Maltese Pastizzi With Herbed Ricotta Filling Recipes

MALTESE PASTIZZI (CURRIED PEA AND RICOTTA STUFFED PASTRIES)

Steps:

• For the Ricotta filling:
• Mix all ingredients in a bowl (except the puff pastry) and set aside until ready to use.
• For the Curried Pea filling:
• Rinse the peas well, picking through and discarding any irregular bits. Bring the peas and plenty of water (fill about 2″ above the peas) to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently for 35 minutes until the peas are very tender. Meanwhile, saute the onion until very soft, but not browned. Strain the peas to remove most of the excess liquid (not all). Mix in the onions, curry powder, salt and pepper.
• Putting it all together
• Preheat oven to 350F.
• Thaw puff pastry (or, thaw before starting, depending on your preferred brand's instructions). Cut 3″ circles using an overturned glass or biscuit cutter.
• Fill each circle with a small teaspoon of the ricotta or pea mixture. Fold one side of the circle into the middle, then the other, folding over at the top to seal. Then, pinch each end to seal, and if desired, twist once. Don't worry too much about how they look when the pastry is still raw. The puffiness will hide any imperfections. You do want to make sure they are secure however or they might puff open.
• Place the pastizzi on a lined baking sheet, and bake 20 minutes until the dough is puffed and golden. Cool on a wire rack and serve immediately. Or, reheat later in a 180C / 350F oven for 5 minutes.

PASTIZZI

Steps:

• Sift flour.
• In a mixing bowl add the flour and salt.
• Slowly start to add water and with a dough mixer start mixing the water, flour and salt.
• Keep adding the water until you have a dough ball. You may need to turn off the mixer before the dough ball has been created and knead by hand.
• Knead the ball for about fifteen minutes. The ball should be quite stiff but not too dry.
• Wrap in cling film and place in the fridge overnight or at least six hours.
• Prepare a table by smearing 30 grams of lard over the surface.
• Roll out your dough as thinly as possible to create a large piece of flattened dough.
• Smear dough with 30 grams of butter.
• Start rolling the dough into a swiss roll shape and stretch the dough as much as possible as you go along.
• Once you have finished rolling by hand stretch the 'swiss roll' or 'snake' and roll into a snail shell shape. Wrap in cling film and place in the fridge for 1 hour.
• Once 1 hour has passed then prepare your table again to do the same procedure again.
• Smear remaining lard on table and roll out the snail shape dough.
• Smear 30 grams of butter over the flattened dough and roll into a swiss roll shape again.
• Stretch your swiss roll and make into a snail shell shape again. Wrap in cling film and place in the fridge one last time for 2 hours.
• During this time prepare your mixture.
• Preheat oven to 200oC.
• Take the dough out of the fridge and unravel. Smear with the remaining 10 grams of butter and cut in 3 cm pieces.
• Take one piece at a time and flatten with your fingers lengthways.
• Place a small spoonful of mixture onto the dough and close. If making cheese pastizzi fold one piece of dough in the centre and then cover with the remaining piece. Pinch the sides. If making pea pastizzi then fold over one side of the dough over in the shape of a semi circle (or apple turnover) and pinch the rounded sides to close.
• Place pastizzi on a baking tray with baking paper.
• Reduce oven temperature to 180oC and bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown on all sides.
• To make the cheese mixture:
• Mix ricotta, egg, parsley and grated cheese gently.
• Season with pepper and salt
• To make the pea and corned beef mixture:
• Fry onion and garlic in a frying pan for five minutes
• Add curry powder and fry for a further minute
• Add corned beef and fry for about 5 minutes
• Add in mush peas and gently mix to warm the peas
• Taste and season with pepper and salt. Add extra curry powder if required.

MALTESE PEA PASTIES - PASTIZZI TAL PIZELLI

Steps:

• Follow the packet instructions for soaking the dried marrowfat peas over night, rinse and drain.
• In a large pan add the olive oil and soften the diced onion and carrot.
• add the curry powder, pepper and salt mix in well.
• add the peas, stockcube and top up with hot water covering the peas by a good inch or so. Mix in well and bring to the boil for a minute.
• Turn down to a low simmer and cook out for a good few hours, stir occasionally until soft, thick and mushy.
• add the knob of butter and mix in well, then remove from the heat and allow to fully cool.
• Using premade (shop bought, pre rolled for total ease) puff pastry place about 2-3 tablespoons of the cold mix in a sausage shape down one side of a 4x4 inch square of pastry, roll up into a sausage shape (stick the edge with some beaten egg mix if you need to).
• Brush the finished rolls with beaten egg and bake in the oven until golden (follow packet instructions, should be about 180-200C for about 15-30 minutes depending on oven).
• Serve hot or cold.

