Cassatedde - Italian Sicilian pastries

Ingredients:

For the test:

• Flour – 2.5 cups
• Egg – 1 piece + 1 egg yolk
• Butter (melted) - 1/2 cup
• Marsala wine (any dessert wine) - 1/2 cup

For the cheese filling:

• Ricotta cheese (drain the liquid) – 700 grams
• Sugar - 1/2 cup
• Chocolate (crushed) – 85 grams
• Lemon or orange zest - 1 teaspoon

For the chocolate filling:

• Chickpeas – 450 grams
• Chocolate (crumbly) – 85 grams
• Walnuts – 1/2 cup
• Honey - 1/4 cup
• Ground cinnamon – half a teaspoon
• Vegetable oil for frying
• Powdered sugar for dusting

Preparation:

1. To prepare the dough, combine the flour, melted butter, whole egg, and egg yolk in a food processor and pulse until the dough resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Gradually pour in the Marsala wine, continuing to pulse. The dough should be firm but not too dry. Cover with a towel and refrigerate for half an hour, or preferably overnight.
2. To prepare the ricotta filling, mix all ingredients and set aside.
3. For the chickpea filling, pre-boil the chickpeas. If they're unpeeled, peel them. Melt the chocolate in the microwave or a double boiler. Blend all the filling ingredients in a blender until smooth. Set aside.
4. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a thickness of 3 mm. Using a round cookie cutter (you can use a regular jar) with a diameter of up to 10 cm, cut out 24 pieces for Cassatede.
5. Using a tablespoon, place the filling in the center of each circle, fold in half, and seal the edges.
6. Pour frying oil into a large cauldron or deep fryer to a depth of 5 cm and heat to 180 C. Fry the patties on each side for about 2–3 minutes until golden brown.
7. Remove the finished Cassatede, let the oil drain, sprinkle with powdered sugar.
   
   Serve the pies warm or at room temperature.