Pasticciotto Leccese, the recipe to prepare it greedy and crumbly even without lard
Pasticciotto Leccese, recipe without lard to prepare the most famous dessert of Salento. Consisting of a crumbly shortcrust pastry shell that contains a velvety pastry cream inside, the pasticciotto, as per tradition, should be enjoyed still hot for breakfast together with coffee, but is often also served at the end of a meal on holidays.
Although it has been designated by the Municipality of Lecce to represent the typical dessert of the city, as can be seen from the list of traditional agri-food products drawn up by the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies (pursuant to Article 8 of Legislative Decree 30 April 1998, n.173), there is no certainty about its creation, but only approximate information. The shape that recalls them, in fact, is present on the decorations of the facades of the church of Santa Croce and of the Seat and, the latter, dates back to the mid-500th century. The first written testimony is only in 1707 when an inventory was made on the death of a Monsignor and the copper molds for pasticciotti were also recorded in the list. A legend never denied and never credited states, however, that the pasticciotto was created in the province of Lecce by the well-known pastry chef Ascalone in his Galatina.
Over time some variations have spread, such as, for example, the filling cream enriched with sour cherries or the colored and flavored shortcrust pastry with the addition of cocoa, however what remains unchanged is the ingredient that makes it extremely crumbly , that is the lard. There vegetarian version is still very greedy, the friability is not lacking and, with the permission of the purists, we offer it to you in our recipe. If you still want to taste the real Lecce pasticciotto you just have to go to one of the many local bars to savor it at its best; in the meantime, arm yourself with good will and prepare yourself a truly exceptional breakfast.
Index
Ingredients
- 320 1 grams of flour
- 163 gr of brown sugar
- 2 medium eggs
- 1 pinch of salt
- 63 grams of egg yolks
- 160 gr of ointment butter
- Preparation Time:
120 minutes - Cooking time:
30 minutes - Rest time:
30 minutes - Dose:
for 7 pastries - difficulty:
medium
How to prepare the pasticciotto Lecce: procedure
- Prepare the custard by mixing the egg yolks with sixty-three grams of sugar in a thick-bottomed pan, then incorporate twenty grams of flour and then even the milk, taking care to mix at the same time to avoid lumps,
- place on the stove and at very low heat, continue stirring until the cream thickens,
- transfer it then in a fairly large baking dish, cover it with food film in contact to prevent it from drying out on the surface and allow it to cool.
- To put now the flour and butter into small pieces on a pastry board or in a bowl, work them together by rubbing them with your fingertips until the mixture is moist and sandy, then add the rest of the ingredients and knead quickly until compacted,
- wrap the shortcrust pastry in the cling film and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least half an hour / forty minutes.
- Passed the rest time roll out the pastry between two sheets of parchment paper and with this cover the molds,
- stuff them with the cream, then roll out the remaining dough and with the help of parchment paper place it on the mold, remove the parchment paper, trim the edges by removing the excess pastry and shape the perimeter of the cake, taking care to seal it.
- Once all the pasticciotti shapes must be cooked in a hot oven at 180 ° for about half an hour or in any case until golden brown,
- cooking after taking out of the oven, let it rest for a few minutes then being careful not to burn yourself, turn the mold upside down in the palm of your hand to unmold the pasticciotti and put them to cool on a wire rack (this operation is very delicate because the hot pastry could crack).
- When the pasticciotti will be lukewarm you can enjoy them with a coffee.
How to store pasticciotti:
The pasticciotti can be stored in the refrigerator for a maximum of two / three days as long as they are covered with cling film. If you prefer, you can also freeze them, just let them cool well after cooking and then put them back in the freezer in special food bags.
Ilaria Zizza
