Calzoncelli Lucani
Crisp fried pastry pockets with decorative fluted edges, filled with a rich spiced cream of local chestnuts, dark cocoa, and citrus zest.
- Prep
- 50 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 70 min
- Servings
- 6
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 380 kcal
Equipment
- •Pasta machine or rolling pin
- •Fluted pastry wheel
- •Deep frying pan
- •Slotted spoon
- •Wire rack with paper towels
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- fat
- 16 g
- carbs
- 52 g
- fibre
- 5 g
- protein
- 6 g
- calories
- 380 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Combine the chestnut purée, melted chocolate, cocoa powder, honey, orange zest, cinnamon, and liqueur in a bowl.
- 2
Stir the filling until thoroughly blended and thick, then set aside at room temperature.
- 3
Mound the flour onto a worktop and form a deep well in the centre.
- 4
Pour the warm olive oil, warm white wine, and caster sugar into the well.
- 5
Draw the flour inward gradually and knead vigorously for ten minutes until smooth and elastic.
- 6
Cover the dough with an upturned bowl and let it rest for thirty minutes.
- 7
Roll out half the dough thinly with a rolling pin or pasta machine to two millimetres thickness.
- 8
Place walnut-sized dollops of chocolate chestnut filling along the sheet at five-centimetre intervals.
- 9
Fold the pastry over the filling and press firmly around each mound to expel trapped air.
- 10
Cut individual half-moon parcels using a fluted pastry wheel to seal the edges securely.
- 11
Heat the frying oil in a deep pan to 175 degrees C.
- 12
Fry the parcels in small batches until golden and blistered, drain on paper towels, and dust with icing sugar.
Chef's tips
Roll the pastry as thin as possible to ensure a crisp, delicate shell that blisters lightly in the oil. Press firmly around each mound of filling before cutting to prevent the pastries from bursting open during frying. Keep the frying oil steady at 175 degrees C so the parcels colour evenly without absorbing excess fat.
Ingredient substitutions
- cooked chestnut purée → cooked chickpea purée, a traditional Lucanian alternative
- runny honey → vincotto (cooked grape must) for a deeper, fruitier sweetness
Storage
Keep the cooled calzoncelli in an airtight tin lined with baking paper at room temperature for up to five days.
Reheating
Warm briefly in an oven preheated to 150 degrees C for four minutes to restore crispness, or serve at room temperature.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Leaving air bubbles around the filling, causing the pastry to split in hot oil.
- •Rolling the pastry too thick, resulting in a tough and greasy crust.
- •Frying in oil that is not hot enough, making the parcels heavy with oil.
Serving suggestions
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