AI-generated image
Calcionetti
Fried ravioli with chickpea and chocolate
Caggionetti: Abruzzo's fried Christmas ravioli with a chickpea, chocolate and orange filling
In Abruzzo, calcionetti (caggionetti in dialect) are fried on Christmas Eve and handed round all through the holidays. The thin pastry is wrapped around a sweet filling of chickpea or chestnut purée with cocoa, honey, toasted almonds and orange zest, then fried until bubbly and dusted with sugar. Many Abruzzese families add a little rum or the local Centerbe liqueur to the filling; this version uses orange juice so children can eat them, and adults may add 1 tbsp rum. Chef's tip: seal each one firmly by pressing out all the air, as trapped air makes them burst in the hot oil.
- Total time
- 100 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
For the filling
- 14 oz cooked chickpeas1 tin, drained and rinsed
- 2 ⅛ oz almondstoasted and finely chopped
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 ¾ oz dark chocolatefinely chopped
- 3 tbsp honey
- 1 ⅜ oz caster sugar
- 1 orangezest only
- 2 tbsp orange juice
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
For the pastry
- 10 ½ oz plain flour
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- ½ cup warm waterabout
- 1 pinch salt
To fry and finish
- 3 ¼ cups sunflower oilfor frying
- 3 tbsp icing sugar
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (2)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Blend 14 oz cooked chickpeas to a smooth paste, or press through a sieve. Put in a pan with 3 tbsp honey and 1 ⅜ oz caster sugar and stir over a low heat for 5 minutes until thick and glossy.
5 minStep 2: Off the heat, stir in 2 ⅛ oz almonds, 2 tbsp cocoa powder, 1 ¾ oz dark chocolate, 1 orange, 2 tbsp orange juice and ½ tsp ground cinnamon. It should be a firm paste that holds a shape. Cool completely.
Step 3: For the pastry, mix 10 ½ oz plain flour and 1 pinch salt, add 4 tbsp olive oil and enough ½ cup warm water to make a smooth, firm dough. Knead for 5 minutes, wrap and rest for 30 minutes.
5 minStep 4: Roll the dough very thinly, about 1.5 mm, with a pasta machine or rolling pin. Put teaspoons of filling in a row 3 cm from the edge, 5 cm apart. Fold the pastry over, press around each mound to push out the air and cut into half-moons with a fluted cutter. Pinch the edges again.
30 minStep 5: Heat 3 ¼ cups sunflower oil to 350°F in a deep pan. Fry 4–5 at a time for 2–3 minutes, turning once, until blistered and golden.
20 minStep 6: Drain on kitchen paper. A common mistake is dusting while hot: wait until they are cool, then dust with 3 tbsp icing sugar so it doesn't melt.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 290 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 34 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does calcionetti take?
- About 100 minutes in total: 70 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of cooked chickpeas?
- Cannellini or butter beans, same amount.
- What can I use instead of cocoa powder?
- Drinking chocolate, same amount (sweeter, so cut the sugar).
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Boiled pasta
The basic method for any dried pasta, from penne to spaghetti. A large pan of salted boiling water keeps the pasta from sticking, and you cook it only until just done, with a little bite left. Use it in salads, bakes or with any sauce.
Kartoshka cakeCocoa and cake crumb truffles
Soviet cafés and school canteens sold these knobbly brown 'potatoes' for a few kopecks, and they began as a thrifty way to use up sponge and biscuit trimmings at the bakery. Crumbs are bound with butter and sweetened condensed milk, flavoured with cocoa and vanilla, shaped into little potatoes, rolled in cocoa and finished with two dabs of pale butter cream for the sprouts. They are fudgy and dense like a brownie truffle, need no oven, and children love making them. Traditional bakers added a spoonful of rum, an optional extra for adult batches only; this version is alcohol-free with vanilla. The usual slip is coarse crumbs, which make the potatoes crack, so blitz them as fine as sand. Chef's tip: chill the shaped potatoes for at least 20 minutes so they hold their shape and slice cleanly.
Russian
Undu walaluFried urad dal rings in treacle
Walalu means bangles, and these dark, sticky rings of fried urad dal soaked in kithul treacle are a sweet that Sinhala families bring out for Avurudu and for special almsgivings, often made in large batches by an aunt known for her steady hand. A thick, fluffy paste of ground black gram is piped into loops and fried until crisp, then plunged straight into warm treacle, so the rings stay crunchy on the outside while drinking up the syrup. They taste a little like a darker, smokier jalebi, with a toffee finish from the palm treacle. Watery batter is what ruins them; it spreads into flat blobs, so grind the soaked dal with as little water as possible and beat it until light. This recipe uses no asafoetida, so it is naturally gluten free. Chef's tip: pipe the rings onto small squares of baking paper and lower them into the oil paper and all; the paper peels away in seconds.
Sri Lankan
Perfect for:Christmas