Panzerotti
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 40 minutes plus 2 hours rising time
Cooking time: 30 minutes
- 187ml/6.6flozs. water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 360g/12.7ozs. 00 flour
- 2 teaspoons instant dried yeast
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Tomato and cheese filling
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 onion, peeled and diced
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and diced
- 200g/7ozs. cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 red chilli, sliced
- Salt, pepper and sugar for seasoning
- 300g/10.6ozs. grated mozzarella
Mortadella, mozzarella and green onion filling
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 200g/7ozs. mortadella, finely diced
- 3 sticks green onion, chopped
- 300g/10.6flozs. grated mozzarella or provolone
Step 1 - Dissolve the salt in the water. Place the flour, salt water, yeast, sugar and oil in a mixer and knead until elastic - it will take around 5 minutes or so. Form a ball of dough with no cracks on top.
Thermomix note: add water, yeast and sugar to the bowl and set for 2 minutes, 37C and speed 1. Then add the flour, salt and oil and set to 6 seconds speed 6 then knead for 3 minutes.
Step 2 - Use oil to grease a large bowl and place the ball of dough and cover. Leave in a warm, draught free area (as it is cold at the moment, I put it in a 40C/104F oven that I preheated and then turned off). Allow to rise for 1.5 hours until 2.5 times the size.
Step 3 - While it is rising, make the fillings as you want them to cool before using them. Note: if you are only making one filling, double the recipe as each recipe makes enough to fill 5 panzerottis or 10 total.
Step 4 - To make the tomato and cheese filling heat oil in a frypan on medium heat and sauté the onion for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic, cherry tomatoes and chilli and sauté. Season with salt, pepper and a little sugar to taste. When cool mix with the mozzarella.
Step 5 - To make the mortadella filling heat oil in a frypan on medium heat and add the mortadella and onion and sauté for 3-4 minutes until cooked. Scoop into a medium sized bowl and when cool mix with the cheese.
Step 6 - Lightly flour a surface and roll the dough into a log and cut into 10 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and allow to rise for 30 minutes. Then roll out to 14cms/5.5inches in diameter - do 5 at a time and then fill with 2 tablespoons of the filling. Press down on the edges well (you shouldn't need any water, they should seal well) and then use fork tines to create a pattern that will seal it even further. Repeat with remaining dough.
Step 7 - Heat oil in a deep frypan at least 5cm/2 inches deep. When it reaches 180C/350F add a couple of panzerottis at a time. Turn over once golden, they'll take around 2 minutes each total. Serve immediately and eat while hot.