Panzerotti is an Italian deep fried snack. A very simple to explain this is that they are very similar ot empanadas. These are Italian empanadas. These are deep fried stuffed semicircle pizza pockets . Panzerotti are stuffed with cheese and deep fried. Tomato, mozzarella, and basil is the classic combo and this recipe uses the traditional fresh tomato mozzarella and basil filling. Nowadays any filling can be used. This tastes divine when served hot. By the way, this is a street food in Italy.
Stuffed?! Then you might think that this is calzone. Calzone and panzerotti differ. Panzerotti are small sized deep fried stuffed pizza whereas Calzone is a stuffed and baked pizza which is usually bigger in size than panzerotti.
When stuffing, do not get tempted to overfill. It will result in a disaster. The sealing off the edges would not happen and when frying that would result in disaster. This tastes amazing and we devoured it. Deep fried heaven :-). The dough is basically pizza dough and it was similar to our traditional bhatura. Also, this fried pizza is excellent like the Hungarian Langos. I followed this recipe from Saveur. These are snack sized anout 5-in., but mine is a little bit bigger by an inch or so.
This is a traditional recipe from Italy and I am sharing this for #Summergamesweek. All through the week we shared recipes and today is the final day of sharing recipes from chosen country/countries that are participating in Summer Olympics. Welcome to #SummerGamesWeek 2021 hosted by Amy from House of Nash Eats! We are celebrating the start of the Tokyo Games with over 50 recipes representing more than 25 countries competing in the upcoming Summer Games! Come join me and my fellow Summer Games Week bloggers as we bring you recipes from appetizers to drinks to entrées and desserts!
Friday #SummerGamesWeek Recipes
Ingredients
Makes 12
For the dough
Bread flour - 3 and 1/4 cups
Salt 1.5 tsp
Sugar - 2tsp
Olive oil - 3 tbsp
Salt 1.5 tsp
Sugar - 2tsp
Olive oil - 3 tbsp
Active dry yeast - 2and 1/4 tsp
For the filling
Fresh mozzarella- about 1 pound, diced small
Roma tomatoes - 4 or 2 and 1/2 cups, chopped
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Black pepper - 1/2 tsp, powdered or cracked
Olive oil - 1 tsp
Garlic - 2 cloves
Basil - 2 tbsp, thinly sliced
Roma tomatoes - 4 or 2 and 1/2 cups, chopped
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Black pepper - 1/2 tsp, powdered or cracked
Olive oil - 1 tsp
Garlic - 2 cloves
Basil - 2 tbsp, thinly sliced
Oil for deep frying, 3 cups
Method
Activate the year of using fry yeast with warm sugar water. Add this to a bowl with flour and salt. Add two tablespoons of olive oil and knead to a smooth dough. Apply a tablespoon of oil on the surface of the dough as well as the bowl. Cover for two hours to proof.
In the mean time, heat olive oil in a pan, add the whole garlic and chopped tomatoes and cook for about 15 minutes stirring now and then till most of the liquid evaporates.
Remove the garlic, add salt and pepper, and cook for a couple more minutes. Stir in chopped basil. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
After two hours, punch, knead, and chafe the dough. Divide into 12 portions and roll into a ball. Cover and keep aside for an hour.
Take one ball of dough and roll into a 6-7 inch circle. Keep the tensing dough covered. Place one tablespoon of tomato mixture and about two tablespoons of chopped mozzarella chunks. Fold in half and seal the edges. Do not overfill as sealing would be impossible. Either pinch with hand or press using a fork to seal the edges. Repeat with the renaming dough.
Heat oil in a pan and when it is hot, fry the panzerotti till golden brown on both sides. Drain in paper towel.
Serve hot.
Inger @ Art of Natural Living says
So this is probably more of an appetizer and calzone probably more of a meal? Well, YUM, either way!
Simply Inspired Meals says
These sound so delicious, would be a fantastic appetizer to have at a party.
Amy says
I have never tried these but I'm so excited to now! I love empanadas from different countries and these look and sound so good! Thanks for explaining the difference between panzerotti and calzone!
Hezzi-D says
Homemade dough for deep fried pizza pockets? i am totally sold!
Rebecca says
So yummy! I've had something very similar to this at a small restaurant before but I've gotta say, they can't compare when making these from scratch! The homemade dough makes all the difference in flavor!
A Day in the Life on the Farm says
I learned a new dish today. Thanks Radha. I can't wait to make these.