Baked ricotta cassatelle, a recipe from traditional Sicilian grandmothers’ cuisine, not to be confused with the Minnuzze or Cassatelle of Sant’Agata or the Cassatelle of Agira.
The baked ricotta cassatella is a traditional Easter dessert, but delicious year-round. With a distinctive shape similar to a small basket made from a Sicilian sponge-pastry dough, it contains a filling of sweet Sicilian ricotta cream enriched with a reduced cooked grape must. It has an ancient, delicate flavor and is one of the most appreciated Sicilian ricotta desserts across the region. Very similar to the ricotta cassatelle from Ragusa, which do not use cooked must, these cassatelle are typical of Misterbianco, a town in the province of Catania where my husband is from — I highly recommend trying them.
Now let’s discover the Sicilian ricotta cassatelle recipe, but not before taking a look at the quintessential Sicilian Easter recipe: the Sicilian cassata.
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Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Medium
Preparation time: 1 Hour
Cooking time: 10 Minutes
Portions: 30 cassatelle
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

8 1/3 cups (about 2 lb 3 oz) 00 flour (I use type 0)
1 3/4 cups Sugar
1 cup (about 7 oz) Lard
2 Eggs
1 teaspoon Baker's ammonia (scant)
1 pinch Salt
1 packet Vanillin
1 cup + 2 tbsp Milk (as needed)
5 cups Sheep ricotta (already drained and dry)
1/2 cup Sugar (or another 50 g (about 1/4 cup) of sugar)
6 tbsp Cooked grape must (reduction)
to taste Ground cinnamon

Preparation

Start by preparing the sheep ricotta, which should have released almost all its whey. Turn it into a bowl, add the cooked grape must (you can omit it if you don’t have it and replace it with 50 g of sugar — about 1/4 cup — but it gives the cassatelle a very original flavor), the sugar called for, and the cinnamon, and mix well. Heap the flour on a work surface and add all ingredients except the milk, which should be added little by little according to what the dough needs. Work everything until you obtain a smooth, homogeneous dough.
Roll the dough out to a thickness of about 3–4 mm (about 1/8 inch) and cut out discs about 12 cm (about 4 3/4 inches) in diameter. Place a disc in your hand, put a generous tablespoon of ricotta in the center and close the cassatelle by folding the edges as shown in the photo.
The pleats are very important: make them carefully and press them so the dough seals. They will support the ricotta and prevent the cassatelle from opening during baking.
Bake at 392°F for about 10–12 minutes. Remove from the oven and dust with cinnamon.
Cassatelle keep at room temperature for a few days, laid out on a tray and covered with a cotton towel (I kept them up to a week, then they were gone). They will be crunchy on the first day and gradually soften with time — their flavor will only improve.