Panzerotti with Tuna & Olives – A recipe from Cook Eat World|Panzerotti are a wonderful little dish to serve.

Panzerotti are a wonderful little dish to serve for gatherings, parties, game day or just for yourself in front of the TV. They’re miniature versions of the Neapolitan calzone, a large folded pizza. Panzerotti are a small, deep fried version which are eaten all-across Italy, but especially loved in the central and southern regions.

What’s in a name?

Across Italy, Panzerotti (panzerotto – singular) also go by the name Panzarotti, Calzone Fritti, Pizze Fritti, Frittelle, Frittelli and Fritte.

What are Panzerotti?

Panzerotti are small discs of panzerotti dough (pizza dough), which are stuffed with a filling and then folded (typically into semi-circles or half-moons – “mezzelune”) and typically deep fried. They look a little like a mini Cornish pasty or savoury turnover.

Traditionally, panzerotti are stuffed with tomato and mozzarella cheese but many varieties exist filled with ingredients like mortadella, escarole, onions, anchovies and in this case, tuna.

My recipe for panzerotti is cheese free. I follow the unspoken rule of no cheese with seafood (even though I’ve been served cheese with seafood in Italy!). There’s plenty of salty umami delight in this dish from the olives and capers.

For the stuffing of my panzerotti you’ll need:

• Tuna – best quality canned or jarred tuna in olive oil
• Red bell pepper – Roasted and the skin peeled (you can also used jarred roasted peppers)
• Olives – I like a mixture of black & green
• Eggs – hard boiled for texture and flavour
• Capers – Salty bursts of sourness
• Herbs – I use fresh mint and parsley for this recipe – but try basil, oregano, marjoram or thyme too