Mpignulata from the braai
Recipe Facts
Difficulty level:
easy ◉◉◎◎◎
Serves:
6 people
Preparation time:
⧗ individual
Grilling time:
⧗ individual
Grill(s) & Equipment:
• Braai/ pizza oven/wood-fired oven
Ingredients
For the dough:
• 1 kg durum wheat flour (semolina rimacinata, finely ground semolina)
• 8 g yeast
• 1 tsp salt
For the filling:
• at least 8 white onions
• Olive oil
• 4–5 black olives per person, pitted and coarsely chopped
• 300–400 g salsiccia, skins removed (alternatively, seasoned ground pork)
• at least 1 handful grated Pecorino cheese
• Salt
• Pepper
• Chili to taste
Why not gift a FIRE&FOOD subscription! It ends automatically after 4 issues.
Spices available in the shop!
Preparation
➊ Prepare a very liquid pizza dough from the ingredients so that it can be easily stretched thin later – add more water if necessary. Very liquid doughs do not need to be kneaded; it is sufficient to mix the ingredients well with a spoon. Sicily likes things sweet, which is why the yeast development is supported with a pinch of sugar here, but I leave it out. Let the dough rise, covered, in a warm place for at least 1–2 hours as usual.
➋ Slice the onions and sauté in a pan with a little olive oil. Let them cool in the oil; do not pat them dry or similar.
Stretch the dough thin on a heavily floured surface with generously oiled hands – as round as possible, taking care not to tear it. Top with onions in a ring shape, leaving the center empty and ensuring the edges of the dough remain free. Then distribute the olives and salsiccia pieces on the onions and sprinkle with at least a handful of Pecorino.
➌ How much you salt and season with pepper or chili depends on the seasoning of the salsiccia and the amount of Pecorino used, which is quite pungent itself, and of course on personal taste.
➍ Roll up the dough and overlap the two ends, wetting them with water if necessary to join them more easily. Shape the roll into a coil or ring in a greased ovenproof dish or pan.
➎ To cook, carefully place the Mpignulata into the warming drawer of the Braii (alternatively in a pizza oven or wood-fired oven). Rotate it a quarter turn every 5 minutes so that the filled dough receives equal heat from all sides. Depending on where the heat source is, you can generally vary between the drawer and the grill grate in the Braii. Depending on the heat, it takes 20–30 minutes until the dough is dry and crispy all around. You can hear it when you tap on it.
Mona’s Tip: Pecorino has a strong, distinctive taste that not everyone likes right away. If you haven't quite gotten used to it yet but don't want to leave it out, it doesn't necessarily have to go into the filling: I oil the dough from the outside after rolling and sprinkle the Mpignulata with Pecorino before baking. This roasts the cheese, giving it a lighter aroma and adding a bit of crunch.
Recipe by Mona Sandford (Leone)
Hospitality is Mona's passion – and anyone fortunate enough to experience it at her estate, Al Castelluccio, east of Racalmuto in Sicily, can consider themselves lucky. She has made a home for herself in the region from which her father once emigrated to Germany. A dish that captures the soul of the region particularly well is the Mpignulata. A traditional specialty that is exemplary of down-to-earth Sicilian cuisine. www.alcastelluccio.it
Recipe from FIRE&FOOD Magazine 2-26
