The calzone fritto napoletano, along with pizza fritta, represents one of the most beloved street foods in Naples. The calzone is an Italian gastronomic specialty where a filling of various kinds is enclosed in a wrapping of leavened dough, and then baked or fried.
Regional Variations
When fried, it takes on different names depending on the region: pizza fritta in the Neapolitan tradition, panzerotto in Puglia, pidone, calzone fritto, and diavola in Sicily, and simply calzone fritto in Salento. It originates from Neapolitan and Apulian cuisine, although the two recipes differ in the ingredients that once characterized the filling. It is also widespread in Lucanian cuisine, where a sweet variant exists.
The Essential Dough
In this recipe, the dough is the most important aspect, as it represents the wrapper of the panzerotto. The objective is to ensure that it does not break during cooking, otherwise the result will be compromised. The dough must be firm and elastic.
Ingredients for the Dough
- 250 g semola rimacinata (re-milled semolina flour)
- 250 g farina 0 (type 0 flour)
- 300 g water
- 8/10 g fresh brewer's yeast or 3 g dry yeast or 100 g sourdough
- 1 teaspoon malt or honey
- 12 g salt
- 25 g extra virgin olive oil
Preparing the Dough
- Pour the sifted flours and malt into a bowl.
- Remove a small glass of water from the total amount, set it aside, and dissolve the yeast in the remaining water at room temperature or slightly lukewarm.
- Knead a little, then add the salt and the reserved water.
- Mix, and finally add the oil, which can be replaced with lard.
- Work the dough until it becomes smooth and homogeneous. If using a stand mixer, follow the same procedure with the dough hook.
- Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let it double in size at room temperature or in the oven with the light on (about a couple of hours).
Alternatively, the dough can be prepared in the evening and refrigerated after 15 minutes, ensuring the refrigerator is very cold. To have it ready for lunch, remove the dough from the refrigerator in the morning, finish the leavening if it has not already occurred, then form the balls and let them rise again. For the evening, check that the dough does not exceed two and a half times its volume inside the refrigerator, take it out late in the morning or immediately after lunch, and continue working. The dough balls can also be refrigerated once formed.
Choosing the Filling
As seen in the ingredients, the filling for fried calzoni is at your discretion. You can fill them according to your preferences and intolerances. Among the most common ingredients are various types of cured meats, ricotta, and tomato.
Leggi anche: Deliziosi Arancini Siciliani
Filling Ingredients
- q.b. tomato sauce, raw, seasoned with oil and salt
- q.b. fiordilatte (fresh cow's milk cheese)
- q.b. smoked scamorza
- q.b. ricotta
- q.b. cooked ham
- q.b. pancetta
- q.b. desalted anchovies
If using mozzarella for the filling, not all types are suitable. Fiordilatte, for example, contains too much milk and is too watery. Use mozzarella varieties (nodini, trecce, etc.) that have been drained of their preserving liquid in advance.
Step-by-Step Assembly
- Sprinkle the work surface with semolina and turn out the dough.
- Deflate it and cut pieces of about 80/100 g.
- Shape into balls, closing the dough on itself and rotating it under the palm of your hand.
- Place the pieces on a tray sprinkled with re-milled semolina.
- Cover with plastic wrap and wait for them to double in size, about an hour.
- With the help of semolina, roll out into an oval shape.
- Fill with your preferred ingredients. For example, a tablespoon of tomato sauce, 30 g of fior di latte, a piece of ricotta, and a little grated cheese. Or ricotta, provola, and cooked ham.
- Close the dough over itself and seal the edges, being careful not to leave too much air inside.
Frying to Perfection
Fry in peanut oil at 175°/180° for a few minutes per side. After about fifteen seconds from immersion, immediately turn it over to the other side. With a spoon, pour hot oil on the exposed part. Place them to drain on absorbent paper and eat them immediately. Some can be stored for the next day; they are also delicious cold or reheated.
Frying Tips
- Use peanut oil, as it withstands high temperatures best.
- Fry at a temperature of about 180°C (not lower than 160°C and not higher than 180°C).
- After filling the calzone, close it well, pressing the edges firmly.
The Neapolitan "Must" and Street Food Culture
The calzone fritto napoletano is a must among Neapolitan street foods, along with montanare, panzarotti, taralli sugna e pepe, and frittatine di pasta. The calzone is a filled fried pizza, with a classic half-moon shape. The dough is that of pizza, but my dad's recipe, Peppino, includes the addition of pepper. Those prepared by my dad (and also me) have a filling of tomato, mozzarella, ricotta and pepper.
Calzone Fritto Napoletano: Recipe Dough
Here is a summary of the recipe for making the typical Neapolitan fried calzone. This is a long leavening recipe, therefore suitable for a rest time of at least 8 hours. The times are variable depending on the ambient temperature, so, if you want to know more about how to adjust with the times and the most appropriate time to form the loaves, I advise you to read the article in which I deepen the discussion of the episode, cutting and preparation).
