Until now, I’ve solely visited Sardinia’s coast. They have been journeys lengthy sufficient for my accomplice’s band to play one, perhaps two concert events in a venue on a seashore, to wander a bit, swim and to be given inland suggestions, earlier than catching the night time ferry again to the mainland. We’d additionally be certain to eat seadas, which don’t have anything in any respect to do with the ocean and are pronounced say-ah-das.
The identify seada or sebada (plural seadas or sebadas) is assumed to originate from the Sardinian sebu/seu, which signifies animal fats – the lard used within the pasta, on this case. A pastoral dish for a pastoral island, seadas’ conventional filling is casu furriau, or contemporary pecorino that hasn’t been aged. It’s conventional, too, that the younger, candy, milky cheese is wrapped in material and not noted for 2 days, so it turns gently acidic. The pecorino is then minimize into items and melted in a terracotta dish, together with water, citrus zest and flour, till creamy and pliable sufficient to be formed, with moist palms, into sink-plug discs of filling which are then enclosed in pasta and deep-fried.
Not with the ability to discover the best cheese right here in Rome, and, I believe, extra extensively, both, I’ve tailored the recipe to make use of grated pecorino romano (older, extra piquant and virtually definitely made in Sardinia, as a result of 98% of the 34,000 or so tonnes of pecorino romano produced yearly is), pinched along with citrus zest and water to make a mushy paste. This substitution modifications the seadas, nevertheless, making them extra fried pastries with a sizzling coronary heart of melted pecorino and coated in honey, however they’re nonetheless elegant.
Method making seadas as you’ll contemporary pasta. Or, higher nonetheless, ravioli, as a result of the shape is sort of equivalent, simply greater. As with pasta making, a playful method – you’re making a nice-feeling dough, then rolling and slicing it, earlier than sealing parcels – can also be useful.
Historically, the honey used is meli amaricosu (miele amaro in Italian), or bitter honey, the character of which is attributed to the bees’ food regimen of corbezzolo (strawberry plant) and assenzio (absinthe), each of which abound in central Sardinia. John Tyndale captures the bitter high quality in his 1849 ebook about Sardinian customs, suggesting it’s “just like that of orange in marmalade, giving a wonderful countenancing flavour to the luscious sweetness of the honey”. I can’t discover meli amaricosu domestically, so have substituted that with chestnut honey, which has a equally frank bitterness alongside the sweetness. I think about Scottish heather honey would additionally work properly – or just use no matter you will have. Simply just be sure you spoon it over whereas the pastry is blistering sizzling, then eat instantly.
Seadas – Sardinian pasta fritters with pecorino and honey
Makes 12–15
200g semolina flour
25g lard, or olive oil
150g pecorino fresco, pecorino romano or sardo, grated on the star aspect of a grater
Zest of 1 orange
Zest of 1 lemon
Olive oil, or peanut or sunflower oil, for frying
Chestnut honey, or no matter type you need to hand, for drizzling
Make the dough by mixing the flour, lard and 90ml water so they arrive collectively right into a agency dough. Wrap and relaxation within the fridge for 2 hours.
In a bowl, combine (or, fairly, squish) togetherthe grated pecorino, each citrus zests and two tablespoons of water. If you want, you are able to do this in a bain-marie so it softens, fairly than melts, right into a form of putty.
Use a pasta curler or rolling pin to increase the dough till it’s about 2mm in thickness, then use a cutter to make about 30 discs of about 9cm width. Put a spoonful of cheese within the centre of half the circles, then cowl with one of many different discs and press closed, utilizing a fork to seal the perimeters.
To prepare dinner the seadas, I discover a small, deep frying pan works greatest. Warmth about 5cm oil till it’s sizzling sufficient to make a dice of bread fry in a vigorous means, then prepare dinner the seadas in batches, turning gently, till golden on each side. Use a slotted spoon to raise out on to a plate lined with kitchen towel, to blot, then transfer to a serving plate. Drizzle with the honey and serve instantly.
