Are you looking for the best Rustico Leccese recipe? Discover it by reading this article!
Among the many baked products made in Italy, and more specifically in Apulia, one cannot fail to include the very tasty Rustico Leccese, which is currently also on the ‘National List of Traditional agri-food Products’ drawn up by the ‘Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies’.
With its shape very similar to a French vol-au-vent, it is one of the savoury pastry products, made with a few ingredients not exactly typical of the traditional cuisine of Lecce, which on the contrary prefers genuine ingredients linked to rural traditions.
Nevertheless, the Rustico Leccese recipe has been handed down from generation to generation, found in all bakeries in Lecce, perfect for a quick snack to eat anywhere or for an aperitivo.

Rustico Leccese Original Recipe
The preparation of Rustico Leccese requires a certain amount of manual dexterity, especially its puff pastry, which provides a casing for the remaining two ingredients with which it is made, namely béchamel and tomato.
Ingredients (Serve 4)
Below is a very simple recipe that can easily be made at home with ready-made puff pastry rolls:
- 2 rolls of puff pastry
- 200 g tomato puree
- 1 mozzarella or fior di latte cheese
- 1 garlic clove
- 12 basil leaf
For the béchamel:
- 200 ml milk
- 20 g butter
- 20 g 00 flou
- nutmeg and pepper to taste
- salt to taste
For brushing:
- 1 egg
Instructions
To prepare the Rustici Leccesi, the first thing you need is béchamel.
Melt butter in a saucepan together with flour to form the typical roux, then add milk, flavourings and salt.
Stir continuously to prevent lumps from forming.
Store the béchamel in a bowl and in the meantime finely chop the mozzarella, or fior di latte, trying to remove all the wet part by taking it to a colander.
Separately, season the tomato sauce with salt, basil and garlic.
Now you can start assembling the ingredients. Cut 16 circles from the puff pastry with a 10 cm diameter pasta cutter and 8 circles with an 8 cm diameter pasta cutter.
Place 8 large circles on a baking tray covered with baking paper and brush with beaten egg, then place another circle of the same size on top of each one.
This will allow the rustici to grow in height while baking.
In the centre of each circle place a generous spoonful of béchamel and then a spoonful of tomato puree. Finish with a little mozzarella, finely chopped beforehand.
Once the stuffing is finished, brush the edges of the circles with egg, which will act as a glue to the smaller circle to be placed on top. Finally, brush each rustico with the remaining egg.
Proceed with baking in a static oven at 200° for about 25 minutes. The Rustici Leccesi will be ready when their surface is golden brown. When they are cooked, wait a little while to cool and serve.
To make the Rustico Leccese even tastier, cooked ham can be added to the filling.
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