How to Bake Sardine Pie (Slana Riba Pogaca)

The English call it Sardine Pie. Made of salted sardines or inchune, the fish spine needs to be removed and rinsed since it may be overly salty.

The bread dough consists of

1 kilo flour (about 2.2 lbs) (can be mixed 50/50 with cake flour to have a more delicate texture)

pinch of salt

1/2 liter water

6 T. oil (soy or vegetable oil is just fine)

dry yeast (two packages)

1 T. sugar

In a small bowl, mix the yeast, sugar, and 1 or 2 T. of the flour, let it rise.

The dry ingredients need to be mixed in a large bowl, and make a well in the middle.

Combine the yeast mixture (when it's started bubbling) to the flour, and slowly and carefully add part of the water, stirring well to avoid lumping. Keep mixing and add the oil.

On a floured surface (like your kitchen table), knead the dough, in other words, shape it, press it, pull it, mash it, and keep adding a light layer of flour as long as it absorbs and stays supple. Using a rolling pin, divide the dough and spread it into two approximately equal rectangles to fit your greased and floured cooking pan.

Believe it or not, the dough is the most important factor of the pie. It needs to be well risen, which means bubbly, tasty (not too salty and not salt-less). The thickness of the pogaca (pie) should be about as thick as your thumb, with its upper, lower and center filling.

Sardine Pies are filled with sardine fillets, thinly sliced onion and coarsely chopped tomatoes. The onions can be lightly fried in oil before adding, but if they are sliced thinly enough, it is not really necessary.

For a 9 * 13 inch pan, you will need half of an onion, 3 or 4 small ripe tomatoes and perhaps 8 sardine fillets. I divide them up evenly in rows, making them in smaller pieces so almost every bite has a little onion, tomato and sardine fillet. A few drops of olive oil can be drizzled and a little oregano won't hurt, either, but not too much. The sardines and vegetables are the "stars"!

The top layer of bread dough lies on top, naturally, and the edges are sealed. This can be done by pinching them together, rolling them inwardly, or however you like. Using a pastry brush or a plain old fork, rub a little olive oil over the top to let it get a better "tan" in the oven. Now, poke holes everywhere - the middle, edges, and corners - to avoid an explosive reaction. Bake in a moderately hot oven - 350 F or 200 C. for around 1/2 hour, or until it rises and has begun to turn color. Doneness can be tested using the same fork as before.

If, by chance, the Pogaca has been in the cooker just a little too long, there is a trick to return it to its youthfulness. Taking a wet clean and fresh dishtowel, wring it out well and place it on top of the slightly overcooked Pogaca. In a minute or two, the moisture from the towel will be absorbed into the bread and it will have become a delightful delicacy (again)!

A salad of mixed greens is recommended, along with a glass of red wine.

My kids hate onions but if I slice the onions tinily enough, they won't even notice that they are there.

Pogaca keeps well. If it doesn't get eaten up the first day, it will stay in foil another day or two.