Calcioni Molisani
Fried half-moon pastries filled with spiced chickpea purée and dark chocolate, traditional in Molise. Also known locally as cauziune.
- Prep
- 45 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 65 min
- Servings
- 6
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 380 kcal
Equipment
- •Food mill or fine sieve
- •Rolling pin or pasta machine
- •Fluted pastry cutter
- •Deep frying pan
- •Slotted spoon
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- fat
- 18 g
- carbs
- 48 g
- fibre
- 5 g
- protein
- 7 g
- calories
- 380 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Mix the flour, 30g sugar, and olive oil in a wide mixing bowl.
- 2
Pour in warm white wine gradually, kneading until a smooth, pliable dough forms.
- 3
Wrap the dough in a tea towel and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- 4
Pass the warm cooked chickpeas through a fine food mill until completely smooth.
- 5
Stir the remaining sugar, grated chocolate, cocoa, orange zest, cinnamon, and rum into the purée until glossy.
- 6
Roll the rested dough out thinly on a lightly floured surface to roughly 2mm thickness.
- 7
Place rounded tablespoons of chickpea-chocolate filling at regular intervals along the pastry sheet.
- 8
Fold the pastry sheet over the filling mounds and press firmly to expel trapped air.
- 9
Cut into half-moons using a fluted pastry wheel and crimp edges tightly with a fork.
- 10
Heat the frying oil in a deep pan to 175 degrees C.
- 11
Fry the calcioni in small batches for 3 to 4 minutes until crisp and pale golden.
- 12
Drain on kitchen paper and dust generously with icing sugar before serving.
Chef's tips
Purée the chickpeas while they are still warm so the grated dark chocolate melts effortlessly into the paste. Seal the edges thoroughly with a dab of water to ensure no filling leaks into hot frying oil.
Ingredient substitutions
- Dark rum → fresh orange juice for an alcohol-free filling
- Tipo 00 flour → plain unbleached all-purpose flour
Storage
Store completely cooled calcioni in an airtight tin at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Reheating
Warm briefly in a moderate oven at 160 degrees C for 5 minutes to restore crispness.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Leaving chickpea skins unblended, creating a gritty and unpleasant filling texture.
- •Frying in oil that is too hot, which burns the crust before the pastry cooks through.
- •Failing to press out air bubbles, causing the pastries to swell and burst in oil.
Serving suggestions
Cooked Calcioni Molisani?
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