A delicious example of Sicilian street food, cipolline Catanesi are onion puff pastry tarts filled with slow cooked onions in tomato sauce, cheese and prosciutto cotto all wrapped in flaky, buttery puff pastry to create the perfect little bundle!
Each province in Sicily has it’s own specialties when it comes to street food. And these cipolline Catanesi, which are basically onion puff pastry tarts, are what you’ll find in Catania, located on Sicily’s east coast at the base of Mount Etna.
Flaky, buttery puff pastry wrapped around sweet, golden onions simmered in tomato sauce, a slice of prosciutto cotto for salty flavor and melted mozzarella.
This perfect little package has all the flavors you want in one convenient bundle. You can enjoy a cipollina Siciliana any time of day!
What is Sicilian street food?
Sicily is known for it’s mouth watering selection of street foods that you’ll find in bars, at a rosticceria or tavola calda (cafeteria style restaurant). They are referred to as pezzi di rosticceria or rosticceria pieces as they are small bite sized (or two bite!) morsels.
You will no doubt have difficulty choosing amongst the displays of savory or sweet dough wrapped around ingredients such as cheese; coldcuts; ricotta; spinach and more. These also include arancini (rice balls); panelle (chickpea fritters) and sfincione. Yes, most of them are fried, but hey you only live once!
These are perfect for a quick snack; for picnics or a day at the beach; for buffets; or to enjoy on a road trip, you get the idea!
Scroll further below for alist of links for my Sicilian street food recipes.
Ingredient List
- Puff pastry dough: 2 sheets, defrosted (400 grams)
- Onions: 2 large, or 6 small as I used
- Tomato passata: tomato purée
- Prosciutto cotto: cooked ham
- Mozzarella: or other cheese of your choice that melts well such as provolone or scamorza
- Salt
- Egg: for brushing on the puff pastry before baking
- Olive oil: not shown
The following are step by step instructions with images to guide you through this recipe. Please scroll to the end of this post for the detailed printable recipe card.
Step by Step Instructions
Prepare the sauce
- Make sure your puff pastry dough is defrosted according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté onions and a pinch of salt, stirring frequently, until golden, about 25 minutes. Do not let the onions burn!
- Stir in the tomato passata and cook for an additional 20 minutes until thickened. Add salt to taste. Transfer to a bowl and let cool.
Assemble the cipolline
- Meanwhile, halve each slice of prosciutto cotto for a total of 8 pieces.
- Cut mozzarella into cubes, or grate it if you prefer.
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Using one sheet of puff pastry at a time, cut into 4 squares, approximately 13 x 13 cm.
- Use a rolling pin to roll out each square into roughly a 16 x 16 cm square.
- Place a heaping tbsp of the cooled onion tomato sauce in the center.
- Place a slice of prosciutto cotto over the sauce. Top with cubes of mozzarella.
- Fold the four corners of dough toward the center. Pinch the seams to seal.
- Place on the prepared baking sheets and continue with the remaining dough.
- Brush each cipollina with eggwash and bake for 30-35 minutes until crisp and golden both on top and underneath.
- Enjoy hot or at room temperature.
Recipe Notes
-In place of mozzarella, use any variety of cheese that melts well such as provolone or scamorza.
-For a vegetarian option, simply omit the prosciutto cotto.
Keep leftover onion puff pastry tarts refrigerated for up to 3 days.
Did you try this recipe?
Let me know how much you enjoyed it by rating it in the recipe card below!
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Check out more Sicilian street food recipes!
- Spinach and Ricotta Brioche Buns (ravazzate)
- Arancini alla Norma
- Classic Sicilian Arancini
- Seafood Arancini
- Panelle -Sicilian Chickpea Fritters
- Focaccia Messinese
- Sfincione Siciliano
- Sfincione Bagherese
- Pitoni Messinese
- Sicilian Rosticceria Small Bites
- Pane Cunzatu
- Sicilian Baked Iris with Ricotta
Ingredients
- 400 grams puff pastry dough 2 sheets, defrosted
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 375 grams onions 2 large or 6 small, thinly sliced
- 125 ml tomato passata tomato purée
- 250 grams mozzarella or other cheese that melts well, cut into cubes or grated
- 125 grams prosciutto cotto (ham) 4 slices
- salt to taste
- 1 large egg lbeaten, for brushing on the dough
Instructions
Prepare the sauce
- Make sure your puff pastry dough is defrosted according to the manufacturer's instructions.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté onions and a pinch of salt, stirring frequently, until golden, about 25 minutes. Do not let the onions burn!
- Stir in the tomato passata and cook for an additional 20 minutes until thickened. Add salt to taste.
- Transfer to a bowl and let cool.
Assemble and bake
- Meanwhile, halve each slice of prosciutto cotto for a total of 8 pieces. Cut mozzarella into cubes, or grate it if you prefer.
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Using one sheet of puff pastry at a time, cut into 4 squares, approximately 13 x 13 cm.
- Use a rolling pin to roll out each square into roughly a 16 x 16 cm square.
- Place a heaping tbsp of the cooled onion tomato sauce in the center.
- Place a slice of prosciutto cotto over the sauce.
- Top with cubes of mozzarella.
- Fold the 4 corners of dough toward the center. Pinch the seams to seal.
- Place on the prepared baking sheets and continue with the remaining dough.
- Brush each cipollina with eggwash and bake for 30-35 minutes until crisp and golden both on top and underneath.
- Enjoy hot or at room temperature.
Notes
-For a vegetarian option, simply omit the prosciutto cotto. Storage Keep leftovers refrigerated for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven until crisp.
Hi Nadia. These were awesome. The whole family enjoyed them!
Hi Robert, thanks for taking the time to comment. I’m thrilled to hear that you enjoyed them!
Nadia, have you ever heard of some thing called scotch? My husbands grandmother made it all the time.dough wrapped r.Lund broccoli and or sausage?Ddrlicious!,!
Hello Maureen sounds like you are referring to scacciata and I do have 2 recipes: one filled with cauliflower and another with potatoes and sausage. You can also fill it with broccoli. Just type scacciata in the search bar on my blog to find it, or let me know if you need any help finding it. Thanks!
Hello Nadia, I made this recipe and loved it. They are a simply delicious side dish for dinner. Than k you
Hi Jeanne, thank you for your kind feedback. So glad you enjoyed these cipolline!