3 pound bag of fresh pizza dough(makes 12-15 panzerotti)
2-3 ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, cut in pieces
8 ounces sopressata salami, sliced thin
ricotta forte** (optional, but great to use)
salt and pepper to taste Our cousins,
olive oil or canola oil for frying
Cut pizza dough into 12-15 pieces, form into balls and place on floured pan, dust with additional flour and cover with clean towel or plastic and allow to double in size.
Flatten dough balls with your fingers and, if using ricotta forte, spread a little in the center being careful not to go to the edge. Place cheese, tomato and salami in the middle, fold over and seal the edges, making sure to seal completely. In saute pan, fill with about 2″ of your preferred oil and heat over medium high heat. To test when the oil is ready place a small piece of bread in and if the oil starts to bubble right away, it’s ready. Place stuffed dough pieces into the pan and fry on all sides until golden. Drain on paper towels, salt and pepper while hot, and serve warm.
** this is ricotta cheese that has been aged and has a very robust flavor. It is a specialty cheese from the southern region of Italy and not always available.
