The Focaccia with Olives and Onion: A Taranto Treasure
This focaccia is a true homage to simplicity and flavor. It is not the classic thick and soft focaccia, but a stuffed focaccia (often also called “pizza” or “Taranto pizzetta”) that hides a moist, sweet, and intensely aromatic filling inside.
The Onions: Absolute stars. Ideally, you would find the “sponsali,” but alas, they are not easy to find, so you can easily replace them with simple onions. They are stewed for a long time over low heat, becoming sweet and almost creamy, then flavored with anchovies and capers, creating a thick and flavorful filling.
The “Ad Ink” Olives: This is the detail that makes it unique and gives it its characteristic dark color. The Celline di Nardò olives (or other local varieties like Leccine), called “ad ink” for their ability to dye the filling black during cooking, are used. This not only adds an intense and briny flavor but also gives the filling its typical dark and inviting appearance.
The Dough: Generally prepared with a mix of remilled durum wheat semolina and all-purpose flour, giving it a robust texture and a more rustic flavor.
The final result is a delicious contrast:
The Exterior: A thin and golden crust, slightly oily.
The Interior: A generous heart of stewed onions, with the sweetness mitigated by the savory taste of black olives, creating an irresistible balance of flavors, reminiscent of tradition and sea.
It is a dish that tells the story of the humble but flavor-rich cuisine of the city of Taranto.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 2 Hours
- Preparation time: 1 Hour
- Portions: 8
- Cooking methods: Oven, Slow cooking
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 345.24 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 56.83 (g) of which sugars 3.24 (g)
- Proteins 13.97 (g)
- Fat 9.68 (g) of which saturated 1.79 (g)of which unsaturated 4.29 (g)
- Fibers 5.81 (g)
- Sodium 993.11 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 300 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups remilled durum wheat semolina
- 1 potato (boiled)
- 1/2 fresh brewer's yeast
- 2 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
- 2.2 lbs sponsali (if unavailable, white onions)
- 10.5 oz black olives (celline ad inchiostro)
- 3 fillets anchovies
- 1 tbsp capers
- to taste salt (just a little as the olives are very salty)
Tools
- 1 Planetary Mixer
- 1 Baking Pan
- 1 Frying Pan
Steps
The first thing to do is prepare the onions. I recommend cleaning them and soaking them for at least 30 minutes. This will ensure that when you cut them, they won’t make your eyes tear up.
Cut them into slices not too thin.
Mash a previously boiled potato.
Finely chop the anchovies and capers
Take a bit of water from the total recipe amount and dissolve the yeast
Combine the two flours in a bowl.
Pour the flours into the planetary mixer and add the dissolved yeast
Add the boiled and mashed potato
Start working with the planetary mixer, adding water gradually
When all the water has been added and the dough detaches from the mixer walls, add the salt
and finally the extra virgin olive oil.
Work until you get a smooth dough. Fold a few times and shape the dough.
Divide the dough into two: a larger piece for the base and a smaller one for the lid. Place in two separate bowls and let rise in a turned-off oven with the light on for at least 2 hours.
Now prepare the filling. Pour extra virgin olive oil into a pan and let the onion soften.
Cook for about 50 minutes, and once softened, add the minced capers and anchovies
and the “ad ink” Celline olives.
When the onions turn black, turn off the heat and let them cool.
At this point, roll out the larger dough piece.
Place it covering the base of a well-oiled 10.2-inch baking pan with olive oil
Stuff with the cooled onions
Cover with the smaller piece of dough and seal the edges.
At this point, brush the surface with extra virgin olive oil
Prick well with a fork and bake in a preheated oven at 428°F for about 30 minutes
Once cooked, cover the focaccia with a damp cloth and leave it for 1 hour. Our focaccia with olives and onion Taranto style is ready to be enjoyed.
