Fig, ricotta and almond savoury pastries (Qassatat)

Golden, flaky pastry parcels filled with creamy ricotta and sweet figs, qassatat are a beloved Maltese snack with a modern twist. Perfectly balanced between savoury and sweet, these make an ideal bite for breakfast, afternoon tea, or a festive spread.

Credit: Josh Martin

• makes

  10-15

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  30 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

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Shane Delia's Malta

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Ingredients

• 500 g ricotta
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• 70 g pistachios, roasted and chopped 
• 3 g cracked black pepper
• 10 g salt
• 2 eggs
• 15 g parsley, chopped
• 100 g figs, chopped
• 200 ml milk

Dough

• 1 kg plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• 200 g butter, cold
• 1 tsp salt
• 400 ml water
• 2 egg yolks 

Chilling/freezing time: 3 hours

Instructions

1. For the filling, combine ricotta, cinnamon, pistachios, pepper, salt, one egg and parsley and mix together.
2. Fold through the figs gently, breaking them up through the ricotta, while still leaving them chunky. Set mixture aside in the fridge to chill while preparing the dough.
3. To make the dough, combine the flour, butter and salt in a stand mixer and mix together until it resembles crumbs. Slowly add in the wet ingredients and knead for a few minutes until the dough becomes elastic and away from the sides of the mixing bowl. 
4. Wrap the dough and rest in the fridge for at least 2 hours. 
5. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining egg with milk for the egg wash to seal the pastries.
6. Dust a clean bench space with flour and roll out dough into a 4 mm-thick sheet.
7. Cut out disks the size of a small dinner plate (approx 15 cm) and place 80 g filling in the centre of each disk.
8. Brush edges of disks with egg wash and form the parcels – bring the edges of each dough circle up and around the filling using a pleating and pinching method to overlap at the top, leaving a small opening.
9. Brush the exterior of the parcels once formed with more of the egg wash.
10. Place on a tray lined with baking paper and refrigerate for 1 hour to chill and set. 
11. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 200˚C.
12. Place pastries in preheated oven and bake until golden brown, around 10 minutes.

Watch how to make this recipe on Episode 2 of Shane Delia’s Malta, streaming free on SBS On Demand.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

Stream free On Demand

Shane Delia's Malta

series • 

Travel

PG

series • 

Travel

PG