In my “5 Party Foods from Around the World” series, I cooked and learned about a greatly comforting Italian party dish called donzelle. Made from pizza pastry fried in oil, stracchino cheese, and prosciutto crudo, this prime example proves that meat, cheese, and bread is the perfect combination in any dish. It was simply delightful, and I can imagine some wonderful conversations taking place over a large, warm plate of donzelle!

This recipe comes from Lucrezia, who is from Florence, Italy. Although the recipe for donzelle changes slightly throughout the region, the basis is the same, therefore people from all over enjoy heaps of donzelle at parties and other functions. When served as smaller pieces, guests at any get-together can pick a few, cover them with cheese, and be on their merry way. Lucrezia’s aunt would make them for every special occasion, so many wonderful memories are linked to this dish for her. 

When making donzelle, I found the dough easy to work with. You roll it quite thinly before cutting it into rhomboidal shapes and frying these pieces. If you’re in a pinch and don’t have enough time to make dough from scratch, you could purchase pizza dough from the store and let it rise a bit before frying and get a similar result! Either way, you’ll produce a crunchy fried pastry best served hot. Accompanied by the stracchino cheese (or any other soft, spreadable cheese available to you) and prosciutto crudo, this salty, fluffy treat was mouthwatering. The fried bread puffs are even good on their own!

You’ll find me making this party food for movie nights or parties with friends and neighbors. It was absolutely delicious, and the salty prosciutto was the perfect addition. It was a privilege to discover this incredible take on meat, cheese, and bread, and I must thank Lucrezia profusely!