the Baking Stone, you can very easily turn your EGG into a stone oven in which you can bake the tastiest of pizzas and the most delicious bread. This allows for an endless variation of great food and makes outdoor cooking even more fun. Are you curious as to how baking in the Big Green Egg works? We will be happy to explain everything to you!” (emphasis added)

    Given their joy in explaining things to their customers, I’ve taken the liberty of contacting BGE and providing your contact information along with a request that they happily explain everything to you.

    Putz

    And I don’t know who this little steven is you speak of but he sounds like an absolute gem of a man.






    happy in the hut
    West Chester Pennsylvania
  • I appreciate your timely reply, Mr. Lip.  

    Please note that the utter absence of the BGE in any photos, including the requisite "in situ" pic of the food actually cooking on the egg, makes your post seem a little suspicious to those of us who are very heavily invested in the sanctity of this forum (The Original Big Green Egg Forum).

    Other issues abound.  e.g. It's clear to anyone that the dimensions of your sheet cake pan to cook your (so-called) "pizza" would not fit on a BGE.

    Let me clarify: although they DO make an XL egg, it is fairly expensive.  Based on a cursory review of your older posts, and the background of the home visible in the photos, I daresay you strike me as more of a mini-owner.

    And I am not just talking about the egg.

    I should say that it certainly does appear as though you actually may have moderate cooking skills.  In time, you might just be an asset to this forum.

    Please DM me three or four PDFs of some recent cooks, showing the egg in use at some point, and if they are acceptable, I will pass them along to the Buffalo for further review and approval.

    With some coaching behind the scenes, not only could you be a great help in answering the repetitive basic questions we get here, you could be of service in introducing beginners to the basics of the BGE. In turn, if you make it a habit to read (rather than post), you might eventually pick up something useful yourself, and step up to 'advanced' level skills in just a few short years.

    As for LittleSteven, he was a true gem.  Gone too soon.  I see from your older posts, you used to go fishing annually with him, a morbidly obese man from the deep south, and an annoying, arrogant (but strikingly handsome and physically fit), trust-fund type, who all of you only asked along for his fishing prowess, to pay for everything, and to attract women. He (tweev) was run off this forum, like so many others, by the regulars.  Very angry people.  Bit of a sore spot.



  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 34,568
    my favorite italian pizza from the local bakeries look extremely similar to this but they use dry grated romano and no bread crumbs. makes me wonder if the italians here were from the same area. i will give this a try this weekend if the tday shopping didnt wipe out the yeast on the shelves again. looks awesome with the crispy bread crumbs. when i say bakery pizza, it used to be stacked in the old brown doughnut boxes
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,109
    Zippylip said:
    sir you have made quite a few assumptions based upon no actual evidence, may I assume you're on the President's legal team?

    Makes sense, I heard reports that PigBeanUs was hanging out around Four Seasons Total Landscaping.  My first thought was to sell them a truck load of manure but on second thought it may have been for the legal malpractice.
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
  • I already have a shady lawyer on speed dial. He makes the best toaster-shakins pasta (and now, apparently,  pizza) you ever had. 


    He is pretty bad, but not bad enough to qualify for DJTs legal team. 


  • Zippylip
    Zippylip Posts: 4,768
    edited December 2020
    my favorite italian pizza from the local bakeries look extremely similar to this but they use dry grated romano and no bread crumbs. makes me wonder if the italians here were from the same area. i will give this a try this weekend if the tday shopping didnt wipe out the yeast on the shelves again. looks awesome with the crispy bread crumbs. when i say bakery pizza, it used to be stacked in the old brown doughnut boxes

