Calzoncelli Lucani con Ceci: My Family's “Cuzadache”

According to my mom and other relatives of her generation, my great-grandmother called these Cuzadache and also called them “Cushions.” They're little fried pastries filled with chickpeas, apple butter, and sugar, then finished with powdered sugar.

If chickpeas sound like an unusual dessert filling, stay with me. Blended with apple butter, they make a thick, sweet filling with a little texture. Wrapped in flaky dough and fried until golden, the finished pastries matched the texture and appearance my mom and other relatives described..

I reconstructed this version from inherited handwritten notes, conversations with my mom and other relatives of her generation, and my own kitchen testing. I used a food processor for both the dough and filling, rolled the dough about ⅛ inch thick, and fried the pastries at approximately 350°F.

The filling is where you have room to make them your own. I used about ¼ cup of sugar, but my mom remembers them being less sweet growing up. Taste the filling as you go, and remember that powdered sugar goes on the outside, too.

Why I'm Calling Them Calzoncelli Lucani con Ceci

My mom and other relatives of her generation never knew these as calzoncelli. To them, they were simply Cuzadache.

When I started looking into the name, my family's roots in Ripacandida gave me a place to start. Ripacandida is in the Vulture area of Basilicata, in the province of Potenza, according to Parco del Vulture. Basilicata's official tourism site also describes calzoncelli as traditional regional sweets and notes versions filled with chestnuts or chickpeas.

That makes calzoncelli lucani con ceci the closest connection I've found to what my family made. I can't prove that this was the original name of our recipe or explain exactly how “Cuzadache” came about. I'm keeping that uncertainty in the story because it's part of what I'm still trying to figure out.

My mom and other relatives consistently remembered an apple butter filling, and that is the version I wanted to reconstruct.

Making Sense of the Handwritten Notes

The inherited card wasn't written by my great-grandmother. My family believes it may be someone else's notes from watching her cook, although we can't confirm that. Some ingredients have measurements. Others are simply written down, with little explanation.

One note says “thick cream cheese.” My mom clarified that this describes the consistency of the filling. There is no cream cheese in these pastries. The filling should be thick enough to sit in the middle of the dough while you fold and seal it.

Ingredient Notes

The dough

The dough uses all-purpose flour, shortening, a little granulated sugar, and cold water. I used 5 cups of flour and 1¼ cups of shortening, with ¼ cup sugar and 1 cup cold water. After mixing it in the food processor, I wrapped it and refrigerated it for about an hour. The finished dough was flaky, matching the texture my family described.

Chickpeas and apple butter

I used one drained 15-ounce can of chickpeas and approximately 8 ounces of unsweetened apple butter that already contained cinnamon. My mom and other relatives described my great-grandmother's filling as having more texture than mine. The food processor made mine smoother, but I stopped short of turning it into a completely smooth paste.

Sugar, cinnamon, salt, and powdered sugar

I used about ¼ cup granulated sugar in the filling, along with salt to taste. If your apple butter doesn't contain cinnamon, add cinnamon to taste. Dust the pastries with powdered sugar while they're still warm after draining.

Equipment

I used a food processor to bring the dough together and blend the filling. You'll also need a rolling pin, knife or pastry cutter, fork, pot suitable for frying, slotted spoon, and paper towel-lined tray. A frying thermometer helps keep the oil near 350°F.

Tools I Use for This Recipe

Ninja 9-Cup Food Processor

A suggested option for bringing the dough together and blending the chickpea-apple butter filling.

Escali Deep-Fry Thermometer

A suggested thermometer for keeping the frying oil near the tested 350°F temperature.

Farberware 18-Inch Rolling Pin

A suggested rolling pin for taking the chilled dough to approximately ⅛ inch thick.

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How to Make Cuzadache

1. Make and chill the dough

Add the flour, shortening, and dough sugar to a food processor. Pulse until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Slowly add the cold water while pulsing until the dough begins to form. Turn it onto the counter, gently knead just until it comes together, wrap tightly, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

2. Blend the filling

Add the drained chickpeas and approximately 8 ounces of apple butter to the food processor. Add sugar and salt to taste; I used about ¼ cup sugar. If your apple butter doesn't contain cinnamon, add cinnamon to taste. Process until mostly smooth with a little chickpea texture remaining. Look for a thick consistency, like cream cheese.

3. Roll, cut, fill, and seal

Lightly flour your work surface and roll the chilled dough approximately ⅛ inch thick. Cut it into roughly 2-inch squares. Place a small spoonful of filling in each square, fold into a triangle or rectangle, press the edges firmly together, and seal with the tines of a fork. Don't overfill them.

