San Vito Pizza (Sicily)

Pizza

Ingredients

Once Risen bread dough, made with 2 1/2 cups flour - 1 pound

Olive oil

Ripe tomatoes - 1 1/4 pounds

Onion, finely chopped - 1

Salt and pepper

Salted sardines - 3/4 pound

Caciovallo cheese, diced - 3/4 pound

Knead the risen dough, adding as you knead olive oil. When the dough is smooth and elastic, shape it into a ball and leave it to rise again, about 2 hours.

In the meantime, prepare the filling. Peel and chop the tomatoes, discarding seeds. Heat 1/2 cup olive oil in a pan and saute the onion; as soon as it changes color add the tomatoes, a little salt and pepper and cook over a low heat for 30 minutes.

Wash the sardines, cut off heads and tails, open them and remove their backbones. Add half of the sardines to the tomato sauce and continue cooking for another 10 minutes.

Brush a 12 inch shallow baking pan with oil. Roll the dough out lightly and fit it into the pan. Spread it with half the tomato and sardine sauce and all of the cheese. Bake in a moderate oven (375F) for about 20 minutes. Cover with the rest of the sauce and the sardines, sprinkle with a little oil and bake for 10 minutes longer. Serve very hot.

Serves 6-8