Focaccia Ragusa Style

(“ Impanata Ragusana” – “Mpanata Rausana”)

 

Ragusa has famous and internationally known restaurants, some of them offering delightful morsels and imaginative dishes marrying traditional and poor Sicilian ingredients and recipes with the rich components of Baronial Ragusa cuisine.
In one of my visits to Ragusa, I had dinner at the Duomo Restaurant, where under the expert suggestions of Mr. Angelo Di Stefano, a partner, and of Chef Ciccio Sultano, also co-owner, I had a meal with delicious dishes with the savor and scent from every corner of Sicily. The pistachio of Bronte is used to encrust swordfish stuffed with artichokes, garnished with basil and vanilla from Tahiti. The grilled octopus is combined with the Jerusalem artichokes, a native American root. The salted cod fish, the baccala’ is creamed with chickpeas; shrimps are served with almond milk. Crackers covered with foi gras are topped with fillet of raw tuna and pomegranate: delicious, fine and exceptional morsels with an insuperable mosaic of tastes.
The paccheri, a type of pasta similar in shape to rigatoni, is served with baby lamb and mint sauce. Black spaghetti is combined with a light fish sauce and wild mustard, thin slices of tripe and row shrimps. Baby lamb is cooked with macco made with creamed fava beans and wild fennel. Rabbit alla pattuisa (Portuguese) is sautéed with local vegetables, herbs and finished with caciocavallo, pine nuts, cocoa, vinegar and honey. The luscious desserts were made with local and exotic ingredients and spices.
This was not a dinner it was an exciting journey in food that lasted over three hours!
But while I compliment this fine restaurant for the quality and service, I realize how far the so called “new cuisine” moves away from the traditional
and becomes estranged more and more from the traditional Sicilian popular or baronial cooking!  
A very simple and popular fare made in Ragusa is the ‘mpanata (between the bread).
It is a focaccia stuffed with broccoli in combination with caciocavallo cheese and olives, or with spinach, sausage or lamb. This type of focaccia can be found in typical restaurants or gourmet shops; homemade is preferred, in fact the stuffing made with fresh home grown vegetables gives the ‘mpanata, a distinguished and refined taste.

 

 

 

For the Dough

• 2 lb. bread flour
• 2 oz. fresh active yeast or 2 envelopes of dry yeast
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of baking soda
• pinch of salt
• Or buy 2 lb. of bread dough in your local Italian bakery.

The Kneading
In a bowl mix ½ cup of warm water and the yeast. Add the sugar, ½ cup of flour, mix until it is well blended and a soft dough is obtained. If it is too dry add some water, if it is too watery add flour. Set aside covered in a warm place. After 45 minutes to 1 hour combine risen dough with remaining flour add some lukewarm water, the oil, pinch of salt and knead to obtain an  elastic dough, similar to bread dough. Make a ball, cut across the top to allow it to rise again, cover and put in a warm place until it almost doubles in size, 1 to 2 hours.

 

For Baking

• 2 tablespoons of olive oil for washing

 

For the Broccoli Stuffing

• 3 bunches broccoli, remove the stems and use the florets; rinsed and steamed or boiled
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 lb. pitted black olives
• ¼ lb young caciocavallo cheese cut in ¼ inch cubes
• salt and pepper

 

Mix all ingredients except the cheese and set on the side.
You can substitute 1 large head of cauliflowers for the broccoli.

 

• The Making of the Mpanata

When dough is ready, split it in 2 pieces. Briefly knead each piece, roll it into a round shape and place in a greased pan.
Spoon the filling over it; add the cubed cheese, making sure to leave the edges free of filling.
Knead the other piece of dough and roll it into a round shape. Moisten the edge of the mpanata with water, place on the top of the dough with the filling. Seal it well; pinching all around to make sure it is sealed firmly.
Cut 2 or 3 slits on top to permit the vapor to escape.

• The Baking

Preheat oven at 400 degrees, bake for 15 minutes, remove from oven and wash top of mpanata with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
Return to oven for an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until light golden brown.
Serve hot.

Variations:

For the Spinach Stuffing (Classic Specialty from the Town of Modica)

• 3 lb. of spinach

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ cup of capers 
• 1 cup of breadcrumbs
• ½ cup of dry currants
• ½ cup of shelled walnuts
• salt and pepper

• Preparation of Spinach Stuffing

In a 4 qt. saucepan, bring to a boil about 2 quarts of water with ½ tablespoon of salt. Dip spinach in the boiling water to blanch them and remove as soon the water returns to a boil. Drain and set aside.
In a 4 qt. saucepan, over a medium flame heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil, add the walnuts, capers, currents and sauté for a few minutes (3 to 5). Add breadcrumbs and cook for an additional 3 to 5 minutes turning continuously until the breadcrumbs are lightly toasted and to a light golden color. Add salt and pepper to your taste.
Remove from flame and mix in the blanched spinach.

• Proceed in the preparation of the mpanata as per above directions.

 

For the Sausage and Broccoli Rape Filling

• 2 bunches broccoli rape, remove the tough stems, cut 1 inch from bottom and rinse
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 lb. sausages, casing removed
• ¼ lb young caciocavallo cheese cut in ¼ inch cubes
• salt and pepper

• Preparation

In a 4 qt. saucepan, bring to a boil about 2 quarts of water with ½ tablespoon of salt. Dip broccoli in the boiling water to blanch them for 2 minutes. Drain and set aside.
In a 4 qt. saucepan, over a medium flame heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil and the garlic. Add broccoli rape and sauté for 5 minutes, until tender. Add salt and pepper to your taste.
Remove from flame and using a slotted spoon place in a colander to drain and set aside.
Using the oil and liquid left from the broccoli cook the sausages meat over a medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from flame using a slotted spoon place in the colander with the broccoli rape, to drain.
In a bowl mix the sausages and the broccoli rape, until they are blended well. Add the cubed cheese last.
Proceed in the preparation of the mpanata as per above directions.

 

 

For the Lamb Filling (Typical Easter Specialty)

 

• 2 lb. boneless milk feed lamb or spring lamb, cut in small chunks
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 medium size onions, finely chopped
• 1 cup of dry red wine
• 2 tablespoons of tomato paste diluted into one cup of water
• salt and pepper

• Preparation

In a 4 qt. saucepan, over a medium flame heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil with the onions and the lamb. Sauté until the onions are light golden in color and the lamb is scorched on all sides. Add wine and increase to a high heat to allow the alcohol to quickly evaporate. Lower heat to a medium flame and add tomato paste, salt and pepper to taste; cook for an additional 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

• Proceed in the preparation of the mpanata as per above directions.

This recipe calls for the use of red wine; I prefer to use a white dry wine.