A Beloved Sicilian Street Food Comes Inside

Sicily, the ancient Mediterranean island kingdom that’s now part of Italy, is a fascinating place to visit. Hints of Sicily’s past are everywhere, in the architecture, in the church interiors and in the archaeological remains. But even an earnest history-seeking traveler gets hungry. My suggestion is to head to the streets.

Palermo, the capital, is a street-food paradise, with vendors selling traditional items, like panelle (chickpea fritters) and arancini, stuffed risotto balls as big as oranges. For the adventurous, there’s pani câ meusa, a warm sandwich of beef spleen on a bun, which is much better than it sounds.

But a street food with universal appeal is sfincione, a hearty, tomatoey pizza. It is baked in a rimmed sheet pan, which allows the dough to rise to a chewy thickness.

Sfincione may have regional variations across Sicily, but the basic concept is the same: dough topped with cheap, tasty ingredients, for a filling treat that can emerge from even the most humble home kitchen. (Now, though, most people buy a slice from a street cart or bakery.)

Sfincione is not a cheesy pizza. It’s usually made with only a small amount of sharp-flavored sheep’s milk cheese, just enough to complement the other savory toppings. In this way, sfincione differs from what Americans know as a “Sicilian slice,” which, though also cut thick and square, can come loaded with cheese or other items.

My favorite version is one I learned from Fabrizia Lanza. The proprietor of the Anna Tasca Lanza Cooking School, on the family’s country estate near Palermo, Lanza is passionate about preserving Sicily’s traditional cuisine. As she notes in her 2012 cookbook, “Coming Home to Sicily,” making sfincione at home using high-quality extra-virgin olive oil gives you an even better version of what you buy in the street.

I adhere closely to the original delicious recipe, with a couple of minor changes. Instead of blanching the onions, as she does, I sauté them in the skillet while preparing the sauce, and I also increased the amount of tomato and anchovies slightly, a cook’s prerogative.

In her recipe, the breadcrumbs are stirred into the topping, but some cooks prefer to sprinkle them on after saucing the dough. The choice is yours. As for cheeses, consider caciocavallo or provolone, coarsely grated. But you’ll also get good result with more widely available pecorino Romano.

As the sfincione bakes, your kitchen will fill with tantalizing aromas. Inhale deeply and dream of Sicily. I’m told sfincione is popular there for Christmas Eve and New Year’s celebrations. In my view, it’s an any-time-of-year delight.

Yield: 8 servings

Total time: 2 1/2 hours

Ingredients:

For the dough:

1 tablespoon dry active yeast

1/4 cup/45 grams fine semolina

2 cups/255 grams 00 flour or all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

For the topping:

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for greasing pan and drizzling

1 small onion, thinly sliced

1 1/2 cups plain tomato sauce (look for passata, which is not a thick purée)

Salt and pepper

Pinch of red-pepper flakes, or to taste

1 cup fine dry breadcrumbs

1 cup/85 grams grated pecorino or other sheep’s cheese (3 ounces)

8 anchovy fillets, cut into 1-inch pieces

Dried oregano, preferably Sicilian

Preparation:

1. Make the dough: In a mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, put 1 cup lukewarm water and yeast. Add semolina and stir to make a thin paste. Let sit at room temperature for 5 minutes, until bubbly.

2. Add flour, salt and olive oil, and mix until dough becomes a rough mass. Knead dough until smooth, about 5 minutes. Dust with flour as needed, but don’t add much: This is meant to be a soft dough. Put kneaded dough in a resealable plastic bag or a bowl covered with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably longer, up to 24 hours.

3. Make the sauce: Put 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water, and raise heat to high. Simmer briskly until all the water has evaporated and onions are soft. Add tomato purée and bring to a simmer, then turn off heat. Season with salt and pepper, and add red pepper to taste. Allow mixture to cool, then stir in breadcrumbs, grated cheese and anchovies. Let mixture rest for 5 minutes, then taste and adjust seasoning.

4. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Drizzle olive oil to coat the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch rimmed baking sheet. Remove dough from refrigerator and press down to deflate. Using a rolling pin, flatten dough to a small rectangle.

5. Transfer dough to oiled baking sheet, and, using the palms of your hands, stretch dough to the edges. If dough is rebellious and resists, let it rest for a few minutes, then stretch again. (It may take 2 or 3 attempts.) Cover dough loosely with plastic wrap or a damp tea towel, and set in a warm place to rise. After 30 minutes or so, dough should have doubled in thickness.

6. Spoon the topping evenly over the dough, then use a spatula or the back of the spoon to spread the topping smoothly over entire surface, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Drizzle surface with 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil.

7. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes on the oven’s middle shelf, until nicely browned. Check the underside to make sure it is crisp, and bake for a few more minutes if necessary. (Tent top with foil if top has browned too quickly.)

8. Remove from pan to a cutting board. Sprinkle with a little salt and a large pinch of oregano. Cut into 8 square slices. Serve warm or at room temperature.