2 large yellow or brown onions (about 1 pound) chopped
4 cups water
1 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
4 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large or 2 small anchovies, drained, boned, and chopped
Sicilian Pizza Dough:
2 1/4 teaspoons (1 packet) active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon lukewarm water
2 tablespoons olive oil or lard
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
Toppings:
3 large, or 6 small anchovies, rinsed, boned, and chopped
4 tablespoons grated mild provolone cheese
1 6 ounce jar roasted artichoke hearts packed in oil, drained and chopped
All of the Sfinciuni tomato sauce
2 to 2 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for brushing
1/2 cup coarsely chopped prosciutto
1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh mozzarella
1 tablespoon freshly chopped Italian parsley (optional)
To make the sauce: Simmer the onions in the water in a 4 quart saucepan for an hour, covered. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, olive oil, and the anchovy, and simmer for two hours more, covered. Let sit until it comes to room temperature. Strain the sauce in a fine mesh strainer to remove excess liquid, and refrigerate until ready to make the pizza, up to two days. To make the pizza: Add the yeast and the sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer, add the water, stir, and let sit for 10 minutes. Add the lard to the bowl, and mix with the paddle attachment. Add the salt and the flour and mix with the paddle for two minutes. Switch to the dough hook, and knead on medium for about 4 minutes. Place the dough into an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled, about an hour. Push the dough down, and let rise for 20 more minutes. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F with a pizza stone in the oven if you have one. On a lightly floured work surface, shape the dough into a ball, and then flatten into a disk. Place it on a lightly oiled pizza or half sheet pan, and stretch it out to the edges of the pan. The dough should be about 1/4 inch thick with a thicker (about 1/2 inch) edge. The dough will rise quite a bit in the oven. Evenly sprinkle the anchovies over the top of the dough. Sprinkle half of the provolone and 3/4 of the artichoke hearts over the dough. Spread half of the tomato sauce over the dough and sprinkle with 1 1/2 teaspoons of dried oregano. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Drizzle with the olive oil and top with the rest of the tomato sauce. Place the pizza pan on the baking stone, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the crust is crisp on the bottom. Take the pizza out of the oven, top with the prosciutto, the rest of the artichoke hearts, the mozzarella, and the rest of the oregano and provolone. Return the pizza to the oven, and bake for another 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Brush the outside crust with olive oil as soon as you remove the pizza from the oven, and sprinkle with the parsley. Slice and serve!