With these quantities you can form 12 loaves (weighing 55 g each) of practical sizes for cooking in household pots!
Leggi anche: Informazioni utili su Zirtec
- 425 g of medium strength flour (W 260-280)
- 250 g of water
- ½ gram of fresh brewer's yeast
- 13 g of salt
The recipe I have proposed will allow you to make 12 Neapolitan calzones, suitable for frying in a saucepan with a diameter of 19-20 cm. With a similar saucepan, 1 liter of oil will be enough (preferably peanut).
Why make calzones smaller than "normal"?
In reality, the dimensions of the original Neapolitan fried calzone can even exceed 30 cm in length, because practically every pizza loaf produces a calzone. The reason why I advise you to make them smaller is clearly linked to the size of the pots that we all usually have in the kitchen.
To fry a "stuffed fried pizza" you would need a nice deep pot, at least as big as the calzone, and obviously several liters of oil to fill it… and it is not a very convenient solution in a home kitchen. The most practical solution is therefore to make calzones smaller than those typically sold in Neapolitan pizzerias.
Calzone Fritto Napoletano: The filling
The filling of the typical Neapolitan fried calzone (but also of the baked one, of course), is composed of 5 ingredients:
Leggi anche: Un Classico: Fagioli con Salsiccia
- Buffalo ricotta
- Provola (possibly made with mixed cow's and buffalo's milk)
- Peeled tomatoes
- Pork cracklings
- Black pepper
This is the original version, very caloric due to the pork cracklings. It is a sort of cured meat derived from the processing of pork fat, which is not very easy to find outside of Naples, but which can still be purchased online.
However, nothing prevents you from filling your Neapolitan fried calzone as you prefer! In the video you will have in fact observed that I, for example, have replaced the cracklings with good cooked ham, and I have omitted the tomato. It's a matter of taste and in the kitchen there is no limit to the imagination
But here are the quantities that I used to fill my 12 Neapolitan fried calzones:
- 300 g of buffalo ricotta
- 250 g of provola
- 200 g of cooked ham
- pepper to taste
PS. As for the fried calzone stuffed with tomato, I have seen both peeled and passed tomatoes used (usually San Marzano) and cherry tomatoes. I usually prepare a light sauce with the peeled tomatoes, just seared on the flame with a drizzle of oil (unlike pizza, for which the peeled tomato must be used in purity). In this way I manage to have a more concentrated consistency and the tomato loses the scent of "raw".
Calzone Fritto Napoletano: 4 tips for the filling
One of the reasons why you often give up making Neapolitan fried calzone at home is certainly the risk of splashes! The nightmare of every fried calzone enthusiast is in fact that the calzone breaks during cooking, thus letting all its contents escape into the oil… with apocalyptic consequences for your kitchen! ?
How can we avoid having to bitterly regret having ventured into this enterprise?
Here are some suggestions:
- When rolling out, be careful not to thin the dough too much. You must in fact take into account that the disc of dough will thin further when you go to close the calzone, under the pressure of the filling.
- Sink the provola cubes into the ricotta: this trick prevents the corners of the cube from stressing the dough too much and causing it to break during cooking.
- Use cooked ham to coat the provola: in this way you will further protect the dough from the solid part of the filling (the provola cubes) avoiding leaks.
- Make sure that the amount of filling is well positioned in the center of the dough disc, and occupies no more than 1/3 of the surface.
Calzone Fritto Napoletano: Spreading
To obtain a good Neapolitan fried calzone and not regret for 15 days having had the unhealthy idea of trying to make it, it is essential to prevent the filling from being poured into the oil during cooking. ?
This is the first inconvenience that can result from incorrect spreading, but not the only one.
Another question, always linked to the spreading, is in fact also that of the softness of the calzone. Using a rolling pin, for example, would lose all the structure of air bubbles laboriously created during the long leavening and the result would be a biscotto calzone!
Here then are 6 steps to spread the dough so as not to excessively thin the central part and at the same time not lose the gases of leavening:
6 steps to get a good Neapolitan fried calzone:
- Form a pile of flour on the work table.
- Dip the spatula in the flour so as to prevent the blade from sticking to the loaves.
- Take a loaf and turn it over on the pile of flour
- Sprinkle a little flour also on the upper surface of the loaf, and start tapping with your fingertips in order to create a small disc of dough.
- Gently tap the edges (we don't want an external frame like that of the pizza).
- Remove the flour, take the dough disc between your hands and start stretching only the edges, rotating it in small stages.
- With a 55 g loaf, the optimal size is a disc with a diameter of about 13 cm.
