Azevias

Azevias are traditional Portuguese sweets, particularly popular during the Christmas season. They are pastries filled with a chickpea cream flavored with orange. Let’s see how they can be prepared with an Italian touch, for example by using ricotta instead of chickpeas for a filling closer to Mediterranean tastes.

Ingredients

For the dough:

• 500 g of flour
• 1 egg (and an egg yolk for brushing)
• 100 g of butter
• 100 ml of milk
• 1 pinch of salt
• Grated zest of 1 orange
• Oil for frying

For the filling:

• 250 g of fresh ricotta
• 100 g of sugar
• 1 egg
• Grated zest of 1 orange (or a bit of cinnamon, for a more traditional flavor)

Preparation

1. Begin by preparing the dough: in a bowl, mix the flour with the softened butter, egg, milk, a pinch of salt, and grated orange zest until you obtain a smooth dough.
2. Roll out the dough into a thin sheet and, using a glass or a pastry cutter, cut out circles of dough.
3. To make the filling, mix the ricotta with sugar, egg, and grated zest of another orange. If you prefer, you can flavor it with a bit of cinnamon instead of orange zest.
4. Place some of the filling in the center of each dough circle, then fold in half to form a crescent and seal the edges well.
5. Brush the edges of the azevias with a bit of egg yolk so they will brown during cooking.
6. Heat a good amount of oil in a frying pan and fry the azevias until they are golden and crispy, then drain them on paper towels.
7. Serve them warm or at room temperature, dusted with icing sugar if desired.

Fun Fact

Even though in this case we’ve proposed a version with ricotta, azevias are traditionally filled with a chickpea cream, reflecting the Arabic influence in Portuguese cuisine. The classic recipe would use chickpea puree instead of ricotta, and possibly the addition of amêndoa (almonds) in the filling.