Neapolitan "Sfogliatella Frolla" (sfogliatella frolla napoletana)

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I miss Italy tremendously... so today I will propose you something very traditional from Naple: the Sfogliatella! Neapolitan most famous pastry:"Sfogliatella"comes in two styles: "riccia", with a crust of many crisp, papery layers, and "frolla", with a thicker pastry crust. The riccia's tender exterior (made with flour, water, and lard) consists of concentric squashed rings.

The frolla shell (made with flour, sugar, and butter or lard) is like the best sweet piecrust. Both hold fillings of sweetened ricotta and cooked semolina flavored with vanilla, "millefiori" flavour and mixed candied fruits. I propose you the Sfogliatella frolla, much easier to make at home....but terrific as well as the Riccia! The filling is, anyway, always the same.

Makes about 20 Sfogliatelle

Ingredients for the pastry crust:
500gr Pastry flour
180gr sugar
200gr Lard or butter (traditionally lard!)
75gr Cold water
1 egg
1 pinch of salt
1/3 teaspoon of baking soda
10gr honey
The grated peel of 1 organic lemon

Ingredients for the filling:
200gr semolina
1/2 liter of boiling water
1 pinch of salt
2 eggs
400gr fresh Ricotta cheese
200gr powdered sugar
150gr mixed candied fruits
2 tbs Millefiori or Rose water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pinch of cinnamon
The grated peel of 1 organic orange

Pastry glazing:
1 beated egg
1 tbs milk

Intructions for the pastry:

Mix all the ingredients  in a food mixer, make a ball out of it, place it in the refrigerator overnight or minimum 1 hour.

Instructions for the filling:
Cook the semolina in the salted boiling water, with a wooden spoon mix constantly to avoid lumps, mix till well cooked. make it cool.

Once the semolina has cooled, mix it with the ricotta, the sugar, and the other ingredients. Taste the mixure and add more sugar or more flavours if necessary (depends on your taste) you can even add some rum if you like it! Place the mixture in the refrigerator till you need it.

Making the sfogliatelle:

Preheat the oven on 185°C. Devide the pastry in 4 balls, roll out the first ball on a floured worktop using a pastry rolling pin till you get a 1cm high circle of pastry.

With a cup or a glass cut out some pastry discs.

Roll them out a bit more and place a tbs of mixture in the middle of each disc.

Close them up like a "Raviolo". Make sure that the borders are well sealed.

Cut the borders with a pastry rolling cutter. Repeat the procedure till pastry balls are over.

 Glaze each sfogliatella with the egg/milk mixture. Place them in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes (depending on your oven).

After 20 minutes your Sfoglaitelle must nicely turn golden brown, see picture above ;)

The sfogliatelle are now ready, take out from the oven and let them cool completely.

Serve poweder with sugar...they are so delicious!!!!!!! Buon Appetito!