• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About
    • Press
    • Privacy Policy
    • Photo Use Policy
    • Media
    • Podcast
    • Videos
  • Pro Tips
    • Resources
    • Blogging
      • How to Start a Blog
    • My Presets
  • Recipes
    • Recipes by Season
      • Christmas Recipes
      • Fall
      • Easter
      • Summer
    • Meals
      • Breakfast
      • Side dish
      • Appetizers
      • Dinner
      • Dessert
    • Special Diets
      • Dairy Free
      • Gluten Free
      • Healthy recipes
      • Keto
      • Paleo
      • Sugar free
      • Mediterranean Diet
      • Vegan
      • Vegetarian
      • Whole30
    • Ingredients
      • Beef
      • Chicken
      • Pork
      • Seafood
    • Popular
      • American Recipes
      • Baking
      • Bread
      • Cookies
      • Sourdough
      • Slow cooker
      • Soup
    • Recipe Stories
  • Italy
    • Italian Baking
    • Italian Recipes
    • Italian Travel
    • Italian Language
  • Pasta Recipes
  • Subscribe
  • Shop
    • Freebies
      • Lightroom Filter Freebie
      • Packing List Freebie
      • Content Scheduler Freebie

Savoring Italy logo

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Italy
  • Resources
  • About
  • Shop
  • Subscribe
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Italy
    • Resources
    • About
    • Shop
    • Subscribe
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Home » Popular » Italian Recipes

    April 29, 2019 Baking

    Pitta Ripiena Calabrese-Calabrese Stuffed Flatbread

    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

    There are many recipes I enjoy from Calabria that I learned from my mother-in-law. This Pitta Ripiena- Calabrian Stuffed Flatbread is something made during various holidays in our family.

    The is primarily made on Easter weekend in our house. This pitta ripiena (or you maybe have heard it called pitta china, pitta chjina or pitta chiina in Calabrese dialect) is usually made for Good Friday. Teresa (my darling mother-in-law) is quite strict during the Lent and Easter season. There will be NO meat eaten on every Friday and even on Wednesdays (a sacrifice she has made for herself, but that my father-in-law follows along with to support her decision).

    The no meat on Wednesdays is not enforced only during Lenten season; it is something she enforces all year long. We follow along with her no meat rules on Wednesdays when we stay with them in Italy or when they come here. After all, she does cook all the incredible meals!

    Even though Teresa is in Italy, she now FaceTime calls us and she has the ability with this technology to look us in the eyes. She makes sure we don't eat meat during Lent on Fridays. Teresa reminds us to go to church on Palm Sunday. She also gives us tutorials on how to braid the palm leaves into a little basket or a cross. Teresa taught me how to make this on one of her Easter visits to the States and I am grateful for her Calabrian food knowledge.

    This Calabrian stuffed flatbread can be found in various regions of Italy with different names. It could be made with sweet white onions instead of scallions. If you have family from the Puglia region you may know it is a scalcione or calzone di cipolla. In Liguria it is made with a spinach (or Swiss chard) and egg filling and is called a Torta Pasqualina.

    Pitta is a regionally made bread, and I've found that it is made also round and with a hole in the center that you can find all over Calabria in bakeries. And then there is this sort of pitta that is layered and stuffed.

    So you see this fabulous filling on the right? This is something they call brodicellu (not sure if spelling is correct and I also never pronounce it correctly). When you really feel there is nothing to make for dinner or lunch, you cook up some scallions, olives (Teresa's own cured olives), eggplant (her own pickled eggplant), green tomatoes (her own pickled tomatoes). You add some fresh chopped tomatoes or canned tomatoes. Or you add Teresa's own tomato sauce. You add a splash of wine (most likely their homemade wine)and if you don't have any wine, you leave it out.  Add a few eggs and you have brodicellu ca uovo. Leave out the eggs, and it's fine like that too!

    Before I get into the makings of this delicious Calabrian recipe, here is a photo of what we made for our big Italian party. Everyone participated and brought something. We brought a pasta salad, a torta pasqualina, my pastiera Napoletana and ricotta ciambella.

    How do you make a Pitta Ripiena Calabrese-Calabrese Stuffed Flatbread?

    So you see this fabulous filling on the right? This is something they call brodicellu (not sure if spelling is correct and I also never pronounce it correctly). When you really feel there is nothing to make for dinner or lunch, you cook up some scallions, olives (Teresa's own cured olives), eggplant (her own pickled eggplant), green tomatoes (her own pickled tomatoes). You add some fresh chopped tomatoes or canned tomatoes. Or you add Teresa's own tomato sauce. You add a splash of wine (most likely their homemade wine)and if you don't have any wine, you leave it out.  Add a few eggs and you have brodicellu ca uovo. Leave out the eggs, and it's fine like that too!

