Can Italian Panzerott (Panzerotti) Be Low Fodmap?
These Italian sausage turnovers ,called Panzerott or Panzerotti depending on where in Italy you buy them, adapt themselves very well to low fodmap substitutions. You can change out the pastry, the cream cheese and the sausages for low fodmap versions and still keep the integrity of the dish.
Can Puff Paste Ever Be Low Fodmap?
Yes, it can be and it still can taste delicious. Why am I asking? Because IBS folk often can’t tolerate foods made with wheat. It is so frustrating to have to find GF alternatives mostly because wheat flour contains the fodmap Fructan. We are NOT usually celiac and rarely test positive for gluten, but the fructan in wheat can be just as dire to the IBS gut as gluten to the celiac. How do I know this? Monash University’s fodmap app tells me so. Read my post on fodmaps and fiber.
For the pastry for the turnover, I use Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry.I find it tolerable, but you might not, so use the dough that works best for you because this recipe filling would work in any pie dough. For example, Whole Foods and ShopRite both sell a gluten free puff pastry (GeeFree Puff Pastry) that would work well, or you can use GF regular pie dough and that works well too. Just be sure to follow the rolling out and baking directions for whatever dough you are using.
Why Is This A Great Recipe?
This recipe was insanely popular every time I made it for parties, a church pot-luck, my Bible study final luncheon, or all the graduation parties I held at home for each of my five children. Little boys stuffed them in their pockets or dragged their mother over to me to get the recipe. Seriously!!
I have never made anything else that was such a smash hit whenever I served it. I almost hate to give away the recipe, but this is my blog and I promised to share all the good things from 50 years of cooking, so here it is.
INGREDIENTS:
FILLING:
1 lb. sweet Italian sausage, either pork or chicken, in links, or use one or two pkgs. of Italian sausage meat not in links (for low fodmap, buy sausage made without garlic or onion or make your own using plain Italian sausage meat from an Italian butcher and season it yourself with low fodmap seasonings such as Fody Foods lemon pepper spice. Since this recipe calls for browned sausage meat, it doesn’t first need to be in link form.)
1/2 Pkg. of whole milk or part skim milk mozzarella ( I use Polly O), cut into small cubes) (Do NOT use fresh mozzarella in liquid.)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (Reggiano)
1 or 2 large eggs
1 pkg. white button mushrooms (.35 chopped is safe for low fodmap and you can use less if you just want the flavor, or eliminate totally)
1/4 lb. thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped
1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese (2 tbsp. is low fodmap; each turnover has less; or use a goat cream cheese
Dash of freshly grated Nutmeg
DOUGH:
1 pkg. of Pepperidge Farm frozen puff pastry sheets, or 1 pkg. frozen GF puff pastry sheets or use regular pie dough of your choise.
DIRECTIONS:
Finely chop the prosciutto, if using it, and set aside.
Wash and dry the mushrooms, Slice the mushrooms and sauté in a little butter and olive oil until the mushrooms darken and soften. Set aside the mushrooms in a small bowl. A safe fodmap amount is .35 and I doubt if each turnover would exceed that amount. If you aren’t sure, use canned mushrooms, which are totally safe according to the Monash App.
Then, in the same pan, add a little olive oil and heat until shimmering. Prick the sausage all over with a fork and add to the hot pan.
Fry the sausage for 3 minutes on each side making sure each side is browned. You can cut the sausage in half to make sure it is cooked through. If using sausage meat not in links, just brown it in the pan the same as you would the links. Set sausage aside.
Next, cut the whole mozzarella into smallish cubes or grate it in a food processor. Place the cheese into a large bowl.
Place the cooked sausage meat into the food processor and pulse a few times until the sausage is a bit chopped, but not a paste. One or two quick pulses should do it. Place the chopped sausage into the bowl with the other ingredients.
Place the cream cheese on top of the warm sausage.
In the bowl, mix up all the ingredients using a big wooden spoon until everything is well mixed. Set the bowl aside covered with a piece of plastic until ready to use. If the filling is too liquid, place in fridge while you prepare the dough. You can even make the filling a day ahead and make your turnovers the next day.
Take out one sheet of dough from under the plastic and lay it out on a pastry board covered in wax paper or parchment. Using a ruler I measure 2 and 1/4 inch spaces. This gives me four sections. Slice each section down to the bottom using a sharp knife. Then cut across the sheet using the three dividing lines across as a guide. Now you will have 12 sections of dough. Sometimes I just make three sections across and down, making only nine sections. Do whatever size you prefer.
You can then cover the sections with parchment or wax paper and using a rolling pin, roll over each section making it a bit bigger.
Remove the top parchment paper and using a small cookie scoop put a scoop of filling in the middle of each section.
Take the top left corner of the section and the bottom right corner of the section and pinch them together. You now have a triangle. Using your fingers (I wear light plastic gloves for a good grip that doesn’t warm the dough like skin on my fingers would do), press together both sides of the triangle.
