Portuguese FLAVOUR
And you thought anchovies were challenging — Sardine Pizza is a delicious and nutritious favourite in Portugal
Carla Azevedo first explored Portuguese home cooking more than 20 years ago in her cookbook Uma Casa Portuguesa (Summerhill Pr Ltd, 1991), which she has updated, revised and expanded for her new book Pimentos and Piri Piri (Whitecap Books, 2013). Realizing that recipes are largely passed on orally in the Portuguese community, Azevedo, who’s based in Toronto, spent time in both home and restaurant kitchens documenting favourites.
“... People have been very supportive ... I think they’re proud that people are interested in their recipes and their culture and their food. Food and culture are so connected ...”
Recipes excerpted from Pimentos and Piri-Piri(Whitecap Books) by Carla Azevedo
Sardine Pizza Pizza de Sardinhas
Martin Silva, a Portuguese newscaster at CHIN radio in Toronto, introduced me to sardine pizza. He remembers having the savoury treat when he was a young child, usually around the time his parents cultivated their crops. His grandmother would place the sardines on some freshly risen dough and bake it in the oven, just until the dough and the sardines were cooked.
I added onions, garlic, and parsley for a subtle boost of flavour. You can experiment with tomatoes, olives, or other vegetables to suit your preferences. The availability of frozen sardines throughout the year ensures you can make this any time you like. Sardines offer a healthy dose of omega-3 fatty acid and give you one more reason to include this pizza as one of your favourite snacks.
Makes 1 pizza or 4 appetizer servings 1 small ball pizza dough (1½ lb/680 g store-bought dough) 1½ lb (680 g) sardines, scaled, gutted, bones and heads removed, and quartered 1 tsp (5 mL) fine salt 4 tbsp (60 mL) olive oil (approx.) 1 large onion, thinly sliced 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 tbsp (30 mL) chopped fresh parsley 3 tbsp (45 mL) pimento paste (optional) Fine salt and coarsely ground black pepper, to taste
Gather the dough into a ball and place in lightly greased bowl, turning to grease all over. Cover and let rise in a draft-free place for about 45 minutes to 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.
Turn out the dough into a large rectangular baking pan, approximately 11- x 16 -inch (28 x 40 cm), and, using your hands, press the dough flat all over, forming a slightly raised edge. Cover and let rise in a draft-free place for about 30 minutes.
Rinse the sardines under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels; lightly salt and set aside (if using pimento paste, reduce the amount of salt by half). Brush 2 tbsp (30 mL) of the oil over the base of the pizza dough. Scatter the dough evenly with half of the onions and top with the sardines. Sprinkle with garlic, parsley, and pimento paste (if using). Top with the remaining onions and 2 tbsp (30 mL) oil.
Bake in a preheated 500° F (260° C) oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until the crust is golden. Remove from the oven and, using a fork, check that the bottom of the pizza dough is golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for about 5 to 10 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.