Fugazzeta

Fugazza con queso (from Genoese dialect: fugassa; Italian: focaccia), or simply fugazza, is a common type of Argentine pizza, originating in Buenos Aires, that consists of a thick pizza crust topped with onions, cheese, and sometimes olives. It is derived from a combination of Neapolitan pizza with Italian focaccia bread. Fugazza and its variations are believed to have been invented by a Genoese-Argentine pizza maker named Juan Banchero sometime between 1893 and 1932, who served it out of a pizza shop bearing his name. Banchero's pizza shop continues to sell fugazza to this day in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of La Boca, which historically served as a home to Genovese immigrants to Argentina. Genoese and Neapolitan traditions have been meeting for more than a century in this leavened specialty of Buenos Aires: discover the recipe for Fugazzeta.

Ingredients

400 g crumbled mozzarella

150 g re-milled durum wheat semolina

150 g flour

50 g milk

10 g fresh brewer's yeast

3 medium onions

granulated sugar

oregano

chili pepper

extra virgin olive oil

salt

Procedure

Mix the lukewarm milk with the baking powder, 1 teaspoon of sugar and 1 tablespoon of flour and let the mixture rest for 10 minutes. Mix the flour with the semolina in a bowl; make a hollow in the center and add 1 tablespoon of oil and a pinch of salt; Then add the mixture of milk, yeast, sugar and flour and start kneading with your hands. Gradually add 130 g of warm water, continuing to knead for about 5-7 minutes, until you get a soft dough. Let it rest for 1 hour. Peel the onions and slice them very thinly; Soften them in a pan with 2 tablespoons of oil (they should not brown), seasoning them with oregano, salt and ground chili pepper (or pepper, to taste). Divide the dough into 2 loaves, one smaller and one larger. Oil a pizza pan and roll out the largest loaf on it, spreading the dough well with your hands; Spread the crumbled mozzarella on top, keeping a little for the surface of the fugazzeta. Roll out the second dough with a rolling pin and place it on top of the fugazzeta; Seal the edges and pierce the surface with a fork. Spread the onion on top, drained from its cooking liquid, and the mozzarella kept aside. Bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes at 200 °C; Remove from the oven and serve immediately.