Sicilian scaccia: The delicious crossover between pizza and lasagne

Scaccia ragusana is a true gem of Sicilian cuisine, hailing from Ragusa. It is a type of bake that can be compared to a cross between pizza and lasagne. Imagine thin, crispy dough filled with aromatic layers of ingredients. Sounds appetising? That's precisely what scaccia is, quickly earning the nickname Sicilian bread in our kitchen.

When it appears on the table, it attracts eager diners. Simple dough made from flour and water combined with a sauce based on Italian San Marzano tomatoes, alongside aubergine, mozzarella, and Parmesan, will soon have your stomach rumbling.

Italian cuisine focuses on simple yet high-quality ingredients. It's worth opting for San Marzano tomatoes or semolina, which is fine flour made from durum wheat. Add quality Parmesan and mozzarella cheese, and you can revel in delight.

Ingredients:

Dough:

• 250g semolina,
• 1 teaspoon salt,
• 2 tablespoons olive oil,
• 180ml water.

Sauce:

        
• 300g canned San Marzano tomatoes,
• 2 garlic cloves,
• 1 handful of fresh basil,
• 1 teaspoon salt,
• 3 tablespoons olive oil.

Other ingredients:

• 1 aubergine,
• 4 tablespoons olive oil,
• 125g mozzarella in brine,
• 30g Parmesan.

Instructions:

Step 1: Pour the semolina into a bowl. Add the olive oil, salt, and water, then knead the dough. Form a ball, drizzle with a little olive oil, and wrap in cling film. Set aside for 30 minutes.

Step 2: Slice the aubergine and grill on a pan or electric grill. You can also fry it in a pan.

Step 3: Pour the tomatoes into a tall container. Add the peeled garlic, basil leaves, salt, and olive oil, and blend until smooth.

Step 4: Roll out the dough into a rectangle and spread the prepared sauce over it.

Step 5: Add slices of aubergine, torn mozzarella, and Parmesan. Add basil leaves and season with salt.

Step 6: Fold the dough to cover the filling. Spread with sauce and fold into three parts. Refer to the recipe for detailed instructions on how to do this.

Step 7: Transfer to a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with olive oil and place in an oven preheated to 170 degrees Celsius. Bake for an hour. After this time, the Sicilian bread is ready. Enjoy!