Rustic leccesi the fly
(on demand)

Normally I don't often cook dishes that I don't know and, in particular, dishes that I have never eaten. But… the other day Mrs. Metzner came to me, full of nostalgia for the long-gone years between Bari and Lecce and asked me for these sheets stuffed with tomato, mozzarella and béchamel.
No sooner said than done: I started working on regional cooking manuals and his vague memories of those he bought at the pastry shop in Piazza Sant'Oronzo. And, since it is not a complex preparation, I quickly baked them.
He confirmed that they taste like old times!

The original version includes discs of dough cut one by one and then stuffed… here, in the interpretation on the fly, It is filled with piles of stuffing a strip of dough; then cut with a pastry rings, or even in a square for needs of economy of scale, With wheel cutter sealant (it accelerates the work and eliminates the scraps to be reshuffled and rested).

Ingredients:

Preparation:

First prepare the bechamel, making sure it is quite dense (the bechamel in this recipe has the important function of keeping the other ingredients together and preventing the moist bath the dough does not allow it to swell properly).

Coarsely chop the pizza mozzarella (the hard one that should not be drained) and mix it with the peeled pieces.
Season with salt and pepper and add a drizzle of olive oil.
Mix and tie with the white sauce.

and unfold the dough, then fold a third, brushed with egg, lengthwise onto the next third.
The lower double layer will make the rustic buildings grow a lot in height and volume, enhancing their presence.

On this layer of double dough, distribute small, well-spaced piles of filling.
Brush with egg around the filling and fold the last third of the pastry over the filling, tightening well.

Press well around the filling, possibly using a cup or a wide-rimmed glass.

Cut circles with a thick, serrated pastry cutter. Arrange them on parchment paper and brush with egg yolk diluted with water;
bake in a hot air oven at 190 ° for 20 '.

Remove from the oven, pass on a wire rack and allow to cool for a few minutes: they should be eaten hot but not so much that you burn your tongue!

If you opt for the square or rectangular version, you can possibly brush with egg before cutting with the pastry wheel (See note).

TIPS

• The version described above with respect to the preparation of the discs is definitely differs from the original one, but has the advantage of being very rapid.
• Tradition would have it that the discs are cut first (possibly overlaid on another disc to have a layer of very high layer of dough underneath), then covered with the filling and then closed with another slightly larger sheet of dough.
• Tagliapasta: Having to cut stuffed pasta, it is better to use pastry wheels or cutters instead of the classic pastry rings with sharp edges which, although much more precise, do not tighten the dough well.
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• Always using béchamel as a binder, you can also use other fillings.