Seadas

Name: Seadas
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Sarda
Ingredients: 300 g fine durum wheat semolina (semola rimacinata); 40 g pork lard (strutto); 140 ml warm water; 3 g Fine sea salt; 300 g fresh young pecorino cheese; 1 unit organic unwaxed lemon; 500 ml Olive oil; 100 g sardinian bitter honey (miele di corbezzolo)

Crisp fried semolina pastry filled with molten, tangy fresh sheep's cheese and lemon zest, bathed in warm honey. Also written as sebadas.

🇮🇹Italy· Sardinia

Prep: 40 min
Cook: 15 min
Total: 55 min
Servings: 4
Difficulty: Medium
Calories: 480 kcal

Ingredients

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Servings

300 g fine durum wheat semolina (semola rimacinata) — fine stone-ground
40 g pork lard (strutto) — softened at room temperature
140 ml warm water — around 35 degrees C
3 g Fine sea salt — dissolved in water
300 g fresh young pecorino cheese — slightly acidic, grated or finely crumbled
1 unit organic unwaxed lemon — finely grated zest only
500 ml Olive oil — for shallow frying
100 g sardinian bitter honey (miele di corbezzolo) — strawberry tree honey or good chestnut honey

Equipment

•Rolling pin
•Fluted pastry cutter
•Deep frying pan
•Slotted spoon
•Citrus zester

Nutrition

Per serving, approximate

Calories: 480 kcal
fat: 22 g
carbs: 54 g
fibre: 2 g
protein: 18 g
calories: 480 kcal

Instructions

1
Place the semolina flour and fine salt into a large mixing bowl.
2
Rub the softened lard into the flour with your fingertips until sandy.
3
Pour in the warm water gradually, mixing until a firm dough forms.
4
Knead the dough vigorously for ten minutes until smooth, pliable, and elastic.
5
Wrap the dough in a clean cloth and rest for thirty minutes.
6
Melt the grated fresh cheese gently in a pan over low heat.
7
Stir the grated lemon zest into the melted cheese, then remove from heat.
8
Divide the warm cheese into four equal flat discs and leave to firm.
9
Roll the rested dough thinly into sheets roughly two millimetres thick.
10
Cut eight twelve-centimetre rounds using a fluted pastry cutter.
11
Place a cheese disc onto four dough rounds, top with remaining rounds, and seal edges firmly.
12
Fry each pastry individually in hot olive oil, spooning oil over top until blistered, then drizzle with warm honey.

Chef's tips

Use a young, slightly sour sheep's cheese (casu friscu or young pecorino) so it melts smoothly without turning greasy. Press the pastry edges firmly with a fork or fluted wheel to prevent hot cheese leaking into the oil during frying.

Ingredient substitutions

Sardinian bitter honey (miele di corbezzolo) → chestnut honey, raw wildflower honey, or granulated sugar
fresh young pecorino cheese → young cow's milk caciotta, Primo Sale, or mild fresh curds
pork lard (strutto) → extra virgin olive oil, which produces a slightly crisper, less tender pastry

Storage

Assemble seadas up to twenty-four hours ahead and store covered in the refrigerator before frying fresh.

Reheating

Reheating fried seadas is not recommended, but leftover pastries can be warmed in a 160C oven for five minutes.

Common mistakes to avoid

•Frying in oil that is too cold, which leaves the semolina pastry greasy rather than crisp and blistered.
•Failing to expel air pockets when assembling, causing the pastry to puff excessively and burst open in the oil.