Ravazzate are yet another great street food dish from Palermo, in Sicily. They are soft buns, filled with a thick and delicious meat sauce, covered in sesame seeds and then baked. I love them! Among all sorts of fried (yet amazing) street food items to choose from, these never fail to be among the items I choose. The bun recipe can be used for many different fillings (even sweet ones), so it is definitely a keeper to make and remake, experimenting with it. This, however, is a traditional recipe and it is part of my Sicilian Street Food New Year’s Eve Party 24×24 event! Enjoy!
For the meat sauce filling – recipe adapted from Ricette di Sicilia
Ingredients:
200 gms – 7 oz. beef mince
200 gms – 7 oz. pork mince
1 onion, diced
100 gms – 3.5 oz. tomato concentrate
50 gms – 1.75 oz. Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated
2 bay leaves
2 cloves
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
½ glass white wine
Salt and Pepper
Put the diced onion and extra virgin olive oil in a pot and sauté it until soft (1). Add the beef and pork mince (2) and brown well, breaking all the lumps with a wooden spoon. Add the white wine and let the alcohol evaporate (3). Add the salt, pepper, bay leaves, cloves, tomato concentrate (4) and ½ glass of water. Cook it for 30 minutes, or until the sauce thickens. Add the finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano (5) and set aside to cool down (6).
For the buns – recipe adapted from Ricette di Sicilia
Ingredients:
1 kg – 2 lb. flour
500 ml – 2 cups lukewarm water
100 gms – 3.5 oz. lard
100 gms – 3.5 oz. sugar
20 gms – 0.7 oz. salt
14 gms – 1/2 oz. dry yeast
Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water together with 1 tbsp of the sugar. Set it aside to activate.
In the meantime, put the remaining sugar, flour, salt and lard in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Once the yeast and water mixture has become frothy, add it to the bowl. Knead well until you obtain a smooth and pliable dough. Let it rise for 1 hour or until it doubles in size.
How to assemble the Ravazzate
Divide the dough in smaller balls about the size of a mandarin (1). Flatten them with a rolling pin. Place a heaped tablespoon of filling in the centre of the dough circle (2). Then gather the edges and seal your bun (3). Put it upside down on a baking tray covered with baking paper (4). Press the top with your thumb to create a small indentation (5). Brush with some egg wash (made with 1 egg yolk and 1 tbsp of water) and sprinkle with sesame seeds (6).
Bake in a pre heated oven at 200°C – 390°F for 7 – 8 minutes, or until golden brown.
Heya ! I tasted these in Spain, can’t wait to make them … Can you tell me approximately how many buns these proportions make ? Cheers !
Hi Lily! This dose makes many buns… depending on the size you make them, I would say approximately 25. I usually make half dose for my family (2 adults and 2 small kids) and freeze any leftovers (I put them in my eldest daughter’s lunchbox). You can also refrigerate leftovers and eat them the next day. 🙂
Hi Manu , These look great. Can you give me some tips for a sweet filling as well.
Thanks
Hi there! You could try with creme patissiere (http://www.manusmenu.com/tips/techniques/sauces-and-other-basics) or sweet ricotta cream (http://www.manusmenu.com/sfinciuni-di-san-giuseppe). Or for a quick one… how about Nutella??? For all these though, I’d suggest cooking the buns first and then fill them with a piping bag. 🙂 Let me know!
Yes I was wondering how to bake with the sweet filling.You read my mind.Love all your recipes.Will try this one .
Thanks much
Diana
Ma che delizie! Those buns look absolutely delicious!
These are new to me! So interesting and so delicious!
Yum. I love the filling you have here, but I bet the options are endless. A sweet version sounds great too
God these buns really look good…
I am sure I can eat by dozen….
A must try recipe, the best part they are not fried.
Love it.
A Very Happy New Year to you and your family Manu.
yum!!! i want one 🙂 going to add to my list to try…..
These look really delicious Manu, and they are not fried, so it’s a recipe I would definitely try. That is certainly a gigantic hunk of Parmigiano Reggiano in the background of your ingredient shot; that chunk would probably cost over $70 in Canada! I see that the original buns are the size of a mandarin, but do they grow much larger when baked? Would the recipe work if you just wanted a one maximum two bite bun?
I know… imported stuff can be expensive… here it is much cheaper than that though! 🙂
I have posted the original/traditional recipes… but you can play around with it. You should be able to make small sized buns and serve them as an appetiser too! 🙂 They do grow a little bigger in the oven, but not so much. It is mostly because you flatten them and then fill them… so it depends on how much filling you put in them. 🙂
My goodness, please tell me your mother is helping you cook all this amazing food. Where do you find the time???