    probably, there are many versions of this but for the specific pie I made there are certain themes that are common/traditional, the caciocavallo cheese, anchovies, onions and breadcrumbs.  They come in different orders and prepared different ways but they're usually all there.  For example many of the formats I've seen have the onions sauteed only long enough to turn translucent, maybe 5 or so minutes, then the tomatoes are tossed in.  I cannot stand onions like that, for me they come one of two ways, crunchy/raw & pungent as mother nature intended, or slowly caramelized until they're almost candy sweet.  Maybe you could add fried in there too.  But par-cooked & added to tomato sauce so they retain all their moisture/size but lose the critical part of their raw flavor without taking on a new sweet flavor is just a waste of good onions & actually degrades the tomato sauce in my opinion, way too bland. 
    I'd guess that if the one you're getting in the donut box has anchovies it probably is a version of one of these.  I plan on making one for Christmas too, though a white version sans tomatoes.  I've been doing breadcrumb pies, round and Sicilian, for many years, and one thing I can add is to be sure they are not toasted before hand or they may get too well done once you bake the pie.  When I make the pasta version they're tossed in at the end so you need to pre-toast them.
    happy in the hut
    West Chester Pennsylvania
  • Botch
    Botch Posts: 17,342
    Zippylip said:
    For example many of the formats I've seen have the onions sauteed only long enough to turn translucent, maybe 5 or so minutes, then the tomatoes are tossed in.  I cannot stand onions like that, for me they come one of two ways, crunchy/raw & pungent as mother nature intended, or slowly caramelized until they're almost candy sweet.  Maybe you could add fried in there too.  But par-cooked & added to tomato sauce so they retain all their moisture/size but lose the critical part of their raw flavor without taking on a new sweet flavor is just a waste of good onions & actually degrades the tomato sauce in my opinion, way too bland.  
    This is very interesting to me, as the "translucent" phase is so common in so many recipes; I think I have a kitchen experiment coming up.  
    'Cept I will be leaving out the raw, crunchy onions.  I love the taste and the crunch of raw, but they don't love me; my stomach over-bloats severely when I eat raw onions.  
    When what's-her-name and I were initially dating, she made me a dish with slices of raw onion, which I ate to not cause a fuss; later in the evening she noticed I was about to give birth to a basketball, I explained the situation, and she said, "Go ahead and pass gas, I'm an RN and can see you're in pain."  I didn't want to, but finally relented.
     
     
    She lost her eyebrows.  I knocked all the pictures off her walls.  May have ripped one curtain off the rod, her house plants died, and we couldn't coax her dog out from under the basement bed for two days.
    We never did find her cat, and I feel terrible about that.  
     
    So, no more raw onions for me.  

    “The best way to execute french cooking is to get good and loaded and whack the hell out of a chicken."

         -  Julia child

    Ogden, UT, USA

  • QDude
    QDude Posts: 1,064
    Every day on this forum I am amazed at the incredibly stupid posts that are being made here.  Nice cook by the OP!  As another forum member states frequently, "I remember when this place used to be much friendlier".  Do we have to attack each other all of the time?

    Northern Colorado Egghead since 2012.

    XL BGE and a KBQ.

  • PigBeanUs
    PigBeanUs Posts: 932
    edited December 2020
    The same person who has been hammering the “I remember when this used to be a much more friendlier place” phrase was the same person giving zippy grief. 

    Me. 

    I know zippy. 

    And we both knew steven well. 

    LittleSteven used to say “I remember when this was a much more more friendlier place” 

    When we say it, we’re making the same joke he did fifteen years ago when he started repeating it after one of the original (greeneggers.com) forum members, an angry hothead, used to say it unironically, then say “i’m outta here”. 

    And then return after three days. (Like witless Lit)

    Some of us have known each other for fifteen, twenty years. 

    Sorry if the in-jokes aren’t as funny to you as they are to us. 

    But they wouldn’t be in-jokes if everybody knew what was going on. 

    (And zippy, I know it was you who left that present in the toilet of that cabin at Lake Lanier)
  • Zippylip
    Zippylip Posts: 4,768
    Botch said:
    Zippylip said:
    For example many of the formats I've seen have the onions sauteed only long enough to turn translucent, maybe 5 or so minutes, then the tomatoes are tossed in.  I cannot stand onions like that, for me they come one of two ways, crunchy/raw & pungent as mother nature intended, or slowly caramelized until they're almost candy sweet.  Maybe you could add fried in there too.  But par-cooked & added to tomato sauce so they retain all their moisture/size but lose the critical part of their raw flavor without taking on a new sweet flavor is just a waste of good onions & actually degrades the tomato sauce in my opinion, way too bland.  
    This is very interesting to me, as the "translucent" phase is so common in so many recipes; I think I have a kitchen experiment coming up.  
    'Cept I will be leaving out the raw, crunchy onions.  I love the taste and the crunch of raw, but they don't love me; my stomach over-bloats severely when I eat raw onions.  
    When what's-her-name and I were initially dating, she made me a dish with slices of raw onion, which I ate to not cause a fuss; later in the evening she noticed I was about to give birth to a basketball, I explained the situation, and she said, "Go ahead and pass gas, I'm an RN and can see you're in pain."  I didn't want to, but finally relented.
     
