Casadinas
Description
Casadinas are delicious, easy to prepare cakes that are made during the Easter period in Sardinia.
Casadinas differ from pardulas in that their filling is made of hard cheese rather than ricotta, which is used to fill pardulas. There are
Ingredients
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For the dough
- Semolina 200 g
- 00 Flour 200 g
- Arborea butter 40 g
- Egg whites 4
- Salt 1 pizzico
For the filling
- Pecorino 400 g
- Egg yolks 2
- Granulated sugar 100 g
- Lemon zest 400 g
- Saffron 5 g
- Salt 10 g
Instructions
- 1 To prepare casadinas, start by taking a large bowl and mixing the flour, semolina flour, salt, butter and egg whites until you obtain a smooth and stretchy dough.
- 2 Wrap the dough in film and put it in the fridge to rest for at least 30 minutes.
- 3 While you wait, take another bowl and mix the grated cheese, egg yolks, sugar and finally the saffron and orange zest.
- 4 Next take the dough and roll it out with a rolling pin on a work surface until you obtain a thin dough; from this, cut several discs using a food ring mould.
- 5 Place a spoonful of cheese filling in the middle of every disc, then wrap it in the dough by pinching the edges and pressing slightly to form a basket.
- 6 Place the casadinas on a tray lined with baking paper and cook in the pre-heated oven at 180° for 30 minutes.
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Did You Know?
Casadinas, also known as formagelle, are sweet little baskets made of semolina pastry filled with cheese, eggs, and sugar.
Traditionally prepared during the Easter celebrations together with
pardulas
and
pirichittus
, casadinas are excellent for breakfast, at the end of a meal or served as an alternative to classic biscuits, with a steaming cup of tea as a snack.
Like all traditional Sardinian desserts, casadinas are simple to make yet uniquely delicious. The recipe requires only a few ingredients and a few easy steps to create this unmistakably flavorful treat
There are many variations of the original recipe depending on the region of Sardinia where they are made. Some people, for instance, prepare the dough using only re-milled semolina flour and replace half the butter with lard. Others, for the filling, substitute grated cheese with ricotta, flavored with orange zest and enriched with raisins.
Whatever version you choose to make, remember that to achieve excellent results, the dough should have the right texture—smooth and elastic. If it feels too soft and sticky, add a couple of tablespoons of flour; if it seems too firm, add a little warm water.
If you want your casadinas to be slightly puffier, you can add a packet of baking powder. In this case, let the dough rest for about 30 minutes, then roll it out on a work surface and cut out discs to be filled.
After baking, remove your casadinas from the oven and let them cool slightly. Brush the tops with honey and sprinkle with colored sugar flakes—or simply dust them with powdered sugar—before serving.
Arborea menus
With our menus, we bring Sardinia to the table, dish by dish.
Come and discover the most traditional recipes of our homeland, Sardinia. We’ve prepared some simple menus for every day and some more elaborate ones for special occasions.