4. Fry and finish

Heat the oil to approximately 350°F. Fry the pastries in batches for 3–5 minutes per batch, turning occasionally, until both sides are golden brown. Transfer to a paper towel-lined tray and dust with powdered sugar while they're still warm.

A Few Things From My Batch

• The yield is an estimate. I made at least 20 pastries using half or less of the dough. I'd estimate about 40–50 from the full recipe, depending on size.
• The dough was about ⅛ inch thick. That is the thickness I tested for this version.
• The filling doesn't need to be perfectly smooth. Leaving a little texture brought it closer to what I remembered.
• Taste before filling. Apple butter and personal preference determine how much sugar you'll want.
• Keep the filling inside the seal. A small spoonful and firmly fork-pressed edges worked well for me.

Questions About This Recipe

Is there cream cheese in the filling?

No. The handwritten note refers to the filling's thick consistency. The filling uses chickpeas, apple butter, sugar, salt, and cinnamon only if your apple butter needs it.

Are these very sweet?

Mine were sweet without being overly sweet, but my mom remembers a less-sweet version growing up. Adjust the filling sugar to your taste and account for the powdered sugar finish.

Can I bake, air-fry, freeze, or make them ahead?

The tested method is frying at approximately 350°F for 3–5 minutes per batch. I don't have tested baking, air-frying, freezer, or make-ahead directions for this version.

More Old-Fashioned Family Recipes

• Filled Cookies with Lekvar and Nuts
• Vintage Italian Wedding Cookies
• Old-Fashioned Raisin Filled Cookies
• Grandma's Gumdrop Cookies

Recreating these was my attempt to turn my family's handwritten notes and spoken memories into a complete recipe. I still have questions about the name, but my mom and other relatives recognized the flaky dough and apple butter filling as the version they remembered. That's the version I want to keep making.

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Jacob Hensley

Cuzadache (Sweet Chickpea Pastries)

5 from 1 vote

My family's fried pastries with flaky dough, a sweet chickpea and apple butter filling, and powdered sugar. Reconstructed from inherited handwritten notes and my own kitchen testing.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 45 minutes mins

Chill Time 1 hour hr

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x?

Dough

• 5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups shortening
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup cold water

Filling

• 1 15-ounce can chickpeas drained
• 8 ounces unsweetened apple butter approximately; mine contained cinnamon
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar approximately; adjust to taste
• salt to taste
• cinnamon to taste, only if using apple butter without cinnamon

For Frying and Finishing

• neutral frying oil such as vegetable, canola, or peanut oil
• powdered sugar for dusting

Equipment

• Food Processor
• Rolling Pin
• Knife or pastry cutter
• Fork
• Pot suitable for frying
• Frying thermometer
• Slotted spoon
• Paper towel-lined tray

Method

 

1. Add the flour, shortening, and dough sugar to a food processor. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Slowly add the cold water while pulsing until a dough begins to form. Turn onto the counter and gently knead just until it comes together. Wrap tightly and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
2. Add the drained chickpeas and approximately 8 ounces of apple butter to the food processor. Add granulated sugar and salt to taste; I used about ¼ cup sugar. If your apple butter does not contain cinnamon, add cinnamon to taste. Process until mostly smooth but with a little texture remaining. The filling should be thick, like cream cheese. Taste and adjust the sweetness and seasoning.
3. Lightly flour your work surface. Roll the chilled dough approximately ⅛ inch thick and cut into roughly 2-inch squares.
4. Place a small spoonful of filling in the center of each square. Fold into a triangle or rectangle. Press the edges firmly together, then seal with the tines of a fork. Do not overfill.
5. Heat the frying oil to approximately 350°F. Fry the pastries in batches for 3–5 minutes per batch, turning occasionally, until both sides are golden brown. Transfer to a paper towel-lined tray.
6. Dust with powdered sugar while still warm. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

• Yield is an estimate of 40–50 pastries, depending on size. I made at least 20 using half or less of the dough; I did not count a complete batch.
• Fry for 3–5 minutes per batch at approximately 350°F. Total frying time depends on the number of batches and has not been recorded.
• The apple butter amount is approximate. I used unsweetened apple butter that already contained cinnamon and did not add extra cinnamon.
• I used about ¼ cup sugar in the filling. Adjust to your taste; my mom remembers a less-sweet version growing up. The pastries are also finished with powdered sugar.
• The filling should be thick, like cream cheese, with a little chickpea texture. Cream cheese is not an ingredient.
• Chill the dough for at least 1 hour.
• This is my family's reconstruction from handwritten notes and testing, not an exact transcription of the card or a claim to an official regional recipe.

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