Make Ahead

Sardinian saffron and ricotta tarts (pardulas)

by:
April  7, 2017
1
1 Ratings
Sardinian saffron and ricotta tarts (pardulas)
Photo by Emiko
  • Makes 20-24 tarts
Author Notes

Hand built pastry cases with a filling of saffron-spiked ricotta, they're the kind of thing you might find offered on a huge plate to house guests, as a sign of hospitality in Sardinia's south – and for this reason, they are often made in huge quantities, enough to feed all the friends and relatives that you may know that could possibly pop round to the house the week of Easter.

You could use your favourite pastry recipe for these, but the traditional pastry couldn't be simpler – flour, a touch of lard (or olive oil, but lard gives it a distinct crunch) and a splash of warm water to bring it together, much like [this one](https://food52.com/recipes...). It's rolled very thin, then circles the size of little espresso saucers are cut out. The filling is spooned into the middle of each pastry round then the edges are pinched together in five or six places to create little cases, almost like stars, that are then baked. Some like to sprinkle the tops with cinnamon, others pour over warm honey (my preference, too) or finish with a simple dusting of powdered sugar. —Emiko

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • For the pastry:
  • 2 cups (250 grams) all purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon (100 ml) warm water, or as needed
  • 3 tablespoons (50 grams) lard (or butter or olive oil), room temperature
  • For the filling:
  • 1 pinch of saffron threads
  • 14 ounces (400 grams) fresh ricotta, well drained
  • 1/4 cup (50 grams) sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • zest of 1 lemon or orange
  • 1 pinch salt
  • cinnamon, powdered sugar or warmed honey, optional, for serving
Directions
  1. Steep the saffron threads in a 1-2 tablespoons of hot water. Leave for about 20 minutes to extract the colour.
  2. For the pastry, combine the flour, lard (or olive oil or butter) and water and mix together to form a rather smooth, soft dough. If it's sticky, add some more flour, if you find it crumbly, add a teaspoon of water at a time until it comes together. Knead by hand for 3-5 minutes then wrap in plastic wrap, or leave under a lightly damp tea towel to rest for 30 minutes.
  3. For the filling, whisk together all the ingredients, except for the optional cinnamon or honey toppings, in a medium bowl until combined. Add the saffron "tea" and mix to combine. Set aside in the fridge while you prepare the pastry.
  4. Roll out the dough on a floured surface until very thin, about 1mm. If you have a small counter space, you may like to work on just half the dough at a time. Cut out rounds with a cookie cutter or similar such as a wide glass, approximately 3-4 inches (8-10 cm) in diameter.
  5. Place a golf-ball sized portion of the ricotta filling on a pastry round, so there is a 1/2 inch border of pastry all around, then pinch the border in even spaces about 5-6 times all around so that you have a little star-pointed case holding the filling. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and continue until you fill the tray.
  6. Bake at 350F (180C) for 30 minutes or until the pastry is lightly golden and the filling slightly puffed. Serve warm or cold, drizzled with warmed honey or sprinkled with cinnamon or powdered sugar.
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2 Reviews

Kate
Kate April 21, 2019
While the flavor of the filling was ok, the crust was terrible! It was incredibly dry and hard to shape the the star points. Once cooked, the crust remained overly crunchy. Having made these before following other recipes (and being from Sardegna), I know how they should turn out. The recipes that I've followed with success include a mix of type 00 flour and semola rimacinata, along with olive oil (or lard) and water.
 
Emiko
Emiko April 22, 2019
Hi Kate, thanks for the feedback. This recipe, too, is a traditional one from Sardinia of just flour (00 is what I use too but I know not everyone has access to it), warm water and lard (although you can also use olive oil to replace, or even butter). So the only difference between the ingredients you've mentioned is the addition of a mixture with semola rimacinata. I am based in Italy, if you're in another country I wonder if the difference you are finding is in the quality of the flour (and therefore the proportions for the dough -- sounds like it was perhaps too dry for it to come out hard and difficult to shape? In this case I would recommend adding some more fat, so either the olive oil or the lard, and if too crumbly add a splash of water).