Baked Pak Choi Panzerotti

Gorgeous street food from Puglia filled with seasonal vegetable: pak choi panzerotti.

We are having fantastic days from a weather point of view.

It is amazing to be able to enjoy the heat until late in the evening and to see the green in front of the house screaming and laughing thanks to the presence of so many kids enjoying the warm afternoon.

Well yesterday was one of these glorious days when you are thankful for the sun but most of all for the absence of wind combined with the sun!!!

When I was walking my neighbor’s adorable dog, both appreciating the morning, I was planning the lunch.

I had something ready that I could have easily added to pasta but my body was screaming for lunch outside, my skin wanted to enjoy that warmth a bit longer. I needed picnic food!

By the time I was back at home it was 12.00 and Deta, my little one, finishes school at 13.25.

I had a notion but the time was not in my favour, well sorry time but when I have in mind to cook something I have to do it!!

I calculated that with the fast action dried yeast and with the hot sun the rising time could easily be one hour and no more and so I started my panzerotti.

Panzerotti are individual pockets made with the same dough of pizza and filled usually with tomatoes and mozzarella or the two above plus ham.

These savory filled pastries are typical of Puglia and they are originally a deep fried street food.

I kneaded the dough and placed the bowl covered in cling film in the back garden in full sun and in the meantime I thought about the filling!

I had so many Pak Choi from Juliasdale Organic Farm so I decided to fill them with what it would be a classical filling for a “tiella with scarola” a gorgeus savory pie typical of Gaeta a town between Rome and Naples.

Only this pie doesn’t use Pak Choi but endive, and here in Ireland I have always done it using the crunchy salad mix!

I managed to make 6 panzerotti, place them to bake in the oven and then rush to collect Deta: she is always thrilled at the idea of having a picnic in the green!

INGREDIENTS for the dough

You can use any fresh pizza dough. I kneaded together:

• 500 g whole wheat flour
• 350 ml lukewarm water in which I dissolved
• 1 sachet of fast action dried yeast
• 2 handful of roasted sesame seeds and few roasted sunflower and pumpkin seeds ( I had this mix leftover but the seeds are totally optional)
• salt

INGREDIENTS for the filling

• 400 g pak choi
• 1 garlic clove
• 4 or 6 anchovies that you can omit if you are vegetarian
• a fistful of capers
• 20 black olives
• a little bunch of parsley

INSTRUCTIONS

Knead the dough ingredients together and place it in a bowl, cover it with cling film or with a wet cloth or if the bowl has a sealing lid use that and place it in a warm place to rise.

In the meantime prepare the filling:

• wash and chop the pak choi
• place some extra virgin olive oil in a frying pan together with the crushed garlic and the anchovies and let the fishes melt stirring.
• when the fishes are melt add the pak choi, the capers and the olives
• stir fry it until the leaves start to wilt
• add salt as you please and the finely chopped parsley
• give it a stir and set apart

Take a piece of the dough, roll it flat and cut a circle out of it. I have used a dessert plate placing it on top of the rolled dough and cutting around the edges with a knife.

Now if you want to have a bit of a deep fried illusion brush a oven tin with a lot of extra virgin olive oil or, if you prefer to be lighter, use parchment.

Place your circle of dough over the oil or parchment and pour two full tablespoon of the filling in the center of the circle.

Close the panzerotto folding it in half and sealing the curved side pinching together the underneath part (slightly folding it bit by bit on top of the upper part) and the upper part.

Pierce the top of the panzerotto twice with a fork.

Continue like that until you have reached the desired number of panzerotti or until you have finished the ingredients.

You should have 8 panzerotti, I had to stop for lack of time but they were enough for our lunch!

Make sure there is a bit of space in between each piece.

Bake them in preheated oven at 220° for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

They are fantastic hot or cold!