Then lay the turnover down and lightly press the filling down and away from the turnover edge. Using a fork, press with the tines of the fork all around the seamed edges of the turnover.
Or do it one section at a time like this. Take one of the squares and place on a piece of wax paper or parchment. Cover it with another piece of wax or parchment paper. Roll the dough a bit until it is large enough to be a good sized turnover. Look at the pictures for an idea.
The dough is very stretchy, so pull it over the filling and press the filling as you go so it will not come out at the edges. Make a triangle by taking the left top edge and pressing it together with the right bottom edge. Then press along the left and right seam making sure the filling stays in as you seal the turnover along the triangle edges.
Then lay down the turnover on the counter or board. Lightly press down on the filling moving it away from the seamed edges. Pinch the edges together and with the tines of a fork, press all around the edges to seal the dough. Make sure you did not go through the dough or the filling will seep out as it bakes. However, if the filling does seep out, just cut it off with a knife 
before serving it. (Note that in my picture, the filling is seeping out. Oops.)
At this point you can place the turnovers on a baking sheet and freeze them. When they are frozen, place them in a plastic freezer bag and keep in the freezer until you plan to bake and serve them. To bake them, place the frozen turnovers on a baking sheet into a preheated 350 degree oven. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown on the bottom and top.
Low Fodmap Panzerott (or Panzerotti)
Ingredients
- 1 sweet Italian pork or chicken sausage, onion and garlic free
- 1 8 oz pkgs cream cheese or milk free cream cheese
- 1/4 lb thinly sliced prosciutto, finely chopped (optional) optional
- 1 lb white button mushrooms, sliced and sauteed in olive oil or butter (optional)
- 1 or 2 eggs
- 1/2 lb Part skim or whole milk mozzarella cubed, (Polly O is fine)
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan reggiano
- Dash of freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 pkg of Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets or GF puff pastry or pie crust, thawed 20 min. before using.
Instructions
- Implements needed: a large bowl to mix up all ingredients, a 10 inch non-stick frying pan, a large wooden pastry board, parchment or wax paper, a large chopping knife, a wooden spoon and a spatula, a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper.
- For the Filling:
- Finely chop the prosciutto, if using, and set aside. Open the box of mushrooms, rinse them with cold water and wipe any residual dirt off them. Remove the stems and the underside pleated area. I slice in half and then three times the other way. In the 10 inch saute pan over medium high heat, melt 1 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp olive oil. Heat until butter is foaming. Add chopped mushrooms and stir around until coated with oil butter mixture. Continue to stir and saute until mushrooms turn dark and look cooked through, but are still moist. Pour into a bowl and set aside. (Skip this step of not using mushrooms.)
- In the same pan, add 1 tbsp of olive oil and heat until shimmering. While oil is heating, open sausage pkg and prick sausages all over with a fork. Add to pan and reduce heat to medium. Brown sausages all over - 3 minutes on all four sides. Cut in half to make sure they are cooked through.
- While sausage is browning, cut mozzarella into smallish cubes. Pour cheese into a large ceramic bowl. Add the mushrooms, prosciutto, parmesan and egg(s) to the same bowl. Place the cut up browned sausage into the bowl of the food processor and pulse a few times until the meat looks evenly chopped but not crumbly or a paste. Pour chopped sausage into the bowl. Place the cream cheese on top of the warm sausage. The sausage should be warm enough that the cream cheese melts into everything as you stir all the ingredients in the bowl until they are well mixed. Set the bowl of filling aside while you prepare your dough.
- Take the dough out of the package. Lay out each sheet on parchment or wax paper and cover with plastic or wax paper. Cut each sheet (do this one sheet at a time) into 9 or 12 even squares . Take one square and place it on a piece of wax or parchment paper. Cover it with another piece of paper and with a rolling pin, roll it out to the size you want. This takes just a few seconds. The dough is very stretchy. Place a dollop of filling in the middle of the dough. Bring the top of the dough down over the filling and pull it over the filling to meet the bottom edge. You can push the filling around a bit to leave a border around the turnover. Press the dough edges together . WIth the tines of a fork, press the dough edges all around making sure the filling is not coming out. Place the completed turnover on a cookie sheet.
- When all the turnovers are made, you can bake them now or freeze them and bake them at some later date.To bake the turnovers, place on a parchment lined or ungreased cookie sheet and place on the middle rack of a preheated 350 degree oven. Bake for 30 minutes or until the turnovers are golden brown on top and also on the bottom. Remove to a wire rack. Serve while hot.
Notes
I cannot wait to make these. I always loved them. Just wish I would get the phone call to come over for a SATURDAY NIGHT SUPPER. My Father died suddenly. In order not to have us feel lonely, without my father, Aunt Jeannette included us in these wonderful suppers. Panzerotti was one of the big hits.