Pastizzi A Savoury Pastry From Malta

My daughter came home from school with an assignment to create a dish from another country. She had to choose a country but not Italy because of her background. A few of the girls had already chosen their countries and she was having a difficult time choosing. I suggested Malta. Her aunt was Maltese and she could share with her Malta's signature dishes. In speaking with her my daughter Madeleine decided to do one of Malta's signature foods - Pastizzi. We've had this savoury dish before and let me tell you! Wow. You cannot stop at one.

There's two fillings to this dish. One is filled with cheese and the other is a meat filling using corned beef and peas. Today we will share with you the cheese pastizzi.

Cheese Filled Pastizzi

1 pkg. (397gr) puff pastry I used tenderflake
1 tub (400 gr) ricotta
2/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
2 eggs lightly beaten
salt and pepper to taste

Mix together the ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, 1 egg, salt and pepper in a large bowl and set aside. In a small bowl, beat one egg.

Roll out the pastry dough on a floured surface. Cut 4 inch circumference circles with a round cookie cutter or a rim of a large mug. Brush with egg wash.

Brush dough with egg was before filling

 

Fill with the cheese mixture and fold over. Pinch edges together and brush the top of the pastry with egg wash and score the top of the pastizzi.

Fill with cheese, fold and seal the edges by pinching

Place on parchment lined cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees F for 15-20 minutes or until golden. Rotate pan halfway through.

Serve this as an afternoon snack or as an appetizer.

Savoury Cheese and Pancetta Puffs

These delicious savoury puffs are a hit around my house. The minute a batch comes out of the oven, the kids are all over them! Delicious as a snack or served as an appetizer, you will see these puffs disappear in seconds!

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

Makes 3 dozen

1/2 cup  unsalted butter

1 cup water

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour

4 large eggs

1/2 cup chopped pancetta, genoa salami or prosciutto

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In a medium saucepan, combine the butter and water. Bring to a boil over medium heat, once the butter has melted add the flour and stir quickly with a wooden spoon. Once the mixture has pulled away from the sides and is well combined remove from heat.

Transfer the mixture to a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until slightly cooled. Add the egg one at a time beating until well incorporated before adding the next egg. After the eggs are well incorporated add the pancetta, parmesan and cheddar.

Line three large baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop and drop the dough with a small spoon or small ice cream scoop. Smooth the peaks. I even wet my hands to roll and slightly flatten with my hands. Place in oven and bake for 25-30 minutes (rotating pan halfway through) or until golden.

Delish!

** Notice how I didn't call for salt. I did not add salt to this recipe because the meat and parmesan adds salt to the dough.

As a delicious snack. My son will have black brine olives, some grapes, a biscuit and some tuma cheese.