Cajincí Arstis
Cajincí arstis are crisp Ladin half-moon pastries stuffed with spinach and curd cheese, known in Italian as mezzelune fritte and related to South Tyrolean Tirtlan.
- Prep
- 40 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 60 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 480 kcal
Equipment
- •Rolling pin
- •Round pastry cutter
- •Deep frying pan
- •Slotted spoon
- •Mixing bowl
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 480 kcal
- fat
- 22 g
- carbs
- 56 g
- fibre
- 5 g
- protein
- 15 g
- calories
- 480 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Mix the rye flour, plain flour, and salt together in a large bowl.
- 2
Whisk the melted butter, lukewarm water, and egg together in a small jug.
- 3
Pour the liquid into the flour and knead into a smooth, pliable dough.
- 4
Cover the dough with an upturned warm bowl and rest for thirty minutes.
- 5
Mix the dry chopped spinach with the curd cheese, nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
- 6
Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to two millimetres thick.
- 7
Cut out eight-centimetre rounds using a pastry cutter.
- 8
Place a heaped teaspoon of spinach filling in the centre of each round.
- 9
Fold the pastry over into half-moons and press the edges firmly to seal.
- 10
Heat the oil in a deep pan to 175°C.
- 11
Fry the pastries in batches for two minutes per side until crisp and blistered.
- 12
Transfer with a slotted spoon to kitchen paper and serve warm.
Chef's tips
Squeeze the cooked spinach thoroughly in a clean tea towel to remove all liquid, preventing soggy pastry. Press the pastry edges firmly with the tines of a fork to prevent them from opening during frying. Fry in small batches so the oil temperature does not drop.
Ingredient substitutions
- Topfen (curd cheese) → well-drained whole-milk ricotta or quark
- Rye flour → spelt flour, though the traditional earthy flavour will be milder
Storage
Store leftover fried pastries in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two days.
Reheating
Reheat on a baking tray in an oven preheated to 180°C for six to eight minutes to restore crispness.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Leaving moisture in the spinach, which causes steam to burst the pastry seams in hot oil.
- •Rolling the dough too thickly, which makes the crimped borders unpleasantly tough once fried.
- •Frying at too low a temperature, which makes the pastry absorb excess oil.
Serving suggestions
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