Last week as my girlfriends and I gathered to see one woman make her mark in the history books, we took the opportunity to mark and salute another group of trailblazing women and did so over some, Sfincione, a Sicilian-style pizza with provolone, ricotta, sausage and topped with breadcrumbs. Appropriate, methinks.
Why so appropriate? We were watching The Golden Girls.
Who doesn’t love the Golden Girls? Their wit, friendship and fashion are all that which we should strive to have in our golden years and I put together a menu for our watch party where I hoped to do them justice with this #ScreenCuisine.
I was trying to think of what, besides cheesecake and ice cream, these four ladies regularly shared around the kitchen table and struggled a bit, so in crafting my “to eat” list, I borrowed from the heritage of each, combined with classic favorites to make a well-rounded party menu.
It goes like this:
Wine, in copious amounts
Smoked gouda cheese spread with toast crackers (just because, really)
Popcorn, optional, not-pictured. Extra butter.
Brie (for Blanche) topped with Lingonberry preserves (for Rose)
Sfincione, a Sicilian-style flatbread (for Sophia and Dorothy)
Key lime pie no-churn ice cream, for Florida
And a trio of cheesecakes, courtesy of Shari’s Berries, for being able to eat whatever you want with total disregard for anything but deliciousness.
Today’s recipe is of the Sfincione, and I hadn’t even planned on sharing it really, but it came out so good, with thumbs up from all, so share it I will.
It’s not like a traditional pizza. Yes, it has the elements, but each is just a little bit off the beaten path to make one special pizza.
Provolone and Ricotta provide the dairy and the melt.
Sweet Italian sausage, cooked up with fennel and crushed red pepper provide the meat and the heat.
Caramelized onions provide the sweet.
Sauteed breadcrumbs add the cherry on top.
I did cheat for this and used pre-made pizza dough from Trader Joe’s, as well as canned sauce. Shortcuts are sometimes necessary, especially on weeknights.
I say it all turned out okay anyway.
- 1 package prepared pizza dough
- 1 TB olive oil
- 2 links sweet Italian sausage, removed from casing and crumbled
- 1-2 tsp dried fennel
- 1/2 red onion, sliced thin
- 2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 6 slices deli-sliced provolone
- 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
- 4 TB dried bread crumbs
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- In a medium pan over medium-high heat, add the oil, the sausage, crushed red pepper and fennel, and cook until all the pink is gone. Remove from pan.
- Put the pan back over the heat and add the onions, letting them cook in the sausage drippings until soft, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Back in the pan one last time, add the bread crumbs and cook until toasted and well coated in the fat, about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from pan and turn the stove off.
- To assemble the pizza, spread the pre-made dough on a pizza stone, or a foil-lined cookie-sheet pan, brushed with oil. Spread the tomato sauce over the dough, followed by the provolone, sausage, ricotta, onions and breadcrumbs.
- Bake 25-30 minutes until golden brown.
Written during my latest binge, The Murdoch Mysteries
Sfincione
Ingredients
- 1 package prepared pizza dough
- 1 TB olive oil
- 2 links sweet Italian sausage, removed from casing and crumbled
- 1-2 tsp dried fennel
- 1/2 red onion, sliced thin
- 2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 6 slices deli-sliced provolone
- 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
- 4 TB dried bread crumbs
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat oven to 350F.
- Step 2 In a medium pan over medium-high heat, add the oil, the sausage, crushed red pepper and fennel, and cook until all the pink is gone. Remove from pan.
- Step 3 Put the pan back over the heat and add the onions, letting them cook in the sausage drippings until soft, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Step 4 Back in the pan one last time, add the bread crumbs and cook until toasted and well coated in the fat, about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from pan and turn the stove off.
- Step 5 To assemble the pizza, spread the pre-made dough on a pizza stone, or a foil-lined cookie-sheet pan, brushed with oil. Spread the tomato sauce over the dough, followed by the provolone, sausage, ricotta, onions and breadcrumbs.
- Step 6 Bake 25-30 minutes until golden brown.
Probably not the star of the show (dinner); but the flowers are really gorgeous!
I agree. And I got a nice new square vase!
Not a fan of Golden Girls (maybe not fair, I don’t think I’ve seen anything but the previews of the beginning of the show) but I’m a big fan of your tablescape and your food Chrissy!
Haha Thanks! I will say that you should maybe give it another try 🙂