Tortano Neapolitan, the rustic savory pie that everyone likes

The Neapolitan tortano is eaten in slices and is perfect for using the leftovers from the refrigerator: cheap and tasty, everyone likes it!

Tortano is a typical salted donut from Campania similar to the more famous Neapolitan casatiello . It differs from the latter because the eggs, instead of on the surface, as decoration, are inside the dough, hard-boiled and cut into small pieces. It is prepared during the Easter period and it is common to find it in the picnic basket for an Easter Monday trip outside the city.

As for the cured meats, as for the cheeses, you can use everything you have in the refrigerator: the typical salami of this dish, however, is the Neapolitan salami. However, you can use any other type of salam e, or cooked ham, bacon, sausage, raw ham, speck and so on. For cheeses sweet provola, spicy provola, fontina, provolone and many others. The important thing is that you use more cured meats and more different cheeses.

Preparation of the Neapolitan tortano recipe

1. Take the lukewarm water and crumb the yeast inside together with the sugar or honey and mix well. Leave to rest for about 10 minutes for the yeast to activate.
2. At this point, pour the flour, salt and pepper into the bowl or into the planetary mixer with a special hook.
3. Start kneading or turn on the planetary mixer and add all the water flush.
4. Continue to knead until it is a well-strung and smooth dough.
5. At this point add the pecorino, always continuing to knead and the soft lard little by little. Before adding more, make sure that the previous mixture has absorbed well.
6. Transfer the dough to the work surface. Knead it with your hands for a few minutes until it is smooth and uniform . Put it in a clean bowl, cover the bowl with a cloth and place in the oven off with only the internal light on to generate heat. Let it rise for two hours or in any case until doubled in volume.
7. Meanwhile, prepare the ingredients for the filling. Dice the salami and cheeses and set them aside.
8. Prepare the boiled eggs by putting them in a saucepan, cover them with water and place on medium heat. When the water boils, turn the heat down to a slight simmer. Let it go for ten minutes. Cool under a trickle of cold water, drain the eggs and let them cool completely.
9. Peel and cut into rather large cubes and set aside.
10. After two hours, knead the Neapolitan tortano dough for a minute in order to restore consistency.
11. Roll it out to form a rather thin rectangle about half a centimeter thick.
12. Distribute the salami, cheese and eggs evenly over the dough, as if it were a pizza. Leave a couple of centimeters free along all the edges and roll the dough from the long side of the rectangle forming a large snake.
13. Grease with lard and flour a donut mold and insert the tortano closed in a ring. Or cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and place the tortano in it, always closed in a ring. In the second case, after leavening and cooking, the hole in the center could close, but the tortano will be equally good.
14. Always let it rise in the oven with the light on for at least another hour , if you have even more time.
15. Remove from the oven, and turn it on waiting for it to reach a temperature of 160 ° C. Once the temperature has been reached, bake for an hour . Before enjoying it, let it cool completely.

If you have it, how about trying the preparation of tortano with the Thermomix ?

If you liked this recipe, try our Easter menu and many other Easter appetizers !

storage

You can keep the recipe for soft and rustic Neapolitan tortano in a cool and dry place for a maximum of 2 days from its making, well covered by cling film and under a special food bowl. We do not recommend freezing in the freezer.