The “Pastizz” of Rotondella (Matera), also called “Pastizzi”, are socks of about 15 to 20 centimeters in size with filling of meat, mainly pork, pecorino, parsley, salt, oil, pepper and eggs. The history of this Lucane specialty is lost in the night of the times and is such a typical product so rooted in local culture that at times the Rotondella inhabitants are called “pastazzari”. The mid-moon shape seems to remember the maternal womb that holds a precious treasure and treasure certainly it is also thanks to the golden color and the rich taste.
Today the Pastazzi are one of the symbols of Rotondella and are absolutely unmissable if you are visiting the village near Matera but once, when the meat was not so readily available, it was considered a special recipe to be served during the killing of the pig, easter and feast of Santa Maria d’Angolona at the beginning of September.
Let’s start to see the ingredients for our shopping list and then we will start cooking the Pastizz of Rotondella.
Ingredients
For 8-10 small meals
For the pastry:
250gr wheat flour
125gr water
2 tablespoons lard
salt
For the filling:
300gr ground pork
1 egg
1 pinch of salt
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 bunch of fresh parsley
black pepper
50gr pecorino cheese
Method
Let’s start by kneading all the ingredients of the dough until we get a smooth and homogeneous mixture then cover it and let it rest for an hour. Then we spread the pasta and get some 15-20 cm diameter disks with a thickness of 3-4 millimeters that we will lightly punch with a fork.
Separately, we prepare the filling by placing the ground pork meat (but we may also use other types of meat) and adding the rest of the ingredients by creating an homogeneous mix that will let it rest for half an hour.
We place “a fist” of dough in the center of each disk of pastry prepared previously, dampen the edges with a little water and we close the leaf so as to form half moons that we will seal by bending part of the edge inwards.
Place the Pastazzi on a baking tray with baking paper and bake at 180 ° for 15/20 minutes until golden. Before eating them, it is advisable to let them rest for a few minutes under a cloth.
…Good Appetite!
Ph. Charles Haynes
