I'm making 'Nfigghiulata Antica today, a recipe from Carlo Middione's Food of Southern Italy cookbook. I have my own crust recipe that I do, but I love the rather unique assortment of meats and vegetables in Middione's recipe. I'm bringing it to a dinner party as an appetizer.

First I make dough - then I roll it out and scatter sauted ground veal, pork, parboiled cauliflower, pitted black olives, scallions, sauted chopped onion, steamed swiss chard cut into ribbons, cubes of provolone, and thin strips of buffalo salami on the surface. The combination is rolled up in the dough like a jelly roll, and baked on a greased pan for an hour and a half. Then I cut it into cross-wise slices of steaming hot deliciousness.

I double the following pizza crust recipe - but I give it to you in single crust proportion since most food processors stall with the doubled recipe. I do my own recipe because I like to use instant yeast to avoid the proofing and I also love my food processor instead of using up precious time kneading bread.


Mary's Pizza Crust - and East Dorset Bread Roll
Combine 1 1/2 tsp instant yeast, 2/3 to 3/4 c water, 2 c. flour and 1 tsp salt and process until it rides around the bowl for 2 minutes, adding more water or more flour to allow the ball to form. Let rise for 1 to 2 hours in a large bowl with a damp towel on top. You can create your own bread roll with any combination of goodness on top, but go lightly on juicy ingredients to allow the bread dough to bake through. Bake at 325 degrees F for 1 1/2 hours. Brush butter on top of the crust before it cooks.

I think spinach, broccoli, carmelized onion, feta and black olives would make a nice combination of items for these rustic bread rolls. Or...sundried tomatoes, scallions, sauteed crimini mushrooms, and sauted hot sausage.