Granny Pardulas

Preparation:

Preparation: Using the appropriate grater, reduce the fresh cheese that has been matured for at least 2 days into flakes, put it in an earthenware or stainless steel pan, bring it over a low heat and stirring continuously, add in this order: 2 heaped spoonfuls of semolina, the grated peel of 2 lemons, one gram of pulverized saffron and 10 spoonfuls of granulated sugar. Mix with the wooden spatula until the mass, becoming compact, detaches in a single block from the walls of the container. Then remove it from the heat and let it cool, then add 5 egg yolks one at a time, keeping the whites in a bowl, and wait for the first yolk to be completely absorbed before incorporating the next. Once the filling of the Cardias de Casa fiiscu has been prepared in this way, it is necessary to prepare the dough for the casings. Arrange the flour on the table like a fountain, put the 5 leftover egg whites in the center and just break them up with a fork, 2 spoonfuls of lard and a pinch of salt. Mix everything carefully and for a long time, then stretch the dough obtained into thin sheets and cut them into discs of about eight cm in diameter. My grandmother used a coffee saucer as a mold and cut out the circumference with a pastry cutter with a smooth and thin edge. Once all the discs have been obtained, place a large walnut of the prepared filling in the center of each one, flatten it slightly and enclose it in the pastry, placing it along the circumference of the cheese ball with pinches distributed at symmetrical distances, so as to create a round case without lid. Arrange the Cardias obtained on the baking tray and cook over medium heat (180-200 degrees) until the filling has acquired a pale amber colour. Then they are decorated in various ways: sprinkled with ice or warmed honey and decorated with colorful sugared almonds or simply sprinkled with vanilla sugar.