Foggia is the city studding the largest wheat fields of Italy’s south—the tavoliere—it being the ancient, present, and endless granary of the peninsula. Too, are potatoes cultivated there, soothing the Pugliese penchant for them in breads, tarts, stews. Our maîtresse d’hôtel in Foggia baked a reprise of this luscious tart evening after evening, sometimes filling it with minced lamb or thin slices of poached sausage or crumbles of smoked ricotta, and presented it barely warm as our first course.

　　

Ingredients

serves 6

　　

The Sauce

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

　　1 fat clove garlic, peeled, crushed, and minced

　　1 14-ounce can plum tomatoes, with their liquids

　　2 teaspoons fine sea salt

　　1 1/3 cups good red wine

　　1/4 cup capers, preserved under salt, rinsed and dried

　　4 ounces large black Sicilian or Greek olives, crushed lightly with a mallet, stones removed, and coarsely chopped

　　

The Potatoes

1 1/2 pounds red- or white-skinned potatoes

　　2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

　　1 small red onion, peeled and very finely minced

　　2/3 cup just-made fine bread crumbs, lightly pan-toasted

　　2 teaspoons fine sea salt

　　2/3 cup just-grated pecorino

　　1/3 cup good red wine

　　1 tablespoon good red wine vinegar

　　

Step 1

To make the sauce: In a large sauté pan over a medium flame, warm the oil and soften the garlic, taking care not to color it. Add the tomatoes, salt, and wine, increase the flame, and bring the mixture to simmer, permitting it to cook for 15 minutes or so and reduce to a thick, dense sauce. Remove from the flame, stir in the capers and the olives, and set the sauce aside.

　　

Step 2

To make the potatoes: Boil the potatoes until tender in sea-salted water. Drain them—then peel and mash them. In a medium bowl, mix the mashed potatoes with the olive oil, the onion, 3 tablespoons of the bread crumbs, the sea salt, the pecorino, the wine, and half the vinegar, blending well.

　　

Step 3

Lightly oil a shallow terra-cotta or enameled cast-iron casserole and spread it with half the potato mixture. Spoon half the sauce over the potatoes, cover the sauce with the remaining potatoes, finishing the whole with the remaining sauce. Dust the torta with the remaining bread crumbs and bake the dish for 1/2 hour.

　　

Step 4

Though the torta can be presented hot from the oven, it is a better dish served at room temperature. Baptize the torta with the remaining drops of vinegar, cut it into generous wedges and pour thick tumblers of the same good wine you used to make the dish.

　　A Taste of Southern Italy