Cipollina Catanese
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 30 + 23 minutes
Makes 6 cipollina Catanese pastries
- 550g/1.2lbs butter puff pastry (3 sheets), thawed in fridge
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 260g/9ozs brown or white onions, peeled
- 180g/6ozs tomato passata
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 6 slices ham (around 90g/3ozs)
- 200g/7ozs grated scarmoza cheese (or do 100g grated mozzarella, 100g smoked gouda)
- 1 egg, beaten for egg wash
Step 1 - First make the onion mixture as it has to cool. Mandolin the onions on the thinnest setting. Place a large pot or saucepan on medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the onions and stir lowering the heat so that the onions don't brown. Cook down for 20 minutes stirring to ensure that the onion softens all over adding more oil when needed. Add the passata and cook for another 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and set aside to cool (to hasten this, spread out on a large plate if you are short on time).
Step 2 - Line a large baking tray with parchment. Make sure that the puff pastry has completely thawed in the fridge. Take one 24x24cm/9.5x9.5inch sheet of puff pastry and cut it in half lengthways. Fold each rectangle over to create a square. Then roll it out gently to become a 15cm/5.9inch square.
Step 3 -Place the ham folded over in the centre. Top with 1.5 tablespoons of the cooled onion and tomato mixture and then 1/6 of the grated cheese. Fold over the opposite corners pinching them tightly so that they are secured. Then repeat with the other two opposite corners. Place on the baking tray and freeze your puff pastries for 10 minutes or refrigerate them for 25 minutes.
Step 4 -Preheat oven to 200C/400F fan forced. When the pastries are chilled, brush with the beaten egg all over and bake on parchment lined tray for 23 minutes or until golden.