Calzone Fritto Napoletano: 5 Things to Remember for an Excellent Frying
The Neapolitan fried calzone should have these 3 characteristics:
- Have a blonde color (not orange)
- Be crunchy but at the same time remain soft
- Be "dry", that is, it must not soak up oil, otherwise it will be difficult to digest and sometimes even unpleasant to taste.
In order for this to happen, and therefore to obtain an excellent frying, there are 5 things to pay attention to:
- The temperature reached by the oil and the type of oil used.
Searching a bit on the web you can see that in reality there is a bitter debate on which is the range of temperatures to take into consideration and which is the best oil for frying. Some pizza makers suggest a temperature between 190°C and 205°C, and perhaps propose sunflower oil. I do not doubt that the calzones come out very well by bringing the sunflower oil to these temperatures, however, I preferred to rely on what is reported in this article by Dario Bressanini, published by the Umberto Veronesi foundation, which suggests:
- Use peanut oil for frying (because it is the one that best resists high temperatures).
- Fry at a temperature of about 180°C (not lower than 160°C and not higher than 180°C)
Following these indications I obtained excellent results, both for the Neapolitan fried cazone and for the Neapolitan pizzelle, but also for much more. So I feel I can recommend it to you too, so you can enjoy excellent fried foods, while also protecting the health of you and your family.
- During the spreading try to get rid of the excess flour
The color of the real Neapolitan fried calzone (as well as the Neapolitan pizzelle) is golden, instead sometimes it may happen that it appears orange.
The fried calzone takes on this color when a lot of flour remains stuck to the external surface, which essentially burns in contact with the oil, dirtying it. So it also affects subsequent frying.
It is not just a matter of color, but above all of taste and edibility. Often in fact the taste of a calzone of this type will have a bitter note, and certainly eating toasted flour and oil-soaked is not the best for our stomach.
- After filling the calzone, close it well: press the edges with force and hang it from the long side
Unlike what happens when we spread the Neapolitan pizza, when making the Neapolitan fried calzone we do not want the edge to swell, but rather, we want to crush it with force so that the filling is well sealed inside. It is very important to do this operation from one side and the other, and stretch the calzone a little by hanging it from the long side, as illustrated in the video. In this way we "move" the dressing away from the edge and limit the possibility that when it swells during cooking, part of the filling may escape.
- Use a dough that has leavened/matured to the right point
But what does leavening have to do with it now if we were talking about cooking?
Well yes, as happens also for pizza, managing to guess the right leavening times is of crucial importance for the final result. Let me explain.
If the dough is not very leavened, you will get a calzone:
- gummy
- in which the golden crust tends to flake, separating from the more internal layer of pasta that seems almost not to be cooked (although in reality it is)
- difficult to digest
If the dough is so leavened that it has collapsed (in jargon "collapsed"), you will get a calzone:
- always pale, despite you having tried to make it golden by keeping it longer in the oil.
- bitter, because the yeasts have exhausted all the sugar available.
- Fry the calzone immediately after closing it
One of the most frequent and serious mistakes is to think of filling and closing all the calzones and then moving on to cooking. Absolutely avoid it!
In fact, the filling, whether it is of ricotta alone, or whether it also contains tomato, tends to quickly moisten the dough, making it very fragile. A calzone of this type will be difficult to handle and will almost certainly open during cooking!
It is clear then that a good Neapolitan fried calzone is not only made of attention in the frying phase, but has its roots much earlier, in the leavening phase.
Preserving Fried Calzones
To best preserve fried calzones and keep them fresh and tasty, it is important to follow some guidelines and precautions:
- Initial Cooling: After frying the calzones, let them cool completely at room temperature on a rack or a surface that allows air to circulate. This will prevent the heat trapped in the calzone from creating condensation, which can make it soggy.
- Proper Packaging: Wrap each calzone in absorbent paper to absorb any excess residual oil on the surface. Then, wrap them in a sheet of transparent plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Make sure they are well sealed to prevent drying and the formation of unpleasant odors in the refrigerator.
- Refrigeration: Once well wrapped, put the calzones in the refrigerator. This will slow down the growth of bacteria and prolong their freshness. Store them at a temperature between 1°C and 4°C (34°F - 39°F).
- Consumption in a Short Time: Fried calzones are best when freshly prepared, so try to consume them within 2-3 days of their preparation. The storage time may vary slightly depending on the type of filling and the ingredients used.
- Correct Heating: When you are ready to consume the stored fried calzones, avoid heating them in the microwave, as they will become soggy. It is preferable to use the traditional oven preheated to 180°C (350°F) for about 10-15 minutes or until they are heated evenly and crispy. This method will help restore their original consistency.
- Freezing (Optional): If you do not plan to consume the fried calzones within 2-3 days, you can freeze them. Wrap them carefully in plastic wrap and then put them in a freezer bag. They are best if consumed within 2-3 months.
Remember that, even if you follow these guidelines for storage, fried calzones will progressively lose their crispness and may not be exactly as freshly fried.