The ferry ride from Porto Santo Stefano to the little paradise that is Giglio Island is a quick and breezy trip (in many senses of the word). As you arrive in the turquoise waters of the port and see the little shops lining the shore, you may start to feel a bit peckish. That’s when you head to the nearest bakery and order a slice of pizza gigliese. It’s made of two halves of pizza dough sandwiching a filling of soft, sweet, caramelised onions, fresh tomatoes and anchovy fillets that add a smack of saltiness, like a wave of sea water in your face. After tasting it for the first time, I knew I had to remake it at home. Luckily I was able to adapt a recipe from a slim, little cookbook of traditional Giglio recipes collected from the memories of the nonne on the island, Antiche Ricette del Giglio.
It reminds me of the filled pizza you find in faraway Lecce, in Puglia’s far south, where onion and anchovies are a favourite combination (sometimes with the addition of more salty goodness such as black olives, capers or tinned tuna).