Mantuan Offelle are traditional sweets from the province of Mantua, typical of the Carnival period.
They are shortcrust pastry half-moons filled with a soft mixture (sometimes almond-based), reminiscent of small sweet tortellini.
These sweets, once common in peasant homes, are now less widespread but represent a gastronomic heritage to be rediscovered.
The offella is generally a small sweet with various regional variants.
During the nineteenth century, they spread throughout Italy, especially in the North.
My gluten-free version uses oat flour for the shortcrust pastry and rice flour in the filling.
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Cheap
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: Oven, Electric oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Carnival, All seasons
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups gluten-free oat flour
- 2/3 cup gluten-free powdered sugar
- 3 oz butter (soft)
- 3 egg yolks
- 2/3 cup rice flour
- 1/3 cup gluten-free potato starch
- 1/3 cup gluten-free powdered sugar (+ for dusting)
- 1 tbsp butter (melted)
- 2 egg whites
Tools
- 1 Pastry cutter 3 inch
Steps
Prepare the shortcrust pastry: in a bowl, mix the oat flour with the powdered sugar. Add the soft butter and egg yolks, working quickly until you obtain a smooth dough.
If desired: add a little milk or water to reach the desired consistency.
Shape into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap, and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
Prepare the filling: in a bowl, sift the rice flour, potato starch, and powdered sugar. Add the egg yolks and warm melted butter, mixing well. Gently fold in the beaten egg whites, mixing from bottom to top to keep the mixture light.
Roll out the shortcrust pastry on a floured surface to a thickness of about 1/8 inch. Using a pastry cutter or glass, cut out disks of about 3 inches in diameter.Place a teaspoon of filling in the center of each disk, then fold in half to form a half-moon. Press the edges well to seal.
Place the offelle on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in a preheated static oven at 350°F for about 30 minutes.Once cooled, dust the offelle with powdered sugar before serving.
Papaya and Coconut Cream:
I accompanied the gluten-free Mantuan offelle with a papaya and coconut-based cream, suitable for a keto diet: I blended 1 papaya with 1 egg white and 1/4 cup of shredded coconut.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
What are the most common regional variants of offelle?
The offelle of Parona, in Lombardy, are oval-shaped butter cookies.
The Veronese offella is a soft dough leavened Christmas sweet.
The Romagna offelle, or jam offelle, containing apple compote, are described in Artusi (1891) and recognized as traditional agro-food products of Emilia-Romagna.
Those from Sant’Angelo Lodigiano, or St. Anthony’s offelle, are puff pastry sweets traditionally filled with apricot jam, prepared in the Lombard town for the feast of the saint, the patron of the town.
For a travel itinerary idea to Mantua, you can find a suggestion on Viaggiandomangiando’s partner site FoodTripGo.
