The Messina Focaccia is a type of Sicilian pizza, topped with anchovies, tuma cheese, cherry tomatoes, and escarole (or endive), simple ingredients that make this big focaccia a true delight for the palate. It’s a traditional recipe that anyone who tries it can’t help but love. My grandparents and my mother are from Messina, and I grew up with Messina Focaccia. We always made it as a family when we gathered, it wasn’t a celebration without it. Messina Focaccia is soft, fragrant, stringy and aromatic. It shouldn’t be made too thin or too thick, so here’s the original recipe of the tradition. You must follow a specific order when topping; otherwise, the taste will be compromised. Additionally, the dough for this focaccia must be made strictly with lard. If oil is used (butter is absolutely forbidden), the result will obviously be affected, and it won’t be the same; Messina Focaccia won’t have the fragrance and taste that set it apart.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Affordable
- Rest time: 3 Hours 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 2.2 lbs of Messina Focaccia approximately, 4-6 people
- Cooking methods: Oven, Electric oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 3/4 cups semolina flour
- 1 1/3 cups water
- 1 tbsp lard
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tsp fresh yeast
- 12 oz cherry tomatoes
- 9 oz tuma cheese
- 7 oz curly endive (escarole)
- 10 anchovies in oil
- to taste salt
- to taste black pepper
- to taste oregano
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
Steps
Messina Focaccia is very simple to make. First, put the flour, re-milled durum wheat semolina, lukewarm water, fresh yeast dissolved in a bit of water taken from the total in a bowl, and knead quickly.
Add the lard and give it a quick knead, then add the salt and form a soft and compact dough. I kneaded by hand, but you can obviously use a stand mixer or a dough mixer.
Let the dough rise in the bowl for 3-4 hours; it should double in volume.
Pour a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil on the bottom of a baking tray and spread the dough on top, letting it rest for 30 minutes.
Top the base of the Messina Focaccia with the anchovies broken into pieces with your hands and gently pressed into the dough, add the tuma in pieces, the escarole, the cherry tomatoes, a little salt, black pepper, oregano, and bake the Messina Focaccia in a preheated oven at 430°F for about 20 minutes; it should not be overly golden.
Notes:
Messina Focaccia can be kept at room temperature for a few hours or in the fridge for 2-3 days. This is the typical recipe of Messina gastronomy; if you really want to replace the lard, use g of extra virgin olive oil. Obviously, the rising times vary depending on the amount of fresh yeast used. I almost always make it with very little yeast, greatly extending the resting time (this way, the focaccia will also be much more digestible); in this recipe, I’ve given you intermediate yeast/time quantities, with neither too long nor too short a rising time.
More focaccia recipes HERE
