Ravazzate
(rah-vaht-ZAH-teh)
Rosticceria at Home: After-School Snacks & Palermo Street Food
The baker pulls a hot sheet pan from the oven at four o'clock, sesame seeds crackling, the after-school crowd already pushing through the door. Palermo’s street food relies as much on this sweet brioche dough as the hot ragù center it contains. To pull off these stuffed buns on a busy Tuesday, the ragù must be made days in advance. By keeping the sauce cold and fiercely thick, it won't bleed through the dough. Fill your kitchen with the smell of warm yeast and roasted pork, serve them hot, and eat them standing up.
Before you start
Build the aromatic base.
Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat, add the onion, carrot, and celery, and sauté until deeply softened and translucent.
Brown the meats.
Add the ground beef and pork, breaking it apart continuously with a wooden spoon, and season with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, the black pepper, and nutmeg until fully browned.
Deglaze with wine.
Pour in the wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom, and let it evaporate completely until you can no longer smell alcohol.
Concentrate the sauce.
Stir in the tomato paste to toast for a minute, then add the tomato puree, frozen peas, and bay leaves, simmering partially covered on low for 30 minutes.
Evaporate excess moisture.
Remove the lid for the final ten minutes of cooking so all ambient liquid evaporates until the ragù firmly holds its shape on a spoon.
Chill the ragù entirely.
Discard the bay leaves and transfer the sauce to a container to refrigerate overnight, as it must be entirely cold to prevent the dough from bursting later.
Ingredients
- Olive oil1 tbsp
- Yellow onion1/2 cup
- Carrot1/2 cup
- Celery1/2 cup
- Ground beef1/2 lb
- Ground pork1/2 lb
- Kosher salt1 tsp
- Black pepper1/2 tsp
- Ground nutmeg1/4 tsp
- Dry red or white wine1/2 cup
- Tomato paste2 tbsp
- Tomato puree1 1/2 cup
- Frozen sweet peas1 cup
- Bay leaves2 med
- All-purpose flour4 cup
- Instant or active dry yeast7 g
- Granulated sugar3 tbsp
- Warm water1/2 cup
- Warm whole milk1/2 cup
- Lard or vegetable shortening3 1/2 tbsp
- Kosher salt2 tsp
- Large egg1 large
- Whole milk1 tbsp
- Sesame seeds1/4 cup
Method
- 01
Activate the yeast.
Combine the warm water, warm milk, yeast, and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and let sit for five minutes until frothy.
- 02
Mix the dough.
Add the flour and the remaining 2 teaspoons of kosher salt, mixing with a dough hook on low speed until a shaggy mass forms.
- 03
Incorporate the fat.
With the mixer running, add the lard or shortening a small spoonful at a time, kneading for about eight minutes until the dough is incredibly smooth and elastic.
- 04
Let the dough rise.
Form the dough into a ball, place it in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm spot for nearly two hours until doubled in size.
- 05
Divide and flatten the dough.
Punch down the dough, divide it into ten equal pieces, roll each into a ball, and flatten them into five-inch discs leaving the center slightly thicker than the edges.
- 06
Stuff and seal the buns.
Place a heaping tablespoon of the cold ragù in the center of each disc, pull the edges up and over the filling, and pinch tightly to seal the pouch.
- 07
Shape using the pirlatura method.
Turn the pouch seam-side down on the counter, cup your hand gently over the dough, and move it in swift circles to use friction to tighten the bun into a taut, smooth sphere.
- 08
Proof the buns.
Place the shaped buns on a parchment-lined baking sheet, cover loosely with a damp towel, and let rest for forty minutes.
- 09
Bake to a deep golden brown.
Preheat the oven to 390°F, brush the buns with the egg and milk mixture, shower them heavily in sesame seeds, and bake for twenty minutes.
Notes
A note on fat.
While vegetable shortening works well to keep the crumb tender, sourcing real lard (manteca) from the Hispanic aisle will yield the truest Palermitan texture.