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Half-Moon Shaped Sweet Pasta Filled with Candied Fruit
Serves 6 - 8 Prep 10 min Total 10 min Type Dessert Origin Italian

Half-Moon Shaped Sweet Pasta Filled with Candied Fruit

Mezzelune dolci

Serves 6 Prep 10 minutes Units Rate

Ingredients

For the sweet pasta

  • 3 whole eggs
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 300 grams plain flour (plus extra for dusting)
  • 50 grams butter (softened)
  • 4 tablespoons Amaretto liqueur
  • 1 litre vegetable oil (for frying)
  • icing sugar (for dusting)

For the filling

  • 40 grams caster sugar
  • 250 grams ricotta cheese
  • 1 orange (finely chopped, zest)
  • 10 almonds (finely chopped)
  • 40 grams Candied Fruit Peel (finely chopped)

Overview

A festive Neapolitan specialty of delicate fried pasta half-moons filled with sweet ricotta, candied fruit, and almonds. These charming little pastries epitomize Italian Easter celebrations and can be served either as an elegant petit four or a light dessert, dusted generously with powdered sugar for a snow-like finish.

Method

  1. Beat 2 of the eggs in a bowl and set aside.
  2. To make the sweet pasta dough, place the remaining 1 egg and 2 egg yolks in a food processor. Add the flour, butter and Amaretto and mix together. Turn out the mixture onto a well-floured surface and knead for 2 minutes until you have a soft dough. Cover with cling film and place in the fridge to rest for 30 minutes.
  3. To prepare the filling, place all the ingredients in a medium bowl and mix together with a fork. Place in the fridge to rest for 10 minutes.
  4. Flatten the prepared pasta dough with a rolling pin so that it can fit through the rollers of a pasta machine.
  5. Flour the pasta on both sides and start to roll it from the widest setting to the thinnest.
  6. Make sure you keep the pasta well floured at all times. Lay the pasta sheets on a well-floured surface.
  7. Cut the pasta into discs using an 8 cm cutter (you should get about 30 discs).
  8. Place about a teaspoonful of the filling the middle of each disc, sharing it out equally.
  9. Brush the edges of the discs with the beaten egg and fold over to make a half-moon shape. Press down with your fingertips to seal, and then press down with a fork to completely seal and make an impression on the seam.
  10. Heat the oil in a large saucepan until hot and smoking.
  11. Carefully drop in the sweet-filled pasta and fry for about 15 seconds until golden all over. (Be very careful and work in batches, no more than five mezzelune at a time.)
  12. Once cooked, remove the mezzelune using a slotted spoon and place on some kitchen paper to soak up any excess oil.
  13. To serve, place all the mezzelune on a large serving dish and dust with plenty of icing sugar. Serve warm with a little glass of Amaretto or Vin Santo.

Notes

  • The pasta dough must rest after kneading to relax the gluten; this makes rolling much easier and prevents the dough from shrinking back
  • Flour the dough generously and continue to flour between each pass through the pasta machine to prevent sticking and ensure a thin, manageable sheet
  • The filling should be shared equally among the discs and not overfilled, or the pasta will burst during frying; a teaspoon per disc is the correct amount
  • Heat the oil to smoking point (180-190°C) before frying; the strong heat ensures the exteriors become crisp and golden quickly before the filling overheats

Serving

Arrange the warm fried pasta pieces on a decorative platter and dust generously with icing sugar, creating a beautiful white presentation. They are best served warm and can be accompanied by a small glass of Amaretto liqueur or sweet Vin Santo wine. These are equally at home served as petit fours with coffee or as an elegant dessert course.

Storage

Best served warm, shortly after frying. The unfried, filled pasta can be prepared up to 2 hours ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator until frying. Do not freeze as the filling becomes grainy. Fried mezzelune can be reheated gently in a 180°C oven for 3-4 minutes if made an hour or two in advance, but are best served freshly fried.

This is a classic Neapolitan dessert that is usually eaten around Easter time can be used either as a dessert or as a petit fours.

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Cannoli Siciliani

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Ricotta is drained in muslin for at least 4 hours (overnight ideal) to lose the wet whey. A pastry dough of plain flour, sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, Marsala, vinegar, butter and egg yolk is mixed, kneaded smooth, rested for 30 minutes, then rolled out very thin (pasta-thin). Discs (12 cm) cut; wrapped around oiled metal cannoli forms; egg-wash sealed; deep-fried at 180°C for 90 seconds until amber and crackling. Cooled, the shells lift off the moulds. The drained ricotta sweetens with icing sugar, vanilla and orange zest; chocolate chips and chopped candied peel fold through. Piped into the shells at the moment of serving; ends dipped in chopped pistachio or chocolate; dusted with icing sugar.

Desserts 5 hours 45 minutes Serves8