A round, golden-brown pie sits on a decorative plate beside a striped kitchen towel on a wooden surface near a stove.

Tiella alla Scarola (Escarole Pie)

Sweet raisins, briny anchovies, toasted pine nuts, bitter escarole — these are the flavors of Napoli, ancient and instinctive, tucked inside a golden, olive-oil-rich crust. Tiella alla scarola is the kind of dish that has been feeding families for centuries for a reason. Once you taste it, you will understand everything.

Illustration of the pasta queen golden crown with five rounded points and a row of circular decorations at the base.

Tiella alla Scarola (Escarole Pie)

Serves

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Ingredients

Imperial or Metric

For the Dough

¾ cups warm water
2 ¼ teaspoons dry yeast
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 ¼ cups ‘00’ flour, divided
1 ¾ teaspoon salt
1 ¾ cups whole wheat flour

For the Filling

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus more as needed
3 garlic cloves unpeeled, slightly smashed
1 dried chili pepper
1 anchovy filet
2 tablespoons pine nuts
½ cup pitted Gaeta olives roughly chopped
2 tablespoons raisins
2 large bunches escarole about 3 pounds, ends trimmed and discarded, then roughly chopped and rinsed
Sea salt to taste

Method

To make the dough, in a large bowl combine water, yeast, olive oil, ¼ cup of ‘00’ flour and salt. Whisk until smooth. Add remaining ‘00’ flour and whole wheat flour and mix with a wooden spoon until a smooth dough forms. Use your hands to bring the dough together into a smooth ball. Place the dough in a medium bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let it rest at room temperature for 2 hours.
Once the dough has rested for about 1 ½ hours, preheat the oven to 390˚F. Bring a kettle or small pot of water to a boil.
To make the filling, in a large sauté pan add olive oil, garlic, anchovy and chili pepper and set over medium heat. Let sizzle for about 2 minutes, then add the pine nuts, olives and raisins.
Add the clean escarole and a generous pinch of salt. Toss until the escarole begins to wilt, then add about 1 cup of simmering water to the pan. Cover and let cook for about 15 minutes, or until the greens are tender. Remove and discard the garlic and chili pepper.
While the greens cook, roll out your dough. Divide the dough into two portions, one about ⅓ of the dough and one about ⅔ of the dough. Lightly oil a 9-inch springform pan. On a lightly floured surface, roll the larger portion of dough into a 12-inch circle. Roll the second portion of dough into a 9-inch circle Add the larger dough circle to the prepared pan, taking care to position the dough all the way in the bottom of the pan. Add the filling, then add the remaining dough on top. Use the excess dough from the bottom crust to roll with the top crust to create a tight seal all around the Tiella. Brush the top with a little olive oil, then bake for 30 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool for about 30 minutes before slicing and serving.

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