Caggionetti Molisani
Crisp fried half-moon pastries from Molise, known locally as caggiunitt, filled with a rich, spiced mixture of chickpeas, dark cocoa, honey, and orange zest.
- Prep
- 45 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 65 min
- Servings
- 6
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 380 kcal
Equipment
- •Food processor
- •Pasta machine or rolling pin
- •Deep heavy-bottomed frying pan
- •Fluted pastry wheel
- •Slotted spoon
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- fat
- 16 g
- carbs
- 52 g
- fibre
- 5 g
- protein
- 7 g
- calories
- 380 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Puree the cooked chickpeas in a food processor until completely smooth and paste-like.
- 2
Add the cocoa powder, grated chocolate, honey, chopped walnuts, orange zest, cinnamon, and anisette to the chickpea puree.
- 3
Stir the filling thoroughly until thick and uniform, then chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- 4
Mix the flour, granulated sugar, olive oil, and warmed white wine in a wide bowl.
- 5
Knead the dough on a wooden board until smooth and supple, then rest covered for 20 minutes.
- 6
Roll the rested dough into translucent sheets roughly two millimetres thick using a pasta roller.
- 7
Deposit teaspoon-sized mounds of filling along the pasta sheet, spaced three centimetres apart.
- 8
Fold the pastry over the mounds, press firmly around each mound to expel air, and trim half-moons with a fluted wheel.
- 9
Heat the frying oil in a deep pan to 175 degrees C.
- 10
Fry the pastries in small batches for about two minutes, turning once, until pale gold and covered in crisp blisters.
- 11
Transfer with a slotted spoon onto kitchen paper to drain thoroughly.
- 12
Dust generously with icing sugar once cooled slightly before serving.
Chef's tips
Roll the pastry dough as thin as possible so it develops delicate, crisp blisters immediately upon entering the hot frying oil. Seal the edges firmly with your fingers before trimming to prevent the cocoa filling from escaping into the oil.
Ingredient substitutions
- cooked chickpeas → sweet boiled chestnuts, which are equally authentic in mountain Molise villages
- anisette liqueur → dark spiced rum or mostocotto (cooked grape must)
Storage
Store completely cooled caggionetti in an airtight biscuit tin lined with baking paper at room temperature for up to five days.
Reheating
Enjoy at room temperature, or warm gently in a 140 degrees C oven for three minutes to refresh crispness.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Rolling the dough too thick, which creates chewy, tough fried pastries rather than light, blistered shells.
- •Frying at low temperatures, causing the parcels to absorb oil and become greasy.
- •Overfilling the parcels, leading to split seams during frying.
Serving suggestions
Cooked Caggionetti Molisani?
Sign in to save this recipe to a collection. Bookmarking works without an account — it stays on this device.
Sign in for collectionsSimilar recipes
Dishes with the same spirit, spice level and course.
More from Molise
Cooking that shares the same kitchen and pantry.
Recipes using similar ingredients
Use what you already bought for this recipe.
