What is Pardule?
Pardule or Pardulas Ricotta is light and airy little cheesecakes that are made during the Easter in Sardinia. These are delectable and delicate little pies stuffed with cheese or cottage cheese, seasoned with orange and lemon giving a savoury taste. Pardulas are traditional Sardinian sweet and are known as Casadinas Sardinia Nuoro and Sassari.
In Nuoro, Pardulas are derived from the Sardinian word “Casu” meaning cheese, while in Sassari they are prepared in a very different manner. The dough is made by adding raisins and is larger in size and flat in shape instead of round. They were made for the Easter holiday and now found in all seasons.
Pardulas have a very complex procedure but the taste of Ricotta cheese and the flavor of saffron and lemon make it different from any other Sardinian sweets.
Making Procedure
As stated, the making process is difficult but not impossible. For novice, the preparation may look quite overwhelming, but practice makes everything perfect. The ingredients required to make them are fine semolina flour, eggs, lard, and ricotta cheese, orange/lemon rind, salt and pinch of saffron.
First, the dough is made by mixing flour, eggs, salt and water. When it gets a soft structure add lard to it and knead it well. You will get a soft, smooth and compact form of the dough and shape it into a ball. Cover it with a cloth or a plastic wrap and let it settle for at least 30 minutes.
While the dough rests, start your filling with ricotta cheese. Put the cheese in a bowl and add sugar, egg yolks, saffron and orange peel and blend well with a wooden spoon. When the dough gets ready, roll out into a thin sheet and cut in circular shapes about 8cm in diameter.
Fill your discs with the filling and pinch the outer edges to give it a shape of the basket. This is the toughest part and may require a lot of practice to get the correct appearance. Put your Pardulas in a baking pan and bake them in a moderate heat at a temperature of 180°C for 20 minutes until the fillings turn firm and honey-colored.
Garnish them with powdered sugar or honey on top and serve them hot to eat. Your Pardulas are ready to eat!
Nutritional facts
Pardulas are conventional Sardinian sweets and is not considered as a nutritional diet. Each serving contains 65g Fats and Carbohydrates and 13g Protein. There is no presence of Vitamin, Calcium or Iron and zero amount of Cholesterol.
