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Sardenaira
Ligurian tomato and anchovy focaccia
Sardenaira: Sanremo's thick focaccia with tomato, anchovies, olives and capers
Sardenaira is the Riviera's answer to the Neapolitan pizza: a thick, soft focaccia from Sanremo and the towns along the coast near the French border, covered with a thick tomato sauce, salted anchovies, tiny black Taggiasca olives, capers and whole garlic cloves. It was a fishermen's dish once made with sardines, which gave it its name. Bakeries sell it by the slice for a morning snack or an aperitivo with a glass of wine. Chef's tip: cook the tomato sauce until thick before spreading it on; a runny sauce soaks into the dough.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 ⅛ lb strong white bread flour
- 1 ¼ cups warm water
- ⅓ oz fine salt
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oilplus extra for the tray
For the topping
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 onionthinly sliced
- 1 ⅛ lb ripe tomatoes or tinned plum tomatoeschopped
- 12 anchovy filletshalved
- 2 ⅛ oz black Taggiasca olives
- 1 tbsp capersrinsed
- 8 cloves garlicunpeeled
- 1 tsp dried oregano
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Mix 1 ⅛ lb strong white bread flour, 1 ¼ cups warm water, ⅛ oz fast-action dried yeast, ⅓ oz fine salt and 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and knead for 10 minutes. Cover and leave for 1½ hours, until doubled.
100 minStep 2: Meanwhile heat 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and cook 1 onion for 8 minutes, until soft. Add 1 ⅛ lb ripe tomatoes or tinned plum tomatoes and simmer for 20 minutes, until very thick. Leave to cool.
28 minStep 3: Oil a 30 × 40 cm tray well. Press the dough into it with oily fingers and leave for 30 minutes, until puffy.
30 minStep 4: Heat the oven to 425°F (400°F fan). Dimple the dough, spread with the tomato sauce and dot with 12 anchovy fillets, 2 ⅛ oz black Taggiasca olives, 1 tbsp capers and 8 cloves garlic. Sprinkle with 1 tsp dried oregano.
Step 5: Bake for 25–30 minutes, until the edges are deep golden and the base is crisp underneath. Common mistake: underbaking; the thick centre needs time to cook through.
30 minStep 6: Cool for 10 minutes and cut into squares. Squeeze the soft garlic out of its skin as you eat.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 340 kcal
- Protein
- 9 g
- Carbs
- 50 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does sardenaira take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of strong white bread flour?
- Plain flour, same amount (the dough will be softer and rise a little less).
- What can I use instead of fast-action dried yeast?
- Fresh yeast, three times the weight.
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