Catanese fried Siciliane, stuffed with ham and mozzarella, the fried calzones of the Catanese rosticceria. They are part of the famous Sicilian rosticceria alongside pizzettes, cartocciate, bombette and arancini. We call them “siciliane”: they are a very soft brioche dough (Sicilian) filled and fried, and they are truly a mouthwatering treat. The “siciliane” originated in Catania around the 1920s, first produced in a renowned pastry shop in Zafferana Etnea. The original filling contained only tuma cheese, anchovies, fresh onion and olives, and they were traditionally fried in lard. Today that version is rare and has generally been replaced by a simpler version with a soft cheese and ham filling, sometimes with added tomato, turning them into real fried pizzettes, but fried in vegetable oil.
If you’re curious to taste these delights, follow me in the kitchen and we’ll prepare them together — but first take a look at the recipe for pistachio Siciliane and the twists with hot dog. Also, if you want to stay updated on all my recipes, you can follow my Facebook page (here) and my Instagram profile (here).

Difficulty: Very easy
Cost: Very inexpensive
Rest time: 4 Hours
Preparation time: 20 Hours
Cooking time: 5 Minutes
Portions: 20 Calzones (You can easily halve the quantities)
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients to make Catanese fried Siciliane

3 cups re-milled durum wheat semolina
4 1/4 cups Type 0 flour (all-purpose style)
3.5 g active dry yeast (or 12 g fresh yeast)
2 3/4 cups milk (warm, or water, or a mix)
1/2 cup lard (strutto)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 1/4 tsp salt
1.1 lb toma cheese (Sicilian or other semi-soft cheese)
filets anchovies
as needed black olives (Sicilian)
as needed salt
as needed black pepper
as needed fresh spring onion (scallion)
1.1 lb mozzarella for pizza (or stretched-curd cheese)
3/4 lb cooked ham (good quality)
as needed oven-dried black olives (optional)

Tools

Bowl
Oven
Kitchen towel
Pan

How to make Catanese fried Siciliane with ham and mozzarella

Put the flour in a bowl, make a well and add a little water or milk and the yeast, stir to dissolve it, then add the sugar, mix and finish with the salt and the lard, adding the liquids until they are all used. Work in the bowl with a spoon, then with your hand.
Knead for a few minutes, cover with a kitchen towel and let rest for ten minutes, then resume kneading until you obtain a smooth, elastic and homogeneous dough. Round into balls (pirlatura), place in a bowl and put in the oven with the light on to rise until doubled. It may take about 3 hours, but timing is indicative — you must wait until the dough has at least doubled in size.
After resting, turn the dough out onto your work surface — it should be elastic and well developed — and divide it into pieces of about 110–120 g. Shape them into dough balls and let them rise again until doubled; meanwhile prepare the filling.
Roll the dough balls with a rolling pin to a thickness of about 1/4 inch (approximately 7 mm), fill them with your chosen filling, fold them into a half-moon shape and seal the edges by folding them inward. Let rest in a warm place for ten minutes, in the oven with the light on, then heat the oil and start frying. The oil should be hot but not smoking, because you need to cook the siciliane slowly or they will remain raw inside. Ideally use a kitchen thermometer and keep the oil around 356°F (180°C). If you don’t have a thermometer, manage the heat by raising and lowering the flame to cook each piece evenly; it will take about 5–6 minutes for each. To prevent the siciliane from puffing up too much while frying, poke a few holes with a toothpick on both sides. Once cooked, place them on absorbent paper, let rest for ten minutes, then serve hot and gooey.
Store any leftovers in a cool place for up to 24 hours and reheat before eating.
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