Today we prepare the ragusane scacce with Swiss chard or wild chard.
The ragusane scaccia is a dish from the gastronomic tradition of the province of Ragusa, in Sicily.
Ragusane Scaccia with Swiss Chard or Wild Chard
It is mpanata the dough is rolled out thicker, filled, and closed like a round savory pie or a half-moon calzone with a meticulous decoration called riefico.
It is filled with Swiss chard or wild chard, in dialect aiti or sarchi.
The traditional dough for ragusane scacce is made with re-milled durum wheat semolina.
The semolina has a generally good glycemic response.
The whole wheat semolina – richer in fiber – remains the recommended choice for those who desire a low glycemic index dough.
The ancient grains semolina is excellent: Maiorca, Perciasacchi, Russello, Senatore Cappelli, Tumminia.
To learn more, you can click on the following link: semolina and flours glycemic index.
With or without yeast.
I recommend using a mixer even though it is possible to work it by hand.
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Cooking methods: Electric Oven
- Cuisine: Regional Italian
- Region: Sicily
Ingredients
- 17.6 oz re-milled durum wheat semolina (or whole wheat)
- 1 1/4 cups water (slightly sparkling)
- 1 g dry yeast (Mastro Fornaio PANEANGELI)
- 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 bunches Swiss chard (or wild chard)
- to taste water
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch baking soda
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch mixed peppercorns (with grinder)
- 1 pinch red chili flakes (coarsely chopped)
- 1 drizzle extra virgin olive oil
As an alternative to the gram of dry yeast, you can use:
– 3 g of fresh yeast;
– 4 g of dried sourdough.
You can prepare your dough for ragusane scacce without yeast and shorten the preparation time:
– do not add yeast;
– add a pinch of baking soda.
To taste, you can add to the filling: black olives and sun-dried tomatoes, ragusane provola or primo sale cheese cut into cubes, preferably defatted sausage, raisins [not recommended in case of hyperglycemia], walnuts.
Suggested Tools
I recommend using a mixer, even though it is possible to work it by hand.
- Knife
- Cutting Board
- Food Scale digital
- Mixer with hook attachment
- Bowl for rising with lid
- Cutting Board kneading board
- Rolling Pin
- Baking Sheet 10×11.5 in
- Parchment Paper
Preparation
It is filled with Swiss chard or wild chard.
Clean the chard and wash it thoroughly, removing any soil residue.
In a pot, bring salted water to a boil.
Add the chard and a pinch of baking soda and blanch it for a few minutes.
Drain it.Let it cool, squeeze it, and cut it into pieces.
Season with a pinch of salt and ground pepper.
To taste, you can add to the filling: black olives and sun-dried tomatoes, ragusane provola or primo sale cheese cut into cubes, preferably defatted sausage, raisins [not recommended in case of hyperglycemia], walnuts.
Add a pinch of coarsely chopped red chili flakes and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and mix.For the dough for ragusane scacce without yeast, follow the instructions in the next paragraph: ragusane scacce dough with yeast but
– do not add yeast;
– add a pinch of baking soda.Knead and let the dough rest at room temperature for about an hour.
After this time, your yeast-free dough will be ready to use.
Heat the water – it should be lukewarm, not hot – and dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water.
Pour the semolina or whole wheat semolina and the oil into the mixer bowl and start the mixer at speed 1.
Continue kneading at speed 2 for about 10 minutes:
– adding the water in which you dissolved the yeast a little at a time;
– adding the salt halfway through kneading to avoid direct contact with the yeast;
until you get an elastic and firm dough.Transfer the dough to a work surface and knead it briefly by hand to form a loaf.
Dust the bottom of a bowl with a little semolina and place the loaf inside.
Seal the bowl with a lid or wrap it with plastic wrap.
Store it in a cool and dark place.4 hours from kneading
Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface with a little semolina.
Knead it for a few minutes by hand and shape it into a loaf again.
Place it back in the bowl, seal it, and store it in the same place.24 hours from kneading
* after 24 hours, the dough should have doubled or nearly so;
fermentation is influenced by various factors such as flour, yeast, and environmental conditions.Turn the risen dough onto a lightly floured work surface with a little semolina.
Knead it for a few minutes by hand to restore its elasticity.
Divide the dough into 4 loaves or into loaves of about 4.2-5.3 oz each, depending on the size you want for your scacce.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper to place the scacce.
Roll out each loaf with a rolling pin, using a little semolina, until you obtain a dough disc approximately 1/8-3/16 inch thick.
It is an alternation of flour, roll, flour, roll, rotate, and so on.
* for a regular shape, cut the disc using a bowl or a plate, a lid, or a pastry cutter.
Spread the vegetable filling over half the disc, leaving the edges free.
Abbucca that is, fold the empty half of the disc over the filled half, closing it like a calzone.
Seal the edges with your fingers.
Turn the edge over itself to obtain the characteristic rieficu or simply close it like a calzone.Poke the scaccia with a fork in several places.
* grandma’s trick: if you’ve made scacce with different fillings, pierce them with the fork, embroidering the initials of the filling, e.g., B for bieta.[step-by-step images valid for any type of filling].
Place it on the baking sheet.
Set the oven as follows:
– temperature 356°F;
– fan mode.Preheat well.
Bake for 45 minutes and check the cooking.
* times and temperatures may vary depending on the oven and the size of the scacce.If you want a less rustic appearance, brush the surface of the scacce with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
Your ragusane scacce with Swiss chard or wild chard are ready.
Excellent both hot and cold, but I suggest waiting until they are warm.
Enjoy your meal!
If the filling also includes cheese or preferably defatted sausage, the scaccia with Swiss chard or wild chard is a complete dish. Add your portion of vegetables to create a balanced or one-plate meal that helps to keep blood sugar stable.
You can check out the complete collection by clicking on the following link: ragusane scaccia: dough, types, flavors.
Storage, Tips and Variations
You can use dough and filling for the preparation of:
– a savory pie filled with Swiss chard;
– a focaccia filled with Swiss chard;
in a pan or baking dish to serve in slices.
Gluten-Free Alternative
For a gluten-free ragusane scacce dough, you can use gluten-free bread flour.
The dough sheet will obviously be less elastic.
The filling can be adapted to different dietary needs:
– lactose-free;
– vegan;
– vegetarian.
If you have leftover dough:
– you can use it to make delicious flatbreads or whole wheat flatbreads;
– you can freeze it by wrapping the loaf with plastic wrap; the night before use, transfer it to the refrigerator to thaw, then leave it at room temperature for a couple of hours before rolling it out.
If there are leftovers, they are also great the next day!
The scacce keep:
– at room temperature for 1 day;
– in the refrigerator for 2-3 days;
– in the freezer for 2-3 months.
Heat them briefly in the oven to restore crispness.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Can I use other flours?
Remember that the dough must always result in an elastic and firm dough.
You might not achieve the characteristic result of ragusane scaccia.Why sparkling water in the dough?
Sparkling water serves to make the dough lighter and softer.
You can still safely use natural water.As an alternative to wild chard, what vegetables can I use?
Swiss chard or wild chard or wild beet or sea beet, in dialect aiti or sarchi, is similar to cultivated chard.
Alternatively, you can use cultivated chard or cutting chard, similar in taste and texture, or spinach.Dialectal and Local Curiosities
The scaccia with vegetables is variously known from Ragusa to Modica and surroundings as:
– scaccia;
– pastizzu if round in shape;
– buccatieddu if half-moon shaped.
