Sardinian Honey and Cheese Pastries (Seadas)

By garciamoss

Ingredients

• 4 cups (500 grams) of plain flour
• 1 cup (250 milliliters) cold water, or as needed
• 4 tablespoons (50 grams) of lard or butter
• 1 pinch salt
• 10 ounces (300 grams) of a young Pecorino cheese, cut into cubes
• Zest of 2 lemons
• Olive oil for frying
• 3/4 cups (250 grams) honey

Details

Adapted from food52.com

Preparation

Step 1

Make a dough by combining the flour and salt with some cold water bit by bit until you have a silky, elastic consistency. Add the lard (or butter) and knead until well incorporated. Let the dough rest about 30 minutes, covered.
In the meantime, prepare the cheese by melting it in a small saucepan over gentle heat. If you find that the cheese is separating when it melts, add a tablespoon of flour to bring it back together. When melted, stir in the lemon zest then pour it out onto a baking sheet lined with baking paper and gently spread out with a soft spatula to form an even layer of cheese, about a third of an inch thick. Let cool. Cut out 12 rounds with a cookie cutter about 3 inches wide.
Roll out the dough to about 1/8 inch thickness and cut out 24 rounds with a pastry cutter (you can follow the circumference of a small bowl or tupperware container, anything that is round and is roughly 4-5 inches wide).
Place one round of cheese in the centre of one round of dough, top with another round of dough and press the edges well with fingers or with the tines of a fork. If you go with fingers, you can also straighten the edges with a frilled pastry cutter for a traditional look.
Fill a wide pan with olive oil until it reaches a depth of one inch. When hot, fry the seadas until golden on both sides (some prefer not to flip them but to spoon the hot oil over the top). Remove from pan and place on kitchen paper until they are all ready (keep warm).
Gently warm the honey until liquid then pour over the seadas. This is best consumed freshly made and piping hot while the cheese is still oozing.