Deep-fried Cheese Pastries

This is the classic Sardinian dessert, served all over the island. In some areas the pastries are filled with young pecorino instead of ricotta. Lard was traditionally used to make the pastry because that’s what people had on hand. It gives a distinctive flaky texture and is still used by most people today; however, you can use butter, if you prefer. It’s easier to make this pastry using a pasta machine to roll it out.