Hand-Stretched Neapolitan Shell Pastries Filled with Ricotta and Orange

What you need

• 300 g (2 1/2 cups) bread flour
• 15 g (2 tsp) honey
• 1 tsp fine salt, for the dough
• 130 ml (1/2 cup) water, for the dough
• 120 g (4 oz) lard, very soft
• 300 ml (1 1/4 cups) water, for the filling
• 90 g (1/2 cup) fine semolina
• 250 g (9 oz) ricotta, drained
• 130 g (2/3 cup) caster sugar
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 50 g (2 oz) candied orange peel, finely diced
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 pinch fine salt, for the filling
• icing sugar, for dusting

Method

Restated from the original video

1. 1

   Knead the flour, honey, salt and 130 ml of water for 8-10 min, until the dough is smooth and elastic. Wrap and rest for 1 hour.

2. 2

   Roll the dough out as thin as you can, then fold it into quarters.

3. 3

   Dust a clean cloth with flour over a large table and unfold the dough on it. With floured hands palms up, lift, pull and stretch the dough from the center outward until it is paper-thin and almost see-through.

4. 4

   Smear half of it with lard, fold the bare half over the top, then smear that surface too.

5. 5

   Roll the dough up from a short edge into a firm, tight cylinder, lifting the cloth to guide it. Wrap and chill for at least 2 hours, until firm.

6. 6

   For the filling, bring the 300 ml of water and a pinch of salt to a boil, then pour in the semolina in a thin stream, whisking, and cook until thick, 4-5 min.

7. 7

   Cool the semolina completely, then stir in the ricotta, sugar, egg, orange peel and cinnamon. Chill until needed.

8. 8

   Heat the oven to 180 °C (350 °F) and line two trays with baking paper.

9. 9

   Cut the cylinder into rounds 1 cm (1/2 in) thick, keeping the rest cold.

10. 10

    Push a thumb into the middle of a round and work around the sides, pressing gently with thumb and forefinger, until it opens into a thin funnel.

11. 11

    Spoon in about 40 g of filling, leaving a gap at the rim, then pinch the edges together. Place on the tray.

12. 12

    Bake for 25-30 min, until golden and crisp, swapping the trays halfway.

13. 13

    Dust with icing sugar and serve warm.

Imported from gourmettraveller.com.au. Recipe Grab pulled out what you need to cook it; the video stays where its author put it.