Tigelle, stuffed with Ricotta and Sour Tomatoes

Are delicious round scones, typical of Emilia Romagna. Perfect as an aperitif, for a Sunday brunch, a convivial lunch with the family or an informal dinner with friends, these small delicacies contain all the flavor of tradition. Also known as Crescentine, tigelle represent a gastronomic icon of the Modena Apennines. They are served hot, freshly cooked, cut horizontally in half and stuffed as desired: they are ideal both for sweet fillings, with creams, jams or fruit, and for savory fillings, with cold cuts, cheeses, meat or fish. Imagination has no limits! Originally called "crescentine", these scones come from poor peasant cuisine. Made with flour, water and salt, they were prepared by the women of the house for their husbands who took them to the fields as accompanying bread. Their simplicity and goodness immediately made them popular, so much so that they also conquered Bologna, where they took the name of "tigelle". The term "tigelle" derives from the discs used for firing, made of refractory material such as clay, clay or river stone powder. The discs, about 10-12 cm in diameter and 2 cm thick, often had a decorative motif in the shape of a flower or star, a symbol of the flower of life or the Celtic rose. During cooking, scones were placed between these red-hot discs and wrapped in chestnut leaves to prevent them from sticking. The original recipe for tigelle calls for a simple dough based on flour, baking soda, yeast, sparkling water and salt. Over time, however, many variations have arisen: among the most common we find the addition of lard, butter or granulated sugar. Now let's see what we need to make our Homemade Tigelle Stuffed with Ricotta and Sour Tomatoes. Ingredients for the tigelle 550 grams of white flour 60 grams of lard 10 grams of fresh brewer's yeast 1 teaspoon granulated sugar 200 ml sparkling water 150 ml of milk a pinch of salt Ingredients for the filling 500 grams of fresh ricotta 2 tablespoons of Parmigiano Reggiano extra virgin olive oil salt freshly ground black pepper 1 jar of Sour Tomatoes Steps Crumble the yeast in a bowl, add the granulated sugar and sparkling water, and mix until everything dissolves well. In another bowl we put the flour and salt, then add the dissolved yeast, milk and start kneading carefully. At this point, incorporate the lard in small pieces, continuing to knead the dough until you get a smooth and homogeneous dough. Transfer it to a bowl lightly brushed with oil, cover it with plastic wrap and let it rise for an hour. After the first rising, take the dough and divide it into balls. Place them on a floured work surface, cover them with a cloth and let them rise for another 30 minutes. Once ready, take the balls, give them the round shape typical of tigelle and cook them a few at a time in a non-stick pan lightly greased with extra virgin olive oil. Cook the tigelle for about two minutes on each side, until golden brown, and get ready to fill them. For the filling, mix the ricotta with a pinch of salt, freshly ground black pepper and grated cheese, until you get a homogeneous cream. Fill each tigella with the ricotta cream and add a generous dose of Sour Tomatoes. Serve immediately, still hot.