International Recipes
Panzerotti
These are Neapolitan fried ravioli, for want of a better name, and are an indispensable part of Frienno e Magnanno, the classic Neapolitan fritto misto. They'll also work quite nicely as antipasti, or as a side dish, and you may find yourself making them as snack food.
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 1/2 cups (250 g) flour
- Water
- A walnut-size chunk of rendered lard or unsalted butter
- Salt
Filling
- 8 ounces (200 g) ricotta
- 2 ounces (50 g) smoked provolone (optional)
- Abundant minced parsley
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1/4 pound (100 g) fresh mozzarella
- 1/4 pound prosciutto or Italian salami
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano
- 1 or 2 eggs
Instructions
- Make the pasta, using just enough water to form the dough, and let it rest, covered,
for an hour.
- Put the ricotta through a strainer, then combine it with the eggs and parsley,
grate some pepper into it, and beat well, until the mixture is creamy.
- Dice the mozzarella and provolone, and finely dice the prosciutto. Combine the
ingredients with the ricotta mixture; the filling should be firm but creamy.
- Roll the pasta out dime thin, keeping the sheet rectangular if possible. Lay
out a row of small walnut-size chunks of filling an inch from the straightest edge
of the sheet, separating them about 2 1/2 inches apart. Fold the sheet over the
blobs and tamp it down well all around them so it sticks, then use the edge of a
glass or a serrated pasta wheel to cut the panzerotti free in the shape of a half
moon. Put the completed panzerotti on a lightly floured surface and repeat the operation;
you can either reform the cuttings into a ball and roll them out anew or twist them
into fanciful shapes and fry them too when you fry the panzerotti.
- When you are done making the panzerotti heat the oil and fry them, a few at a
time, until golden brown.
- Drain them well on absorbent paper and serve at once.
Serves 6.