Rustici leccesi

One of the more memorable culinary discoveries I made during my trip to Puglia last spring was a delightful snack of puff pastry rounds filled with a creamy and savory filling called rustici leccesi. A foodie friend who lived in Lecce brought me to the Caffè Alvino on piazza Sant’Onorio, the main square in town, where I enjoyed a gorgeous rustico with a creamy ham and cheese filling.

Despite their name, rustici leccesi are scarcely rustic, with their delicate but crispy puff pastry shells and béchamel enriched fillings. If anything, I’d call them an upscale version of Naples’ calzoncini. There are countless varieties of rustici leccesi, but the classic version, which I’m featuring in this post, has a filling of with mozzarella and tomato.

The good news is that you don’t need to travel to Lecce to enjoy rustici leccesi. They are reasonably easy to make at home if you’re using store-bought puff pastry. Just layer rounds of the pastry with the filling of your choice, then top with another round and bake until golden brown on top.

Rustici leccesi are most often enjoyed as a savory snack, just as I did at Caffè Alvino, but they would also make a fine and rather elegant antipasto for a fancy meal.

Ingredients

Makes 6 rustici leccesi

• 2-3 sheets of puff pastry, depending on size
• 2 eggs, beaten in a small bowl

For the filling:

• 100g (3-1/2 oz) mozzarella, cut into small cubes
• 1 batch of béchamel sauce, made with 3 Tbs flour and 250ml (1 cup) of milk
• 250 ml/1 cup thick passata di pomodoro, mixed with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt

Directions

Start by making a very thick béchamel following this recipe. Transfer the béchamel to a small bowl and let it cool completely. It should be very firm, more of a paste than a sauce, which is what you want.

Mix the passata with the olive oil and salt in another small bowl. If the passata is loose, reduce it by simmering it gently for a few minutes. It should coat a spoon thickly.

Beat the eggs in a third small bowl.

Lay the sheets of the puff pastry out on a cutting board. Using a pastry ring, cut out six rounds (or 12, if you want a double base).

Then cut out six rounds using a slighty smaller wide pastry ring from the third sheet. (See Notes below for recommended sizes.)

Lay out six of the larger rounds on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush them with beaten egg. If you like, then lay over another six of the larger rounds on top of them. Brush that second layer too with beaten egg.

In the middle of each round, place a spoonful of béchamel, then top it with a couple dice of mozzarella and a teaspoonful or two of the passata mixture. Make sure to leave a nice border around the edges free of any filling.

Now top each with the six smaller rounds of puff pastry. Press down lightly around the little mound in the center where your filling is, so the top adheres to the base, taking care not to press the edges of the larger rounds. Brush the tops, too, with beaten egg.

Now it’s into a hot (200C/400F) oven for about 15-20 minutes, until the rounds have puffed up nicely and turn golden brown.

Serve at room temperature or just slightly warm.

Notes

Rustici leccesi are rather easy to make, as I said at the top, but there are a few pitfalls to look out for.

First off, whenever you’re working with puff pastry, make sure it’s well chilled. Keep it in the fridge until just before you’re ready to use it. Especially in a warm environment, it can quickly become difficult to handle. If it does, then put it back in the fridge for 15 minutes or so, then proceed.

And by the way, it’s hard to give precise amounts for the puff pastry since the amount will vary according to the size of the sheets, which vary from brand to brand, as well as the size of your rustici. And whether you want a double layer of pastry as your base. But typically 2 or 3 store bought sheets should do.

Working with the filling

Second, you need to avoid the filling oozing out during baking. Not the end of the world, of course, but your rustici leccesi will be prettier if you can avoid it. To this end, don’t overdo the filling. Use just enough so that the tops layer can cover it with room to spare. When in doubt, use less.

Speaking of which, I found it was useful to make sure the top layer of puff pastry is quite thin, so it drapes over the filling. That meant rolling the pastry out thinner than it came in the package, then trimming it down to size. This isn’t necessary for the bottom, which should actually be rather thick, if not a double layer as indicated at least a thick single layer.

Also make sure none of your filling ingredients are runny. If you are using wet mozzarella—the kind sold in its own whey—drain it thoroughly. Or just use the “dry” kind that comes wrapped in plastic film. Dry mozzarella is not very nice for eating but it works better for this purpose. The passata, too, should be thick and not runny at all. If you have any doubts, simmer it for a few minutes to thicken it up.

Also, be generous with the egg wash, both to coat the bottom and the top. Besides providing a lovely golden sheen, it acts as a kind of glue so the top adheres properly to the bottom.

Finally, gingerly press the top layer of pastry around the filling so it adheres to the base of your rustici leccesi. A light touch will do. If you have a right sized small glass or espresso cup, you could use that as well. And as indicated in the recipe, avoid pressing down on the edge, as they need to puff up around the filling as pictured to give the rustici their typical appearance.

Sizes

Rustici leccesi can be different sizes, but typically you make them with rings either 12 and 10 cm (4-1/2 and 4 inches), respectively, 10 and 8 cm (4 and 3-1/2 inches) or even 9 and 7.5cm (3-1/2 and 3 inches). A single large one can serves as a snack or even a light meal, while the smaller ones make nice “finger food”.

The top round is usually cut slightly smaller, just large enough to cover the filling, so the bottom will puff up around it in the oven. Curiously, a number of English language recipes I’ve seen get this backwards. No matter, just ignore that advice. The smaller rounds go on top. You heard it here first!

