Ricette di Sicilia

Name: Catanese Cartocciate – Soft, Savoury Sicilian Street-Food Parcels
Prep time: 170 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 200 min
Yield: 15
Ingredients: 500 g type 0 flour; 500 g semolina flour; 700 ml lukewarm water; 100 g lard; 50 g sugar; 30 g salt; Half a sachet of dried baker’s yeast; 300 g tuma, cubed; 300 g tomato pulp; 250 g sliced cooked ham; Sicilian black olives, pitted; 1 egg; 100 ml milk

Cibo, cultura e tradizioni siciliane

Catanese cartocciate filled with tomato, ham and tuma on traditional Sicilian ceramic plate

Catanese Cartocciate – Soft, Savoury Sicilian Street-Food Parcels

Discover authentic Catanese cartocciate: soft, golden baked parcels filled with tomato, ham and tuma — a beloved classic from the foothills of Mount Etna.

Author: Nino Messina • Published on: December 30, 2021

Categories: Other recipes Street food

Tags: Catania tuma cooked ham tomatoes olives semolina flour yeast lard eggs milk

⏱️

Prep Time

2 hours and 50 minutes

🔥

Cook Time

30 minutes

👥

Serve

15 cartocciate

📊

Difficulty

Medium

💰 Medium

🗓️ All year round

⭐ 4.9/5

🛒 Ingredients

▸ For the dough

✓ 500 g type 0 flour
✓ 500 g semolina flour
✓ 700 ml lukewarm water
✓ 100 g lard
✓ 50 g sugar
✓ 30 g salt
✓ Half a sachet of dried baker’s yeast

▸ For the filling

✓ 300 g tuma, cubed
✓ 300 g tomato pulp
✓ 250 g sliced cooked ham
✓ Sicilian black olives, pitted
✓ Salt, to taste

▸ For finishing

✓ 1 egg
✓ 100 ml milk

📊 Nutritional Information

Calories

320 kcal

Protein

12 g

Fat

14 g

Carbohydrates

36 g

Fiber

2 g

Sugars

3 g

If you want to experience the comforting soul of Catania’s street-food tradition, you simply must try cartocciate. These soft, warm half-moons of risen dough are packed with tomato, ham and gentle, milky tuma — a flavour combination that has fed generations across the slopes of Mount Etna.

Walk into any tavola calda in Catania and you’ll find trays of cartocciate steaming behind the counter, their golden crust giving way to a rich, melting centre. They’re homely, satisfying and wonderfully rustic — the kind of food that feels just right at any time of day.

👨‍🍳 Preparation

1

Start with the dough: place both flours in a large bowl, add the yeast and a little of the water to help dissolve it.
2

Add the sugar, lard and salt, then gradually pour in the remaining water.
3

Knead for about 10 minutes until smooth and elastic.
4

Rest for 10 minutes, then knead again for a further 10 minutes.
5

Cover and leave to rise in a warm place for around 2 hours, or until doubled in size.
6

Divide the dough into 12–15 portions and roll each one into a disc about ½ cm thick.
7

Spoon a little tomato pulp onto each disc and sprinkle lightly with salt.
8

Add a slice of cooked ham, a few cubes of tuma and one olive.
9

Fold into a half-moon and seal the edges well to prevent leakage.
10

Arrange the cartocciate on a baking tray lined with baking paper and let rise for another 30 minutes.
11

Brush the surface with beaten egg mixed with milk.
12

Bake in a preheated oven at 190°C for 20–30 minutes, until golden.
13

Leave to cool slightly and enjoy them while still soft and fragrant.

💡 Tips and Variations

For extra flavour, add a slice of fried aubergine or a pinch of Sicilian oregano. You can swap the tuma for mozzarella or provola, but the authentic taste is unmistakably tuma.

📦 Storage

• Keep at room temperature for up to 12 hours.
• For longer storage, refrigerate for one day and warm before serving.
• You can freeze them once cooked and reheat directly in the oven at 180°C.
• Avoid sealing them in airtight containers while warm, as steam will soften the crust.

🍷 Pairing

Enjoy your cartocciate with a glass of Contea di Sclafani red novello — a young, aromatic wine that highlights the softness of the dough and the savoury filling.

You’ve just prepared one of the most cherished classics of Sicilian tavola calda! Soft, flavourful and wonderfully satisfying, these Catanese cartocciate bring a little of Mount Etna’s warmth straight into your kitchen.