    Usually that onion tomato deliciousness is enjoyed with homemade super crusty Calabrian bread. And then other times it's enjoyed baked inside a homemade dough rolled thin. Sort of like a stuffed thin pizza.

    I happen to have a 12" round springform pan. If you have a smaller size, you will have some extra dough. You could use the extra dough and make some freeform calzones. Another idea is to make these as a freeform stuffed bread (so basically it's a large calzone). Or make two!

    If you aren't making this for Good Friday, it could be made with a delicious mix of cheeses and cured meats. If you're in Calabria you will have the amazing Tropea onions (from Tropea).  So what is exactly a pitta china-pitta ripiena? It is sort of a stuffed pie, pizza, even considered a bread. It's something you will find all over Calabria and not just during the holidays. But since I made this on Easter weekend, I'm sharing the vegan/vegetarian version that we made for a big Italian Easter party last weekend.

    The dough comes together pretty quickly. I used a dry white wine to make it with room temp water. If you want to leave out the wine, you could use just water. It is not a yeast based dough, although I have come across recipes that use yeast and even a biga. Teresa taught me to make it like this so I'm making it just as she showed me. It sort of reminds me of my piadina.

    Once you let the filling cool down a little bit, spoon it over the first layer of dough in the pan, making sure to leave a clean border without the filling. My mom's take on this recipe is that she feels it doesn't need the top layer. She wants us to make it again and not add on the second layer of dough. I like the top layer of dough and think it makes it more portable for a party or an Italian picnic.

    Roll out the second layer of dough and carefully place it over the filling. Using a pastry cutter to cut off any excess dough. Grab a fork and carefully prick around the top of the dough and also seal the edges of the dough together with the fork. Brush on some extra-virgin olive oil before placing in the oven to bake.

    Twelve Loaves: I used to do a monthly bread baking challenge called Twelve Loaves. It was launched back in May, 2012 (so much time has flown by!).  It was filled with wonderful bakers from all over the world and we would bake along to a different theme. The baking group always inspired me to bake bread. This is a personal bread baking challenge to myself! In order to get back to baking bread regularly, I am doing #TwelveLoaves again. My goal is to bake Twelve Loaves by the end of 2019.  It could be a dough with yeast or without. Most often it will be a yeast based dough. This is my 3rd bread recipe of the year.

    January: Chocolate Babka-Babka al Cioccolato

    February: Crusty No-Knead Italian Bread

    March: (I will post what I baked in March)

    April: Pitta Ripiena Calabrese-Calabrese Stuffed Flatbread

    some notes on this recipe: We have enjoyed this hot out of the oven. We have also enjoyed it warm after letting it cool down a bit. If you happen to have any leftovers, it is delicious the next day without even warming it up. The flavors of the filling meld together even more.

    DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?

    Tag @savoringitaly on Instagram and hashtag it #savoringitaly 

    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate this Recipe
    5 from 8 votes

    Pitta Ripiena Calabrese-Calabrese Stuffed Flatbread

    This stuffed flatbread is my Italian mother-in-law’s recipe. It is filled with cherry tomatoes, scallions and olives. Totally meat free for the vegetarians (and vegans…no cheese!).
    Prep Time30 minutes mins
    Cook Time35 minutes mins
    Total Time1 hour hr 5 minutes mins
    Course: Dinner
    Cuisine: Italian
    Keyword: Bread, Calabria
    Servings: 6 servings
    Author: Lora

    Ingredients

    DOUGH

    • 3 cups flour
    • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
    • ¼ cup dry white wine room temp
    • ½ cup water room temp
    • 1 teaspoon sea salt

    FILLING

    • 8 scallions cleaned and cut into large portions
    • ½ cup Italian cured black olives, pitted and chopped
    • 6 anchovy filets optional
    • 1 Tablespoon salt cured Italian capers
    • 1 cup cherry tomatoes cut in half (I used 1 small can of cherry tomatoes)
    • 6 anchovy filets optional
    • splash of dry white wine
    • sea salt and pepper to taste

    Instructions

    DOUGH

    • Preheat oven to 425F.
    • Put all of the dough ingredients together in a stand mixer. Mix on low until it becomes a smooth ball. Add a little bit more flour if the dough seems too wet to be able to form into a smooth and elastic ball. You could also make the dough by hand.
    • Separate the dough into two portions. Cover with a towel while you make the filling.