That said, if you want to make your life a bit easier, you can use the same size for both tops and bottoms. This won’t tend to produce that characteristic ring around the edge, but the taste will still be lovely.

Variations

Not all recipes for rustici leccesi call for a double base layer of puff pastry. As mentioned above, the need for a double layers depends largely on how thick the pastry is to begin with. The bottom layer should be solid, whether you use two or a single layer. In my own recipe testing, I was working with a fairly thick layer of puff pastry, so I found that a rather single thick layer worked out fine.

Some recipe for rustici leccesi call for bits of canned or fresh tomatoes, well drained of their liquid instead of the passata. If using peeled or fresh tomatoes, do make sure to drain them well. You can also improvise passata by milling or processing canned tomatoes, drained of their juices. These will likely need a short simmer to reduce it down. You could even use some leftover tomato sauce if you happen to have some lying around.

Although as mentioned at the top, the classic rustici leccesi have a mozzarella and tomato filling, there are almost endless variations on the fillings you can use. I’ve seen recipes for rustici leccesi with all sorts of vegetable, meat and even fish fillings, although almost all start with a layer of thick béchamel on top of which the other ingredients are placed.

The rustico leccese I enjoyed at the Caffè Alvino, with its rich and creamy ham and cheese filling, was delicious. You could also add a bit of ham to the classic mozzarella and tomato filling in the recipe above. Another nice filling is made with ricotta and spinach, the same one often used to make ravioli. And for the kids, there is also one made with béchamel and sliced würstel. (That’s what Italians call hot dogs.) The sky’s the limit, really, if you want to experiment.

About Lecce, the “Florence of the South”

Even if I said at the top that you don’t need to travel to Lecce to enjoy rustici leccesi, I’d highly recommend that you do so if you get the chance.

And not just for a snack. It’s an absolute gem of a town. Often dubbed the “Florence of the South”, Lecce has some of the most beautiful architecture in Italy.

Lecce has been inhabited since ancient times—it was settled by Greeks around the time of the Trojan War—but the Baroque city you see today was largely built during the Spansih rule in the 17th century. Most buildings in the historical center are constructed with pietra leccese or “Lecce stone”, a kind of soft limestone that lends itself to carving. It also has a lovely beige color that give the city an incredible warm glow, especially around dusk.

That soft stone made the extravagantly intricate facades and interiors of Lecce’s buildings possible. This local architectural style called barroco leccese or Lecce Baroque, was strongly influenced by the over the top plataresco style in Spain. And indeed walking around the city at times you could almost imagine yourself in Spain rather than Italy.

The Lecce food scene

Besides its gorgeous architecture, Lecce has a wonderful food scene. Yes, it has its fair share of tourist traps, but if you know where to look, you can eat superbly. I was lucky to have my local foodie friend to guide me. Among other delicacies, I had the best ciceri e tria in my life while I was in Lecce and—surprisingly since it’s not a local specialty—one of the best sfogliatelle I’ve ever tried. The local sweet pastry called pasticiotto is definitely worth a try, as is the local sandwich called puccia. Another must try is the local coffee drink, caffè leccese, iced espresso with almond milk, which I’ll need to blog on one of these days.

And Lecce’s location, right in the middle of the heel of Italy’s boot, an area called the Salento, makes it an ideal base to explore nearby pictureque towns and sandy beaches.

Print Recipe

Rustici leccesi

Savory pastries from Lecce

Course: Antipasto, Snack

Cuisine: Puglia

Keyword: baked, easy

Ingredients

• 2-3 sheets puff pastry depending on size
• 2 eggs beaten in a small bowl

For the filling:

• 100 g (3-1/2 oz) mozzarella cut into small cubes
• 1 batch of béchamel sauce made with 3 Tbs flour and 250ml (1 cup) of milk
• 250 ml (1 cup) thick passata di pomodoro mixed with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt

Instructions

• Start by making a very thick béchamel following this recipe. Transfer the béchamel to a small bowl and let it cool completely. It should be very firm, more of a paste than a sauce, which is what you want.
• Mix the passata with the olive oil and salt in another small bowl. If the passata is loose, reduce it by simmering it gently for a few minutes. It should coat a spoon thickly.
• Beat the eggs in a third small bowl.
• Lay the sheets of the puff pastry out on a cutting board. Using a pastry ring, cut out six rounds (or 12, if you want a double base).
• Then cut out six rounds using a slighty smaller wide pastry ring from the third sheet. (See Notes below for recommended sizes.)
• Lay out six of the larger rounds on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush them with beaten egg. If you like, then lay over another six of the larger rounds on top of them. Brush that second layer too with beaten egg.
• In the middle of each round, place a spoonful of béchamel, then top it with a couple dice of mozzarella and a teaspoonful or two of the passata mixture. Make sure to leave a nice border around the edges free of any filling.
• Now top each with the six smaller rounds of puff pastry. Press down lightly around the little mound in the center where your filling is, so the top adheres to the base, taking care not to press the edges of the larger rounds. Brush the tops, too, with beaten egg.
• Now it’s into a hot (200C/400F) oven for about 15-20 minutes, until the rounds have puffed up nicely and turn golden brown.
• Serve at room temperature or just slightly warm.

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