Nonna Lisa’s Tiella
Driving north from Naples to Rome, you are bound to come to Gaeta, and you should make a point of sampling some tiella there. Every time I am in that vicinity, I stop by and enjoy some tiella with Nonna Lisa Corrado, my son-in-law’s maternal grandmother. According to him, she makes the best tiella in all of Italy. Tiella is made in Naples and throughout Italy, but it is a specialty in Gaeta, a beautiful seaside town on the border of Campania (Naples) and Lazio (Rome) regions. So what is tiella? It is a thin-crusted deep-dish pizza, stuffed with different combinations of vegetables and fish—escarole, broccoli rabe, octopus, olives, ricotta and Swiss chard, artichokes, and any other vegetable that is in season. It is topped and sealed with the same dough and baked until golden. Every time I stop for a piece of tiella, Nonna Lisa teaches me another filling. I take notes, and then I enjoy. I now make them at the restaurants and at home in New York, for my son-in-law. He enjoys them with a touch of nostalgia and following are two for you to enjoy.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 1 large tiella, serving 8 or more
Ingredients
For the Tiella Dough
Recommended Equipment
Nonna Lisa’s Tiella Filling of Escarole, Olives, and Capers
Recommended Equipment
Nonna Lisa’s Tiella Filling of Octopus, Garlic, and Oil
Recommended Equipment
Preparation
Step 1
To make the dough, dissolve the yeast in 1/4 cup warm water, and let it sit for several minutes.
Step 2
Put the flours, salt, and sugar in the bowl of the food processor, and run the machine for a few seconds to blend the dry ingredients.
Step 3
Stir the active yeast together with the cool water and 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a spouted measuring cup. With the food processor running, pour all the liquid into the flours, and continue processing for 30 seconds or so. A soft dough should gather on the blade and clean the sides of the bowl. If the sides are not clear, incorporate more flour, a tablespoon at a time, to stiffen the dough. If the dough is very stiff, work in more cool water in small amounts. (You can also use a heavy-duty electric mixer to form the dough, or do it by hand.)
Step 4
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and knead by hand briefly to form a smooth round. Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled, about an hour. Deflate the dough when doubled, knead it briefly, and return to the bowl for a second rise. If you like, refrigerate the dough, sealed airtight, for up to a day (deflate and knead it whenever it doubles).
Step 5
When your filling is prepared and you are ready to bake the tiella, heat the oven to 375˚. Arrange a rack in the center of the oven and put the baking stone on it, if using. Brush the bottom and sides of the skillet or baking pan lightly with olive oil.
Step 6
Deflate the dough, knead it briefly to form a round again, and cut off a third of the dough for the top crust of the tiella. The larger, two-thirds piece will be the bottom crust. Let the dough relax (especially if it has been chilled) before rolling.
Step 7
On a floured surface, roll out the big piece of dough to a 14-inch round. Transfer the round to the skillet or baking pan, centered and lying flat on the bottom and sides. Trim the top edge of the dough neatly so it is an even height, about 1 1/2 inches, up the sides all around.
Step 8
Scrape the cooled escarole or octopus filling into the bottom crust, and spread it in an even layer, slightly compressed. The escarole filling makes a thinner layer than the octopus, but with either, the bottom crust should extend at least 1/2 inch above the filling all around.
Step 9
Roll out the smaller piece of dough to a 12-inch round and trim it into a neat circle that is a bit larger than the layer of filling—use a ruler to get the right dimensions. Center the circle, and lay it on top of the filling. Pinch together the overlapping edges of the bottom and top crusts all around. Fold this wide flap of dough inward, and press it down and against the pan sides all around. Make uniform indentations with your fingertips, to seal the tiella tightly and create a decorative rim of dough at the same time.
Step 10
With the tip of a sharp knife, pierce the top crust all over with a dozen or so small slits. Finally, brush the remaining extra-virgin olive oil all over the tiella, including the border of crust.
Step 11
Bake the tiella, on the heated stone if you have one, for about 45 minutes, or until the crust is a deep golden brown. Cool it on a rack for at least an hour in the skillet. Invert and remove the tiella if you want, or leave it in the pan for serving. Cut wedges, and serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
Nonna Lisa’s Tiella Filling of Escarole, Olives, and Capers
Step 12
Trim off the base of the escarole, separate the leaves, and discard any that are wilted or blemished. Rinse and drain the leaves, and chop them into shreds about an inch wide.
Step 13
Pour 1/4 cup of the olive oil in the big skillet, set it over medium-high heat, and stir in the garlic. Cook for a minute or so, until sizzling, then pile in all the escarole, and tumble the shreds over and over with tongs, over high heat. Scatter the capers and olives on top, season with the salt and peperoncino, and toss. Pour 1/2 cup water into the pan, and cover tightly.
Step 14
Steam the escarole for about 5 minutes. Uncover the pan, and continue cooking over medium heat, stirring frequently, until all the moisture has been cooked off and the filling is condensed and fairly dry, about 20 minutes more. Near the end of cooking, drizzle over it the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and toss.
Step 15
Cool the filling before assembling the tiella.
Nonna Lisa’s Tiella Filling of Octopus, Garlic, and Oil
Step 16
Defrost the octopus, and put it in a big pot with several inches of water to cover. Add the bay leaves. Bring to a boil, and cook at a bubbling simmer for about 35 minutes, or until the octopus is tender but al dente. You should be able to pierce the flesh with a big meat-fork but still feel a bit of resistance when you withdraw it. The skin of the octopus should still be largely intact—not broken and peeling off, which indicates overcooking. Let it cool in the cooking water, then drain well and cut it up into 3/4-inch pieces. Rinse, core, and seed the plum tomatoes, and cut into 1/3-inch dice.
Step 17
Pour the olive oil into the big skillet, set it over medium heat, and stir in the garlic. Cook for a minute, until sizzling, then add the octopus pieces and toss them in the oil. Scatter the olives in the pan, and cook for a couple of minutes, stirring and tossing; sprinkle in the peperoncino. When the octopus is sizzling, toss in the diced tomatoes, and season with the salt.
Step 18
Cook at the simmer, stirring frequently, for another 10 minutes or so, until the filling is dense and glistening, with no liquid left in the pan. Toss in the parsley, and cool the filling before assembling the tiella.