Cooking with Love
with Gianna Conte (Jan)
My mama Anna would make this onion pie every Christmas Eve.
When I got married, my older sister and I would get together at my mom's house and prepare all the fish for that evening's festivities.
As we fried the cod, shrimp, scallops, made the baccala sauce and the shrimp sauce, both marinara sauces.
Mom would take out the onion pie and we would have it for lunch, just the ladies.
It was sooo good! It's a labor of love, but worth every bite.
A is for Anna....her onion Pie is the best!
ANNA’S CHRISTMAS EVE ONION PIE
INGREDIENTS::
FOR THE DOUGH -
3 CUPS ALL PURPOSE FLOUR
4 TBS. LIGHT OIL (CANOLA)
1 ENVELOPE YEAST (DISSOLVED IN ¼ CUP WARM WATER WITH 1 TBS SUGAR).
LET STAND FOR 3-5 MINUTES UNTIL LIQUID IS FOAMY (PROOFED)
1 TEASPOON SALT
FOR THE FILLING -
3 LBS WHITE ONIONS
5 CANNED WHOLE TOMATOES PACKED IN JUICE (CHOPPED UP)
1 TIN OF ANCHOVIES (6-8)
3/4 CUP OF PITTED OLIVES (CUT IN HALF)
DIRECTIONS TO MAKE DOUGH:
IN A LARGE MIXING BOWL, PUT IN FLOUR AND FORM A WELL. IN THE CENTER OF THE WELL, ADD YEAST, OIL AND SALT. ADD ¾ CUP OF WARM WATER SLOWLY UNTIL FLOUR TURNS INTO A DOUGH. REMOVE DOUGH FROM BOWL AND KNEAD FOR A FEW MINUTES UNTIL DOUGH IS SMOOTH.
IN A CLEAN BOWL DRIZZLE OIL AND SPREAD AROUND AND UP SIDES. PUT DOUGH IN BOWL AND FLIP OVER UNTIL DOUGH IS COMLETELY OILED.
PREHEAT OVEN TO 200 DEGREES, AND THEN SHUT OFF OVEN. PLACE THE BOWL COVERED WITH SARAN WRAP INTO THE OVEN AND LET SIT FOR 20-30 MINUTES UNTIL IT HAS RISEN.
PUNCH DOWN THE DOUGH AND COVER AND LET RISE FOR THE SECOND TIME (APPROXIMATELY 20-30 MINUTES.)
DIRECTIONS FOR THE FILLING:
3 LBS. WHITE ONIONS PEELED AND CUT IN ½ INCH WEDGES. PLACE IN A BIG POT AND COVER THE ONIONS WITH WATER. COOK ONIONS AT MEDIUM HEAT UNTIL THEY COME TO A BOIL.
LET ONIONS COOK FOR A FEW MINUTES UNTIL TRANSLUCENT. DRAIN IN A COLANDER REMOVING AS MUCH WATER AS POSSIBLE.
*NOTE: THIS STEP CAN BE DONE THE DAY BEFORE AND PUT IN THE REFRIGATOR. PREHEAT OVEN 400 DEGREES IN A LARGE FRYING PAN: HEAT A FEW TABLESPOONS OF OIL. ADD ONIONS AND TOMATOES. LET COOK FOR 5-10 MINUTES. ADD SALT AND PEPPER TO TASTE (CAREFUL BECAUSE OLIVES AND ANCHOVIES ARE SALTY) ADD THE OLIVES AND ANCHOVIES AND COOK FOR A FEW MINUTES AND THEN LET COOL.
CUT THE DOUGH IN HALF. ROLL OUT INTO A RECTANGLE SHAPE ENOGH TO FIT A 12 X 9 PAN. OIL THE BOTTOM OF THE PAN VERY GENEROUSLY. PLACE DOUGH IN PAN OVERLAPPING THE EDGES.
PLACE ONION MIXTURE EVENLY IN THE PAN. ROLL OUT THE OTHER HALF OF THE DOUGH TO COVER; ROLL THE TOP AND BOTTOM DOUGH TOGETHER TO FORM A ROLLED EDGE LIKE A ROPE ALL AROUND THE CALZONE. GENEROUSLY BRUSH OIL ON TOP AND AROUND CALZONE AND ON EDGES. BAKE FOR 30 MINUTES ON MIDDLE RACK.
CHECK CALZONE; REDUCE HEAT TO 375 DEGREES AND BAKE FOR AN ADDITIONAL 10 MINUTES. REMOVE FROM OVEN,
CALZONE SHOULD HAVE A GOLDEN COLOR. BRUSH A FEW TABLESPOONS OF OLIVE OIL ALL OVER AND COVER WITH FOIL.
Me and my comara Toni after teaching her how to make it. Fun times...