     
    She lost her eyebrows.  I knocked all the pictures off her walls.  May have ripped one curtain off the rod, her house plants died, and we couldn't coax her dog out from under the basement bed for two days.
    We never did find her cat, and I feel terrible about that.  
     
    So, no more raw onions for me.  

    Ha, I get it, onions are one of those foods, my girlfriend detests them in any form, makes cooking for her interesting because I put them in nearly everything.  With respect to the translucent form, my aversion dates back to when I was a kid.  We grew up eating at home or at relative’s houses, rarely went to restaurants.  At that time (70’s), most of my older family were Italians or first-generation Italian Americans so there were certain truths to food, ‘gravy’ in particular.  When I would eat dinner at my friend’s houses (depending on their origin because I had a lot of friends of Italian descent) I’d be served some interesting variations of gravy in the non-Italian houses, the most memorable of which would be an otherwise workable pot of marinara sauce then deluged with large hunks of raw vegetables to be simmered in the pot.  I loathed it but ate it so as not to be a ****.  It barely qualified as anything remotely close to what I knew & enjoyed, really did ruin an otherwise decent bowl of pasta. 

    If you look at the pie sequence above I don’t ever put the onions into the sauce, no risk of boiling is acceptable (their flavor and texture has to remain intact) even though that appears to be the traditional method for many in Italy.  I’d have to say as good as they generally are they missed the boat on that part.  Though I have a lot of faith in them so I bet somehow I’d end up enjoying it if I were in Sicily right now

    QDude said:
    Every day on this forum I am amazed at the incredibly stupid posts that are being made here.  Nice cook by the OP!  As another forum member states frequently, "I remember when this place used to be much friendlier".  Do we have to attack each other all of the time?

    Thanks, it was tasty. 

    As for the rest,  @PigBeanUs speaks the truth above.  But I understand, it all can be too much when you don't know it given all the shenannigans on the forum, all forums for that matter.  Seems to be the way it is though, put a bunch of people in an internet room & sooner or later it devolves into some variety of chaos.  I was a rather large contributor to that for a good while, not so much anymore, though when in the presence of old friends I can't resist thus the stupid lawyer joke above. 

    It's more important that the thread stay on track, so it remains in the database as a reference for this traditional Italian holiday pizza.  Hopefully someone else will make it now & add some photos.



    happy in the hut
    West Chester Pennsylvania
  • frazzdaddy
    frazzdaddy Posts: 2,617
    It's not often you get a chance to be in the presence of a true legend.
    Xl bge ,LG bge, two 4' crusher cone fire pits. Weber Genisis gasser and 
    Two rusty Weber kettles. 

    Two Rivers Farm
    Moncure N.C.
  • SaltySam
    SaltySam Posts: 887
    This is my new favorite thread.  

    LBGE since June 2012

    Omaha, NE

  • nolaegghead
    nolaegghead Posts: 42,109
    TL;DR
    ______________________________________________
    I love lamp..
  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 19,780
    edited December 2020
    PigBeanUs said:
    The same person who has been hammering the “I remember when this used to be a much more friendlier place” phrase was the same person giving zippy grief. 

    Me. 

    I know zippy. 

    And we both knew steven well. 

    LittleSteven used to say “I remember when this was a much more more friendlier place” 

    When we say it, we’re making the same joke he did fifteen years ago when he started repeating it after one of the original (greeneggers.com) forum members, an angry hothead, used to say it unironically, then say “i’m outta here”. 

    And then return after three days. (Like witless Lit)

    Some of us have known each other for fifteen, twenty years. 

    Sorry if the in-jokes aren’t as funny to you as they are to us. 

    But they wouldn’t be in-jokes if everybody knew what was going on. 

    (And zippy, I know it was you who left that present in the toilet of that cabin at Lake Lanier)
    Its always fun to watch old friends hanging out, in a fly-on-the-wall sort of way. It makes one envious to a degree, and hopeful that their own friendships can be such.

    I thought about interjecting when LS was mentioned a few posts up, but thought better of it, as I didn't know him as well as some of the folks here. To say he was a gem of a guy, would be a gross understatement. Had the pleasure of cooking with (for?) him at Salado, and will always cherish meeting, and knowing, him. 

    And, this thread is bookmarked. I'd love to try this pie some time. 

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.