Pitoni Messinesi (Sicilian Fried Calzone Recipe)
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.
Servings 10 pitoni
Calories 337kcal
Ingredients
For the dough
For the filling
- 1/2 head curly escarole rinsed, dried and finely chopped
- 1 tbsp 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 1/3 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: 337kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 225mg | Potassium: 259mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 919IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 171mg | Iron: 3mg