Cappello di Gendarme

Name: Cappello di Gendarme (Gendarme’s Cap, a Calzone from Lecce)
Yield: Makes 2 calzone, to serve 6 to 8
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1⅓ cups warm water, 105° to 115°F. for the dry yeast, 95° to 105°F. for the fresh yeast; 2 teaspoons dry active yeast or ⅔ cake (½ ounce) fresh yeast; 3¾ cups (18 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour; 1¼ teaspoons sea salt; 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus a little extra for brushing the tops; Freshly ground black pepper; Sea salt; 1 tablespoon capers (preferably salt-cured), well drained and rinsed in cold water; 6 meaty (about 8 ounces) cherry-size or Roma tomatoes or canned Italianstyle tomatoes, drained, seeded and roughly chopped; 2 tablespoons black olives in brine, drained and pitted; 2 heads frisée (about 1⅓ pounds), well washed and chopped; Cornmeal or coarse semolina as needed; 1 onion, finely sliced; 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing the tops

Gendarme’s Cap, a Calzone from Lecce

Preparation info

Makes 2 calzone, to serve
6 to 8

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

In Nonna's Kitchen

By Carol Field

Published 1997

About

This filled focaccia with its strange name first appeared when the Bourbons ruled the south of Italy. The bakers of Lecce deep in the region of Apulia must have been inspired by the hats the gendarmes wore—Napoleon’s famous headgear had the very same shape—and decided to form their focaccia in homage.

Ingredients

Dough

2 teaspoons dry active yeast or ⅔ cake (½ ounce) fresh

Europe
Italy
Main course
Mediterranean
Vegetarian

Method

By hand

Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water in a small bowl, whisk it in, and let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. Stir in the olive oil. Mix the flour and salt, make a mound of it in a large bowl or on a well-floured work surface, and then make a large well in the center. Gradually pour the dissolved yeast mixture into the well, working the