RICOTTA-FILLED PASTRIES

Steps:

• Make dough:
• Mix together 3 cups flour and sea salt in bowl of mixer at moderately low speed, then beat in water. Gently squeeze a small handful of dough: It should hold together without falling apart. If it doesn't, add more water 1 teaspoon at a time, beating after each addition and continuing to test. Continue beating at moderately low speed until dough forms a ball, about 5 minutes (dough will not be smooth).
• Halve dough and roll out each half into a rough 12- by 5-inch rectangle (1/4 inch thick) with a rolling pin. Put dough on a lightly floured baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Set smooth rollers of pasta machine at widest setting. Feed 1 piece of dough through rollers 6 times, folding in half each time. Feed remaining piece of dough through rollers in same manner.
• Stack both pieces of dough and, using rolling pin, roll together to form 1 (1/2-inch-thick) piece. Feed dough through rollers 10 more times, folding in half each time. Fold dough in half crosswise, then fold in half again. Chill dough, wrapped in plastic wrap, at least 2 hours and up to 8.
• Beat together butter and lard in a bowl with mixer until pale and fluffy.
• Quarter dough. Keeping remaining pieces covered with plastic wrap, roll out 1 piece dough into a rough 4- by 8-inch rectangle (1/4 inch thick) on a lightly floured surface. Feed rectangle through rollers of pasta machine (dust dough with flour as necessary to prevent sticking), making space between rollers narrower each time, until dough has gone through narrowest setting (dough strip will be about 4 feet long). Cover strip loosely with plastic wrap. Feed another piece of dough through rollers in same manner.
• Put 1 dough strip on lightly floured surface and trim ends to make even. Spread 3 tablespoons lard butter evenly over strip with offset spatula. Gently stretch strip to 9 inches wide with your fingers, moving slowly down length of strip. Beginning at a short end, carefully and tightly roll up strip, stopping 1 inch before end, then cover loosely with plastic wrap. Spread other dough strip with 3 tablespoons lard butter and stretch to 9 inches in same manner (do not roll up). Overlap 1 inch of a short end onto exposed end of first roll, then continue to roll up first roll to form a tight cylinder (about 9 inches long and 2 inches in diameter).
• Feed remaining 2 pieces of dough through rollers and make another tight cylinder in same manner. Wrap cylinders well in plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 3 hours. Chill remaining lard butter.
• Make filling:
• Bring sugar and water to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan over moderate heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Add semolina flour in a slow steady stream, stirring, and cook, stirring, until mixture becomes a thick heavy paste, 2 minutes. Transfer to a baking sheet and spread 1/4 inch thick. Chill, covered with wax paper, until cold, about 30 minutes.
• Tear semolina into pieces and mix in bowl of mixer at low speed to break up. Add yolks, vanilla, sea salt, and cinnamon and beat until smooth. Mix in ricotta and candied orange peel at low speed. Spoon into pastry bag and chill.
• Form pastries:
• Preheat oven to 400°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove remaining lard butter from refrigerator.
• Working with 1 cylinder at a time, trim about 1/2 inch from each end, then cut cylinders into 3/4-inch-thick slices (about 12). Lay 1 slice flat on work surface and gently flatten into a 4-inch round with heel of your hand, starting in center and smearing out in all directions.
• Form round into a cone:
• Carefully scrape round off work surface with a knife or metal spatula. Put your thumbs underneath round and first two fingers of each hand on top, then gently push center upward with thumbs and simultaneously pull side downward with fingers, keeping layers overlapping slightly (imagine a collapsible travel cup).
• Cupping cone in palm of your hand, pipe in about 3 tablespoons filling. Pinch edges of dough together to seal and put pastry on a baking sheet. Form and fill more sfogliatelle in same manner with remaining slices and remaining cylinder.
• Brush sfogliatelle with some lard butter. Bake in batches in middle of oven (keep second batch covered with plastic wrap while first bakes), brushing with remaining lard butter twice during baking, until very crisp and golden brown, about 30 minutes total. Transfer pastries to a rack to cool slightly, then serve.

CURRIED PEA PASTIZZI

Steps:

• Place peas in a saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil over high heat and then reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes or until peas are tender, drain.
• Heat oil in a large frying pan over high heat and cook onion and garlic for 5 minutes or until softened and then add curry powder and cook stirring for 30 seconds or until fragrant and then add peas and 1/4 cup cold water and cook stirring occasionally for 5 minutes or until liquid has evaporated and set aside to cool completely.
• Preheat oven to 220C (200C fan forced).
• Line 2 baking sheets/trays with baking paper.
• Using a 10cm round cutter, cut 5 rounds from each pastry sheet and brush edge of round with egg.
• Spoon 1 level tablespoon of mixture onto the centre of each round and spread to form a 5cm log and then fold up 2 sides of the pastry to enclose the log and pinch to seal and then twist ends to form points.
• Place on prepared trays and brush with remaining egg.
• Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until puffed and golden.
• Stand for 4 minutes before serving.
• TO FREEZE - place uncooked pastizzi on a baking tray lined with baking paper and freeze for 2 to 3 hours or until firm and then transfer to a large snaplock bag, expel air from bag and freeze for up to 1 month.
• TO REHEAT - preheat oven to 220C (200C fan forced). Line 2 baking trays with baking paper and place frozen pastizzi on prepared trays and bake for 25 minutes or until golden and heated through.