The Opera of Bartolomeo Scappi, 1570
I like to make things that are familiar but different, and this is one example. Genevese tarts are delicious with their mix of cheese, chard, mint, and pepper and I had considered making one for the dayboard. I was concerned that the heat of the day would make it unappetizing. Fortunately, Scappi has a similar recipe that replaces the chard with onions. Onions, I believe are an overlooked vegetable in cooking, they can serve as more than flavoring, and I believe this recipe is an excellent example of onions as a vegetable component in the meal. They are also inexpensive, and this allowed me to splurge on buffalo milk mozzarella--highly recommended if you choose to make this dish.
Scappi's Recipe - To prepare a Genovese onion gattafura.
Grind struccoli or fresh provatura or provaggiole that are sour, they should be so well ground up that they become like butter; add a little sweet olive oil to them. Get parboiled onions that have been well beaten with a knife, and mix the ground cheese and pepper with them. Get a baking sheet that is sprinkled with grated bread and has a sheet of dough on it made of fine flour, water and oil. On that pastry put the filling to a height of half a finger and, with a spoon, go on and sprinkle a little oil over it. Distribute the mixture on top with big pinches. Cover it over with another sheet of dough; splash that with plain water and sprinkle some oil on it with a spoon. Bake it by braising or in an oven. Serve it hot with sugar over top. Instead of oil you can use butter.
Note: Scappi defines struccoli as cheese that has been made that day. Provatura is a cheese made almost exclusively of buffalo milk and is similar to mozzarella in texture. Provaggiole may modernly be called provola, a soft, stretched-curd cheese made by combining buffalo milk with cow's milk.
Ingredients
For the filling
3 onions (I used sweet), diced and parboiled for 5 minutes
8 oz buffalo milk mozzarella
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. white wine vinegar
1/4 tsp. fresh cracked black pepper
If you have not done so, finely dice onions and parboil in salted water until the onion begins to become transparent. Drain the onions.
While the onions are parboiling, add cheese, oil, vinegar, and pepper to a blender, and mix till it becomes very soft.
Once the cheese has become soft, add the onions to it and blend well.
Set aside to work on the dough.
For the dough
1 3/4 cup flour (I used a mix of 3/4 cup whole wheat flour to 1 cup bread flour)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup olive oil
~ 3 1/2 tbsp. water
1. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees
2. Line a 9x9 baking pan with parchment paper that has been lightly sprayed with oil and dusted with bread crumbs
3. Mix together salt and flour, and add olive oil and enough water to make a dough.
4. Divide the dough in half. You can take the time to roll out the dough, but I simply patted it into the bottom of the pan until it was a uniform thickness.
5. Add filling
6. Roll out the top dough and cover. Sprinkle lightly with olive oil and water.
7. Bake 20 to 30 minutes or until browned.
Can be served warmed or cool.
NOTE: I did not add additional sugar to the top as instructed, but instead chose to sprinkle the top with additional shredded cheese (I had an Italian cheese blend) before baking. I also allowed it to cool overnight before cutting it into triangles. I preferred it cool to room temperature to warm.
Sources
The Opera of Bartolomeo Scappi (1570)
"The Opera Of Bartolomeo Scappi (1570)". Google Books, 2022, https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Opera_of_Bartolomeo_Scappi_1570/oF2jsqrWtEkC?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=gattafura. Accessed 16 Aug 2022.
