Small pasties made with puff pastry dough that taste like heaven :) |
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They are to die for!
They’re nothing too elaborate but the combination of puff pastry with their simple yet tasty fillings make them the most popular traditional Maltese snack! Click here if you want to skip straight down to these easy cheesecake recipes.
Pastizzi come with a variation of two fillings.
You can have pastizzi tal-pizelli which are filled with a pea mixture or you can opt for pastizzi ta’ l-irkotta which are ricotta filled pasties. Of course you can always do what most Maltese people do and have both :)
These delicious snacks are really cheap to buy and this is why virtually no one makes them at home. The Maltese islands are littered with these tiny “hole in the wall” takeaways that sell pastizzi all day. They also usually sell other affordable snacks too so if you’re on a budget, pastizzi are great. Not too great if you’re following a strictly no fat diet though :)
Pastizzi are usually taken at breakfast or as an afternoon filler. In some villages, you can also spot small vans that go around the village selling them. You can usually see this on a Sunday if you go nearby a parish church. As soon as they finish hearing the mass, you can see the locals rushing out to get their obligatory Sunday pastizzi dose. :)
You will know that it’s a pastizzi van if you see lots of people lining up next to it. Yes, pastizzi are THAT good!
And now for the recipes …
If you want to make your own puff pastry dough, there are lots of puff pastry recipes on the Internet. For your convenience, we’ve found one that is quite easy to follow. Go to this website here for the recipe and a detailed explanation of how you make the pastry.
Although not too difficult to make, it’s very time-consuming. It’s why many choose to simply buy it, since it’s widely available at supermarkets, grocery stores, etc.
Once you have the puff pastry, it’s really quite simple to make pastizzi.
The recipes below are for smaller and easier home-made type pastizzi. The ones you buy from take-away outlets require a bit more skill to do, since the pastry has to be twisted in a certain way in order for them to have that unique shape.
The first easy cheesecake recipe is that of the ricotta pasties. The next recipe is that of the pastizzi tal-pizelli. This is also quite easy to make and equally delicious!
Easy Cheesecake Recipes ... Maltese style!
Pastizzi Recipe: Pastizzi ta’ l-Irkotta (Cheese cakes)
Ingredients
300 grams (or 10.58 oz) ricotta
2 eggs
Parsley (finely chopped)
50 grams (or 1.76 oz) grated cheese
Egg wash
750 grams (or 1 lb and 10.45 oz) puff pastry
Seasoning
Method
Mix well the ricotta, cheese, eggs, parsley and seasoning.Roll out the puff pastry thinly and cut out circles about 9 cms in diameter. Egg wash the edges. Put some of the ricotta mixture onto each of the circles on one side. Fold the pastry circle in half and seal the edges together. Egg wash and bake in a medium to hot oven for about half an hour or until the pastry is done.
Pastizzi Recipe: Pastizzi tal-Pizelli (Pea Cakes)
Ingredients
300 grams (or 10.58 oz) dried peas
100 grams (or 3.52 oz) finely chopped onions
Oil for frying
Seasoning
Bicarbonate soda
Egg wash
750 grams (or 1 lb and 10.45 oz) puff pastry
Method
Soak the peas for some 5 hours or more. Wash in plenty of salted water, adding some bicarbonate of soda to the water. Cook the peas until they’re very soft. Drain well.Fry the onions in oil. Add the peas, mix well and season to taste.
Roll out the puff pastry thinly and cut out circles about 9 cms in diameter. Egg wash the edges. Put some of the mixture onto each of the circles on one side. Fold the pastry circle in half and seal the edges together. Egg wash and bake in a medium to hot oven for about half an hour or until the pastry is done.
If you've just returned home from a fantastic vacation in Malta, then these easy cheesecake recipes will bring back lots of nice memories from the island of Malta. If you haven't visited the Maltese Islands yet, well ... what are you waiting for? :)
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