Grandma Anna’s Neapolitan Fried Calzoncelli, with Prosciutto and Provola
This Neapolitan fried calzoncelli recipe is from my paternal grandmother; it was one of her signature dishes, and she always made them for holidays and special occasions. They are a guaranteed success. I recommend making a large quantity because they disappear in no time, one after the other, I assure you they are super soft, gooey, and incredibly tasty!
The stuffing method is unusual, read the procedure below.
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- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Cheap
- Rest time: 2 Hours 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 3 Hours
- Portions: 10 people
- Cooking methods: Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients for Neapolitan Fried Calzoncelli
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1.5 cups potatoes (already peeled)
- 3 eggs
- 3.5 tbsps butter (about 1 tbsp)
- 1 tbsp sugar (about 30 g)
- 1 oz fresh yeast
- 1 tbsp milk (or water)
- 10 pinches fine salt
- 1 lemon (grated)
- as needed olive oil (plentiful for frying)
- 3.5 oz lard (for frying)
- 9 oz Prosciutto di San Daniele PDO
- 14 oz provola cheese
Tools
- Bowl
- Potato Masher Electric
- Stand Mixer
- Deep Fryer
- Slotted Spoon
- Parchment Paper
Preparation of Neapolitan Fried Calzoncelli
Form a soft dough with 1 cup of flour (taken from the total of 4 cups), a tablespoon of milk (or water), the fresh yeast, and sugar, and let it rise for about half an hour.
Meanwhile, wash the potatoes and boil them in cold water. Wait for it to boil, reduce the heat, and cook for about 20 minutes, then peel and mash them with a fork (I use my electric potato masher, see note below).
Once the dough has risen, add it to the remaining flour (3 cups), add the potatoes, whole eggs, softened butter, and grated lemon zest (important), and knead in the stand mixer first with the paddle attachment and then with the dough hook for about 15 minutes, finally add the salt.
Let the dough rise for about an hour and a half, or until it doubles in size.
Once the dough has risen, form rolls and wrap each around a stick of provola wrapped in prosciutto (see photo), sealing the ends.
Do not remove the fat from the prosciutto, as the heat from frying will melt it, making the calzoncelli very savory and tasty.
Place the calzoncelli on lightly floured parchment paper and let them rise for another hour.
After the rising time, take a wide pot with high sides, fill it with plenty of oil and lard, heat well, and then fry few calzoncelli at a time, about 340°F (it’s best to get a kitchen thermometer).
Place the calzoncelli on absorbent paper and then serve them hot, preferably just fried, but they are also good if fried earlier and then reheated in the oven at 390°F.
Notes and Tips
These Neapolitan fried calzoncelli are also delicious stuffed with mozzarella (7 oz) and anchovies (1 jar) or with wurstels/provola and pancetta coppata. You can also prepare them with mixed stuffing.
You can skip the lard in frying, but I recommend it.
Shopping Tips !!!
To quickly mash the potatoes, I used my handy electric potato masher, it purees any type of cooked vegetable. It’s an accessory (to buy separately) of the Braun MultiQuick 7 blender, which you can buy at a special price by clicking HERE. #adv
Read my review for GialloZafferano on the Minipimer “Braun MQ9045 MultiQuick 9”
To knead perfectly, I use my Titanium Chef Patissier XL stand mixer with 7L EasyWarm bowl, integrated scale, and blender, a faithful kitchen ally for mixing, weighing, whisking, cooking, chopping, and egg pasteurizing. #adv
If instead, you’re looking for a more economical and smaller stand mixer, you can safely choose to purchase the excellent Kenwood Titanium Chef Baker XL, 1200W power, 5L bowl, and integrated scale. #adv
You can fry the calzoncelli in a deep casserole with a frying basket or you can use this convenient deep fryer with removable inner container and a cold zone that ensures small dough residues do not burn, thus keeping the oil clean much longer and not producing smoke and bad odors, find it on Amazon at a special price. #adv
To weigh the ingredients, I use this practical Digital Kitchen Scale, with a large removable bowl, tare function, and built-in timer, find it on Amazon at a great price. #adv
To weigh the ingredients, I use this practical Digital Kitchen Scale, with a large removable bowl, tare function, and built-in timer, find it on Amazon at a great price. #adv
How to Make a Good Fry?
To fry perfectly, the oil must be at a temperature between 340 and 355°F and should never exceed its smoke point. The right amount of oil to make the crispiest and driest fry is one liter of oil for every kg of product to fry.