    FILLING

    • Add the olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the scallions and cook for a few minutes. Add in the olives, anchovy filets (if using), capers and cherry tomatoes (I used a small can of Italian cherry tomatoes, tomatoes and the juice).
    • Let it cook for about 5 minutes. Add in the wine and cook for a few more minutes. Test for salt (it should already be salty from the olives, anchovies and capers, if you’re using them.)
    • Add a little pepper, if you like. Place the filling in a bowl and let it cool a little (about 15 minutes).

    ASSEMBLE PITTA

    • Take one portion of the dough to roll and cover the other one with a towel.
    • Spread some olive oil in the springform pan (I used a 12” round springform pan).
    • Sprinkle a little bit of a flour on a clean surface and begin to roll out the first section of dough to be large enough to cover the bottom of the pan.
    • Carefully transfer to the dough to cover the bottom of the pan; set aside.
    • Spoon in the filling on the surface of the dough leaving the perimeter uncovered.
    • Roll out the other portion of the dough and carefully cover the filling.
    • If there are any large portions of dough cut with a pastry cutter. Pinch the two doughs together to seal in the filling. Go around the dough with a fork and press the perimeter of the pitta closed.
    • Poke the surface of the top layer of the pitta with a fork every few inches.
    • Brush on a bit of the extra-virgin olive oil.
    • Bake for 30-40 minutes or until the top gets golden brown.

    Nutrition Disclaimer

    Please keep in mind that the nutritional information presented below is an approximation and may vary depending on the exact ingredients used.

    Tried this recipe?Mention @savoringitaly or tag #savoringitaly!

    © SavoringItaly.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.

    « Lemon Bundt Cake with Lemon Curd Filling
    Strawberry Crostata »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Demeter says

      April 29, 2019 at 2:16 pm

      5 stars
      I love passed down family recipes. They're always the best ones! This one looks amazing.

      Reply
    2. Beth Pierce says

      April 30, 2019 at 11:32 am

      5 stars
      What a delicious looking recipe! This is something new for me so I'm excited to give this a try!

      Reply
    3. Sara Welch says

      April 30, 2019 at 12:03 pm

      5 stars
      That filling looks so flavorful and rich; I am looking forward to giving this a try!

      Reply
    4. Allyson Zea says

      April 30, 2019 at 10:28 pm

      5 stars
      I love making this! Thank you!

      Reply
    5. Melanie Bauer says

      May 01, 2019 at 8:09 am

      5 stars
      Looks really amazing! I would love to try this, such a tasty and flavorful recipe!

      Reply
    6. Amy says

      May 01, 2019 at 10:45 am

      5 stars
      This sure looks tasty! I wanna give it a try soon!

      Reply
    7. Naveen Sohail says

      May 02, 2019 at 7:17 am

      Yum yum! Want to try this one.

      Reply
    8. Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert says

      May 02, 2019 at 10:15 am

      5 stars
      This is seriously making me hungry!

      Reply
    9. FRANK DECOLA says

      May 03, 2019 at 10:23 am

      5 stars
      I remember having this in my growing up in Calabria. My question is could you use Filio dough? I know filio is very thin it could be doubled two three time I have no problem with the traditional way. What you think of this idea.

      Reply
      • Lora says

        May 03, 2019 at 3:51 pm

        Hi Frank, I think it would be fine to use fillo (phyllo). My mother-in-law does some torte salate with pasta fillo. It would have a more crispy texture. Maybe do 6 layers on bottom and then cover with 6. Let me know if you try it and how it turns out! I'm super curious to try it like that now!!

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    lora and gabby

    Welcome to our Italian kitchen! We are Lora and Gabriella, the mother-daughter team behind Savoring Italy. With more than 30+ years of experience in the kitchen, Lora has had a great advantage – receiving guidance from both her husband who is an executive chef/restaurant owner and her mother who is a renowned private chef. 

    More about me →

    Popular

    • dandelion greens on a white dish.
      Sautéed Dandelion Greens with Garlic Recipe
    • overhead image of easy pumpkin pudding cake
      Easy Pumpkin Pudding Cake Recipe
    • Hearty Italian Garlic Bread Recipe (with Baguette)
    • overhead image of vegan pumpkin pasta with sage in white bowls
      Easy Creamy Pumpkin Pasta Sauce Recipe

    Pasta

    • pasta rapini closeup image
      Easy Pasta with Rapini Recipe
    • pasta alla gricia closeup
      Easy Pasta alla Gricia Recipe
    • penna arrabiata overhead shot
      Easy Penne all' Arrabbiata (Spicy Tomato Sauce Recipe)
    • spaghetti algio e olio
      Easy Garlic and Oil Pasta (Spaghetti Aglio e Olio)

    Lake Como Travel Guide

    lake como

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Photo Use Policy
    • Podcast
    • Press
    • Videos

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2023 Savoring Italy