Mozzarella and Ham Panzerotti
Dough
200 g all-purpose flour
100 g butter
1 egg yolk
milk
1 egg
For frying
2 eggs
oil
Stuffing
200 g mozzarella cheese
50 g ham
30 g grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
2 eggs
1 Pinch of parsley
1 Pinch of nutmeg
pepper
On a flat work surface or in a bowl, mix the flour with softened butter, the egg yolk and a pinch of salt and work it all with your fingers, gradually adding a little milk, until you have a firm, smooth dough.
Wrap the dough in a dishcloth and let rest for 30 minutes, then roll it out with the help of a rolling pin, fold it twice on itself and put it in the cloth again to rest for another half hour.
Meanwhile, drain the mozzarella and chop it together with the ham. Place them in a bowl with the eggs, Parmesan, parsley, nutmeg, salt and pepper and mix everything together.
Then roll out the dough into two sheets about ¼ inch thick. Moisten one of two sheets with a little water, then place mounds of filling on the damp sheet, 1 inch apart.
Cover with the second sheet of dough, pressing with your fingers around piles of filling to make sure that the two sheets of dough stick together.
Then cut the dough into crescents or squares with the help of a pasta cutter or a knife. Press the dough again around the edges to seal in the filling.
Arrange the pockets on a tray lined with a lightly-floured dishcloth. Dip the pockets pass quickly in a bowl of 2 eggs beaten, then fry, a few at a time, immersing them in a pan full of boiling oil.
Let them brown well. Once they are crispy, remove them with a slotted spoon and arrange on a plate, lined with paper towels.
Season with salt and serve immediately.
Food History
Although street food, consumed on the run, is considered a product of modern times, in fact, ithas very ancient origins.
If it were possible to take a walk through the streets of ancient Rome, you would find hawkers of “panis ac perna,” sandwiches stuffed with grape must and a sort of ham cooked in the water of dried figs, which the ancient Romans used to enjoy walking through the streets of the city.
On second thought, however, are many traditional dishes of Italian cuisine that fit the definition of “street food”: gelato, panzerotti, arancini, and dozens of recipes that can be consumed rapidly the street.
Panzerotti, for example, are a product typical of region of southern Italy called Puglia, but have become so popular that you can now find them on the streets of almost every city of Italy.
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