Those who come to Salento and those who live there cannot fail to taste a delicacy such as pasticciotto.
The Salento dessert par excellence, numerous have been its variants over time.
One of the most famous is the “Pasticciotto Obama” in honor of the President of the United States of America, made entirely with cocoa.
The fruttone, a very well-known variant of pasticciotto, also from Salento, deserves a separate article on this site.
One cannot fail to mention the pasticciotto cake: a soft shortbread cake with a heart of cream…a real calorie killer but of immeasurable goodness.
As you can see, different are the schools of thought as well as different are the recipes and, the one we present today, is the traditional and original recipe for Lecce pasticciottos.
Without saying too much, the land of Salento has churned out and still churns out this goodness.
The Salento pasticciotto: a bit of history
Different in shape and flavor from the Neapolitan and Bari bocconotto (it has a dusting of powdered sugar on the “back”), the Lecce pasticciotto presents itself to the eyes and palate in an unmistakable way just as unique are the historical peculiarities related to the Salento culinary tradition. There is already mention of this typically Salento delicacy in the 1700s, when, upon the death of Bishop Orazio Fortunato, they were listed in an inventory of the bishop’s curia of Nardò. Some say that the inventor/holder of the original recipe was Nicola Ascalone of Galatina, who, finding himself short of dough, for a noble passerby who asked for something to eat, prepared on the fly what he called “un pasticcio.” Hence the name Pasticciotto. In the absence of non-comparable and unprovable historical sources, we are faced with a real mystery. The fact of the matter is that, with or without the original recipe, every morning, during our breakfasts and coffee breaks, we cannot help but taste such a good dessert: Leccese sweet par excellence. For this reason, recently, the pasticciotto has been recognized by the city of Lecce, as a typical Lecce dessert and is on thenational list of traditional agri-food products drawn up by the Ministry of Agricultural Food and Forestry Policies (pursuant to Article 8 of Legislative Decree No. 173 of April 30, 1998).
Pasticciotto salentino is a heritage of the Lecce culinary tradition: how is it made?
Different recipes you will find in different corners of Salento, but one thing unites this goodness: shortbread, cream, sometimes black cherry, and lard. Be wary of those who want you to taste light or modified versions because, the original recipe sees lard and shortbread as the main pivotal ingredients. Let’s see how to prepare pasticciotto.
How to prepare pasticciotto leccese: the pasticciotto recipe in small steps
Well, let’s move on to the “sweet dirty work” we would all like to do: the preparation of the Leccese pasticciotto recipe. But before we get into the nitty-gritty of preparing this Salento dessert, we invite you to equip yourself with the following ingredients to prepare the shortbread and custard.
Ingredients to prepare the shortbread for the pasticciotto.
First, equip yourself with small oval molds, on which to lay the lovingly prepared dough, with the following ingredients:
- 250 g of 00 flour;
- 125 gr lard (be wary of margarine or light recipes);
- 130 gr sugar;
- 2 egg yolks;
- 1 level tablespoon baking powder;
- 1 pinch of salt.
Preparing the custard for pasticciotto leccese
We reveal a curiosity: black cherry is not part of the traditional recipe. The beating heart of the pasticciotto is the cream. To prepare it, use the following ingredients:
- 500 ml milk;
- 125 g sugar;
- lard;
- 4 yolks;
- 50 g flour;
- lemon zest (zest of the lemon).
The preparation of the pasticciotto shortcrust pastry: the base is essential for the success of the recipe
Start using your hands, kneading the flour with the yeast and lard with the aim of obtaining a harmonious dough.
Incorporate into the dough the sugar, egg yolks and add a pinch of salt to taste. Knead everything together fairly quickly.From these loving gestures of yours, you should obtain the shortcrust pastry, a soft and elastic dough.
Do not use butter together with the lard because the traditional recipe does not call for it.
Wrap this little treasure trove of goodness in plastic wrap and let the mixture rest in the refrigerator for at least one and a half to two hours.
The custard deserves a lot of attention: follow these basic steps and you will make a knockout custard
In a small saucepan, heat the milk, taking care that it does not come to a boil. Add the lemon zest, without overdoing it.
Separately, in a container (we used a stainless steel container), start whipping the egg yolks with electric whips, with the sugar until the mixture is even. Begin to add, a little at a time, the previously sifted flour and incorporate it, all at low speed.
From time to time, add the hot milk to this mixture, stirring slowly.
Separate the lemon zest from this magical mixture.
If necessary, add the remaining milk.
Let the cream rest and cool.
It is now time to take the molds and compose the Leccese pasticciotto
Take the shortcrust pastry from the refrigerator and roll it out with a rolling pin until it is half an inch thick.
Take your oval (traditional shape) or round molds, flour the edges of these molds and spread the shortcrust pastry on them.
There is really little left and your pasticciotti are ready to be finished, before you put them in the oven.
After laying the shortcrust pastry in the molds, take the custard and pour it into the molds in just the right amount.
Turn the oven on to 200° C for about ten minutes before baking.
After doing this delicate operation, cover the heart of your Leccese pasticciotto with the shortcrust pastry, sealing the mixture well.
We recommend poking holes in it and brushing it with beaten egg before baking these representative delights of Salento.
Bake your pasticciotti “in fieri”
Now the pasticciotti are ready to be baked in the preheated oven: they will remain in the oven for about 20 minutes, at 200°C.
You will be able to take them out of the oven when the color of the Leccese pasticciotti is golden.
Tips and conclusions
We advise you to avoid, like the plague, recipes that place butter alongside lard because you are trespassing into areas that are not exactly traditional.
Prick the backs of your pasticciotti to prevent them from cracking during baking.
Brush your Leccesi pasticciotti with beaten egg before baking and, “dulcis in fundo” (it has to be said), we recommend that you enjoy these delicacies, after they have rested, once they have been taken out of the oven.
Leccesi pasticciotti can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two days. Some people freeze them and reheat them on the spot. This is to take them with us when we are far away from the land of Salento… unless you are in Milan and there you can taste excellent pasticciotti at Bar Santu Paulu, of our friend Tony Ingrosso, accompanying their fragrance and aroma with an excellent coffee in Lecce ice.
Enjoy your meal with Lecce pasticciotti from Foodismo!
