Fiadoni Abruzzesi — Savoury Cheese Pastries

Ingredients

• For the pastry
• 500 g plain flour
• 150 g lard, or olive oil for a lighter version
• 2 eggs
• 100 ml dry white wine, a small glass
• 1 tsp fine salt
• For the filling
• 500 g Pecorino Romano or aged Pecorino, finely grated
• 5 eggs, whole
• 2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground, abundant
• 100 g fresh ricotta, optional, to lighten the filling
• For finishing
• 1 egg, beaten, for egg wash

Method

1. 1
   Combine the flour and salt on a work surface and make a well. Add the lard, eggs, and white wine. Work the mixture by hand, incorporating the flour progressively from the edges of the well. Knead until the dough is smooth, firm, and no longer sticky — it should resist the thumb without springing back sharply.
2. 2
   Form the dough into a ball, wrap it, and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. At the end of the rest, the dough will have relaxed and will roll without tearing.
3. 3
   Combine the grated Pecorino and eggs — and ricotta if using — in a bowl. Season with abundant black pepper. Mix until the filling is cohesive and holds its shape when pressed together. This is the step on which the fiadoni live or die: the ratio of Pecorino to egg must be roughly equal by weight; excess egg produces a loose, quiche-like custard that will saturate the pastry base; excess cheese produces a dry, crumbling fill. The correct mixture is dense, pungent, and just barely bound.
4. 4
   Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Roll the rested pastry on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of approximately 3 mm. Cut rounds large enough to encase a ball of filling — or press the pastry into small individual moulds. Portion the filling into balls of roughly equal size and set one at the centre of each pastry round.
5. 5
   Bring the edges of the pastry up and over the filling to form a dome. Crimp firmly at the seam to seal — no gap or thin point should remain through which the filling can escape during baking. The finished dome should sit upright without slumping.
6. 6
   Brush the surface of each fiadone thoroughly with beaten egg wash. Place on a lined baking tray and bake at 180 °C for 25–30 minutes. The fiadoni are done when the pastry is fully set, uniformly golden across the dome, and pulls cleanly away from the tray. A pale or matte surface indicates under-baking; the pastry centre will be raw.
7. 7
   Remove from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack. Fiadoni are served at room temperature, never hot. Once fully cool, the filling will have set firm; the flavours will be more integrated. They keep for 3–4 days refrigerated and improve after a day of rest.