Directions
Today, we’re off to Argentina to find an amazing preparation, the fugazzeta, which borrows certain foccacia principles but conceals a big cheese content. Obviously, we owe this wonderful innovation to the Italian immigrants who arrived in Buenos Aires at the close of the nineteenth century. Agustn Banchero, assisted by his son Juan, established the restaurant “Banchero” in the La Boca neighborhood by focusing on the classics of Italian cuisine, notably Genoese, his father’s hometown.
Gradually, the son, influenced by the Argentinian street food where he grew up, allows himself certain liberties, particularly from the 1920s, and imagines our recipe of the day, including the name of focaccia, which in Genoa is called fogazza. It is a pizza dough that will be topped with cheeses (mozzarella, provolone, and parmesan) before being covered with a second disc of dough that will be topped with fresh onions and oregano. It has already become a street food staple in the Argentine capital, sitting nicely beside the choripan that we served a few weeks ago.
Ingredients
- 7 cl of lukewarm milk
- 10 grams of sugar
- 5 grams of baker’s yeast
- 430g flour
- 30 grams of EVOO
- 10 grams of salt
- 40 cl of water
- 2 onions, sliced
- 250g mozzarella, sliced
- 70 grams of grated provolone
- 50 grams of grated parmesan
- 15 grams of dried oregano
Preparation
- Allow the yeast to activate in the lukewarm milk with the sugar for a few minutes.
- Make a well in the center of the flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Add the yeast and a spoonful of olive oil. Pick up the dough and gently add the water. Knead for 15 minutes at low speed.
- Form the dough into a ball and set it in an oiled basin. Cover and set aside in a warm area for 1 hour.
- Degas the dough and divide it into two equal-sized balls.
- Place a ball of dough in a 30-inch cast-iron pan and coat it with oil.
- Spread the batter evenly across the pan’s surface.
- Cover the entire surface with mozzarella and provolone.
- Roll out the second ball of dough and set it on top of the cheese.
- Seal the edges thoroughly, then evenly distribute the onion, parmesan, and oregano.
- Cook for 25 minutes at 230°C in the oven.
