Pitoni Messinesi (Sicilian Fried Calzone)

Pitoni Messinesi or Sicilian Fried Calzone are a typical street food of Messina, Sicily. A pizza-like dough is filled with escarole, tomatoes, cheese and anchovies to create a tasty treat enjoyed as a snack or quick lunch.

I recently received a request for this recipe by a dear reader. I have never tried pitoni in Messina (yet!) but upon doing some research I learned that this Sicilian street food is often made with the dough used to make rosticceria bites. This is a recipe that I shared earlier this year for these tasty snacks which include mini pizzas, rollo with wurstel or calzone sold in most bars and cafes throughout Siciliy.

I love it when a recipe has multiple purposes. Just like last week when I turned my Sicilian brioche dough recipe into these delicious Brioche Cinnamon Rolls!

Origin of Pitoni Messinesi

Pitoni, pidoni or piduni (in dialect) are deep fried calzone as made in Messina, Sicily. You may also be familiar with the fried calzone from the Puglia region called panzerotti typically filled with prosciutto cotto, mozzarella and tomatoes (which by the way would also be delicious in this recipe). 

What distinguishes these calzone from others is the unique filling combination of finely chopped curly escarole(or curly endive), cherry tomatoes, anchovies in oil and cheese such as tuma, provola or caciocavallo, which I used. Mozzarella can also be used but quite honestly it's not as flavorful as the other cheeses I listed. 

All the ingredients are cut into small pieces and added to the dough uncooked. The result is a filling with escarole that has a slight crunch to it, gooey melted cheese, the freshness of the cherry tomatoes and the salty bite of the occasional anchovy piece. Delicious! 

Delicious fried or baked!

There's no doubt these pitoni are delicious right out of the fryer. The dough puffs up beautifully leaving a crisp exterior and hot filling with gooey melted cheese. However, if you're not into frying the baked version are just as delicious.

One advantage of baking them is that they can be frozen and reheated in the oven to enjoy later on. Just scroll further below to my recipe card for baking instructions.

Step by Step Instructions

Prepare the dough. Follow my recipe for the dough for Sicilian Rosticceria Small Bites until step #5. The risen dough will be divided into 10 approximately 80 gram balls.

Prepare the filling. While the dough is rising, prepare the ingredients for the filling. You will need:

• Curly escarole washed, dried and finely chopped. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper
• Cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
• Cubed cheese: ideal choices include tuma, caciocavallo, provola or scamorza. Mozzarella will do in a pinch however it is not as flavorful.
• Anchovy fillets in oil: 4-5 fillets (or as many as you like) finely chopped.

Assemble the pitoni. Roll out each ball of dough into a thin circle. Place a spoonful of escarole, a few pieces of tomato, cubed cheese and anchovies on one half of the dough. 

Fold the dough over and seal by folding the two edges together with your fingers or pinch with a fork. 

Place on a parchment paper covered baking sheet lightly sprinkled with cornmeal to prevent them from sticking. Continue with the remaining dough.

Fry the pitoni. Fill a wide, deep skillet about ⅓ of the way with vegetable oil (canola or corn oil work well). Heat the oil and test if it is hot enough by placing the handle of a wooden spoon in the center of the skillet. If the oil immediately bubbles around the handle it is ready. 

Carefully place 2 or 3 pitoni in the hot oil. When they are a light golden color, flip and fry the opposite side. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to paper towel covered trays to absorb the excess oil. Serve hot.

To bake: Preheat oven to 400F and bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly browned.  They do not require flipping while baking. Serve hot.

Tips and suggestions:

• This filling is typical of tradional pitoni, however you can certainly vary the filling ingredients. We also tried prosciutto cotto (cooked ham), tomatoes and mozzarella.
• Divide the dough into 20 pieces to make mini pitoni
• Be sure to seal the edges of the pitoni well or they may open up while frying.
• Leftover pitoni must be refrigerated and keep for up to 3 days. Warm in a 325F oven for about 10 minutes before serving.
• You can freeze baked pitoni well wrapped and placed in a freezer bag. Place in the refrigerator to defrost and warm in the oven before serving.

Whether you choose to fry or bake them, Pitoni Messinesi or Sicilian Fried Calzone are a must try! Let me know how much you enjoy them by rating them in the recipe card below. Feel free to Pin the recipe for later. Buon appetito!

Pitoni Messinesi (Sicilian Fried Calzone Recipe)

Nadia Fazio

Pitoni Messinese or Sicilian Fried Calzone are a typical street food of Messina, Sicily. A pizza-like dough is filled with escarole, tomatoes, cheese and anchovies to create a tasty treat enjoyed as a snack or quick lunch.

5 from 2 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Resting time 2 hours hrs

Total Time 3 hours hrs 50 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine Sicilian-Italian

Servings 10 pitoni

Calories 337 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

For the dough

• ▢ 1 recipe Sicilian Rosticceria Small bites dough

For the filling

• ▢ ½ head curly escarole rinsed, dried and finely chopped
• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ salt and pepper to taste
• ▢ 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• ▢ 200 grams cubed cheese such as caciocavallo, tuma, scamorza or provola
• ▢ 4-5 anchovy fillets in oil

For frying

• ▢ vegetable oil canola or corn oil work well

Instructions

 

Prepare the dough

• Follow my recipe for the dough for Sicilian Rosticceria Small Bites until step #5. The risen dough will be divided into 10 approximately 80 gram balls.

Prepare the filling

• Toss the chopped escarole with olive oil, salt and pepper. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half or quarters, depending on how large they are. Cut the cheese into small cubes. Finely chope the anchovy fillets.

To assemble

• Roll out each ball of dough into a thin circle. Place a spoonful of escarole, a few pieces of tomato, cubed cheese and anchovies on one half of the dough. 
• Fold the dough over and seal the edges by folding the two edges together with your fingers or pinch with a fork. 
• Place on a parchment paper covered baking sheet lightly sprinkled with cornmeal to prevent them from sticking. Continue with the remaining dough balls.

To fry

• Fill a wide, deep skillet about ⅓ of the way with vegetable oil (canola or corn oil work well). Heat the oil and test if it is hot enough for frying by placing the handle of a wooden spoon in the centre of the skillet. If the oil immediately bubbles around the handle it is ready. 
• Carefully place 2 or 3 pitoni in the hot oil. When they are a light golden color, flip and fry the opposite side. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to paper towel covered trays to absorb the excess oil. Serve hot.

To bake

• Preheat oven to 400F and bake for 20-25 minutes until lightly browned.  They do not require flipping over. Serve hot.

Notes

• This filling is typical of tradional pitoni, however you can certainly vary the filling ingredients. We also tried prosciutto cotto (cooked ham), tomato sauce and mozzarella.
• Try making mini pitoni by dividing the dough into 20 pieces instead of 10.
• Leftover pitoni must be refrigerated and keep for up to 3 days. Warm in a 325F oven for about 10 minutes before serving.
• Be sure to seal the edges of the pitoni well or they may open up while frying.
• You can freeze baked pitoni well wrapped and placed in a freezer bag. Place in the refrigerator to defrost and warm in the oven before serving.
• Please note that the nutritional information provided is approximate and may vary according to exact ingredients used as well as portion size.

Nutrition

Calories: 337kcalCarbohydrates: 42gProtein: 11gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 27mgSodium: 225mgPotassium: 259mgFiber: 3gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 919IUVitamin C: 12mgCalcium: 171mgIron: 3mg

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!