IMPANATA SICILIANA
Silverbeet Impanata
Most people think the filled pastry known as impanata is strictly Spanish but the Sicilians lay a fierce claim to the dish and I’m glad they do. One of our chef’s Mario, who is Sicilian, would occasionally brings his dad’s version into work for his lunch and I’d take a little tax on my way past him so often that he started bringing me my own. This is our version of it.
Serves 8
Ingredients
Impanata Dough
25 g fresh yeast, crumbled, or 2½ teaspoons dried yeast
2 teaspoons sugar
400 ml warm water (43°C)
1 kg tipo 00 flour
2½ teaspoons salt
50 ml olive oil, plus extra for brushing
Filling
2 bunches silverbeet
100 ml olive oil
1 onion, finely sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 anchovy fillets, chopped
150 g mozzarella, grated
Salt and cracked black pepper
Method
First, make the dough. Place the yeast, sugar and warm water in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook and mix until the yeast has dissolved. Add the flour, salt and olive oil and mix on low speed until a smooth dough has formed.
Place the dough into a deep bowl, cover with a damp cloth and set aside to prove at room temperature for 2 hours, or refrigerate overnight for a slow prove.
To make the filling, separate the silverbeet stalks from the leaves and wash thoroughly under cold water. Cut the stalks finely and put aside. Cut the leaves roughly and put aside.
Heat the olive oil in a large deep saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion has softened. Mix in the stalks and anchovies and cook for a few minutes, then add the leaves. Cover and cook until the silverbeet has wilted, 5–10 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Mix the mozzarella into the silverbeet mixture and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Preheat the oven to 170°C (fan-forced) and grease and line a 28 cm ovenproof non-stick frying pan with baking paper.
Cut the dough into two pieces on a floured workbench. Roll out one piece of the dough into a round that is 5 mm thick and line the prepared pan, leaving 2 cm of the dough overhanging the edge.
Spoon the silverbeet filling into the pastry-lined pan and brush the overhanging dough with olive oil.
Roll out the other piece of dough and cover the filling, then fold over the overhang, pinching the edges to seal. Brush the top with olive oil and, using a fork, make a few holes in the dough so the steam can escape.
Bake for about 40 minutes or until golden. Remove from the oven, allow to rest for 10 minutes, then cut and serve.
