Cassatedde (pronounced Cah-Sah-Tayd-Day and in some places called Cassatelle) are a fried Sicilian turnover dessert, a close cousin of the cannoli. They differ from cannoli in that they use a a richer pastry and the ricotta filling is cooked, giving a very different taste.
These Cassatedde are from my Nonna, Francesca Cangialosi’s recipe, and they diverge from any other recipe I’ve seen for this dessert. Her rich pastry, as opposed to the simpler pastries I see in other recipes, basically contains all the same ingredients of a quality cake doughnut (without the mace), though they are assembled more like a pie crust. Her filling of ricotta with sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and chocolate is particularly appealing. For other of my Nonna’s recipes, click here and here.
For the Pastry
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. With a pastry blender, cut in cold butter and lard or Crisco until coarse crumbs are formed.
In another bowl, beat together the eggs, vanilla, and milk. Beat the liquid ingredients into the flour mixture with a large wooden spoon.
Incorporate the liquid and dry ingredients.
If the mixture seems too dry, add a bit more milk. When the mixture forms into a ball, knead it slightly until well combined and smooth. Shape it into a flat disk. Wrap it in plastic, and refrigerate for several hours or overnight, which makes rolling out the dough far easier.
Shape the dough into a disk.
For the Filling
Chop the chocolate bar into fairly small bits. You should use a high-quality chocolate for this. I use a 60% chocolate.
Chop the chocolate.
In a bowl, lightly combine the ricotta, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla.
Mix the ricotta filling.
Stir in the chopped chocolate.
Stir in the chocolate.
Taste to see that you have a sweetness you’re happy with. It should not be overly sweet.
To Assemble Cassatedde
Remove the pastry from the refrigerator, and roll it out on a floured surface until it is the thickness of pie crust.
Roll out the pastry.
Cut out circles about 5-to 5 1/2-inch in diameter. I use the lid of a metal canister for this. The scraps can be rolled out again to make more circles.
Cut out circles of pastry.
Spread the ricotta filling on one half of the pastry circles. Do not spread the filling to the edge, but rather leave about a 1⁄2-inch bare strip to allow you to enclose the pastry.
Spread filling on the pastry.
Moisten the edge of the pastry with a little warm water. Fold the bare half of the pastry over the filling.
Fold over the Cassatedde.
Crimp the edges of the half-moon shape with a fork in order to seal the filling.
Crimp the edges of the Cassatedde.
It should make about 12 Cassatedde. Chill the filled pastry half-moons for a couple hours in the refrigerator.
To Fry and Serve Cassatedde
Heat vegetable oil, about an inch deep, in a frying pan or deep fryer to 350°. I find an electric frying pan perfect for this. When the oil reaches the desired temperature, gently place a few of the Cassatedde in the hot oil. Do not crowd the pan with too many pastries.
Fry the Cassatedde.
Fry for just a few minutes until nicely browned on the bottom, then gently turn them over with a spatula to cook the other side. Again, this should take just a few minutes until they are golden brown.
Flip the Cassatedde.
Remove the fried pastries to a tray lined with paper towels. Blot the tops of the pastries with another paper towel to remove any excess oil.
When the pastries reach room temperature, sprinkle with powdered sugar in a sieve.
Powder sugar the Cassatedde.
The Cassatedde may be served at room temperature or cold. I prefer them cold because I believe the filling has a better consistency. Store any leftover Cassatedde covered in the refrigerator.
