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Pardulas
Saffron ricotta pastries
Pardulas: Sardinia's Easter star-shaped pastry cups with saffron ricotta
ItalianPardulas (called casadinas in some villages) are the sweet of Easter in Sardinia, baked in quantity on Holy Saturday and offered to visitors through the week. Thin, crisp pastry is pinched into little star-shaped cups and filled with fresh ricotta or soft sheep's cheese mixed with saffron, orange and lemon zest and a little semolina, then baked until the filling puffs and turns golden. They are often finished with honey. Most ricotta is made without animal rennet, but check the label for a vegetarian table. Chef's tip: drain the ricotta overnight, as wet cheese makes the filling run and the cups collapse.
- Total time
- 75 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 16
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 5 ½ oz fine semolina flour
- 3 ½ oz plain flour
- 1 ⅜ oz butter or lardsoft
- ½ cup warm waterabout
- 1 pinch salt
For the filling
- 1 ⅛ lb ricotta (vegetarian if needed)drained overnight
- 3 ½ oz caster sugar
- 1 egg
- oz saffron threadssoaked in 1 tbsp warm water
- 1 orangezest only
- 1 lemonzest only
- 2 tbsp fine semolina
- ½ tsp baking powder
To finish
- 3 tbsp honey (optional)optional
- 1 tbsp icing sugar (optional)optional
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Mix 5 ½ oz fine semolina flour, 3 ½ oz plain flour and 1 pinch salt, rub in 1 ⅜ oz butter or lard and add enough ½ cup warm water to make a smooth, firm dough. Knead for 5 minutes, wrap and rest for 30 minutes.
5 minStep 2: Beat 1 ⅛ lb ricotta (vegetarian if needed), 3 ½ oz caster sugar, 1 egg, oz saffron threads with its water, 1 orange, 1 lemon, 2 tbsp fine semolina and ½ tsp baking powder until smooth and bright yellow. It should be thick enough to hold a peak.
Step 3: Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan). Roll the pastry thinly, about 2 mm, and cut 10 cm rounds.
Step 4: Put a heaped tablespoon of filling in the centre of each. Pinch the pastry edge up around the filling at 6–8 points to make a star-shaped cup with open middle.
20 minStep 5: Bake on a lined tray for 20–25 minutes, until the pastry is pale gold and the filling puffed and golden-brown on top. A common mistake is overfilling: it spills down the sides and burns.
25 minStep 6: Cool, then drizzle with 3 tbsp honey or dust with 1 tbsp icing sugar. Keep in the fridge for 3 days.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 160 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 20 g
- Fat
- 6 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does pardulas take?
- About 75 minutes in total: 50 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 16 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of caster sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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Perfect for:Easter