Crispy Fried Pastry, Melted Cheese, Warm Honey: Sardinia's Seadas
The 69-year-old nonna shares a welcome-home pastry tradition
You know how sweet and salty popcorn works, even though it shouldn't?
La Seadas is exactly like that.
This Sardinian treat has the same unexpected magic. It’s crispy fried pastry on the outside, melted cheese on the inside, and honey drizzled all over it.
It shouldn't work, but it so does.
The cool thing is how it started. Seadas wasn't meant to be a dessert at all. When shepherds returned home after months in the mountains with their flocks, they needed actual food, not sweets.
The women would make these pastries filled with local sheep cheese. It was hearty and filling stuff. The honey came later.
Just like how we figured out that caramel and salt are perfect together, or how maple syrup on bacon clicks.
In anana, Nonna Roberta, a 69-year-old cook from Oristano, has been making this dish for a long time.
Sweet and savory isn't just a trend. It's probably the oldest food hack in the book. People in Sardinia have been nailing it for centuries.
About Nonna Roberta
Nonna Roberta welcomes visitors to her countryside kitchen in Oristano, Sardinia, where she has lived her entire life.
For Nonna Roberta, cooking creates connections. It's how she celebrates togetherness. Her hands show the strength of three decades in the kitchen.
During Oristano's Sartiglia festival, her small home transforms. Dozens gather around her table, sipping vernaccia wine while horsemen race through nearby streets.
Though she makes many dishes, her favorite is simple "pane indorato,” a rustic egg-fried bread that reminds her of childhood.
But this week, she's making something special. Nonna Roberta invites you to join her in creating La Seadas.
About the Recipe
Nonna Roberta’s La Seadas
⏲️ Cooking Time: 50 minutes
Shopping List:
500 grams Semolina Flour
200 grams Butter
Warm Salted Water
2 Lemons
500 grams Fresh Sheep Cheese
2 spoonfuls Sugar
1 liter Sunflower Oil
1 drizzle of Honey
How To Make It
Step 1: Prepare The dough
Melt your butter over low heat. In a large bowl, combine your semolina fine flour and the melted butter, mixing well. Slowly add warm salted water, adjusting as needed, until the dough comes together. Knead until smooth and elastic, then let it rest while preparing the filling.
Step 2: Make The Cheese Filling
Grate the fresh sheep cheese into a bowl. Add the zest of two lemons and two spoonfuls of sugar, mixing until well combined. This creates a slightly tangy, fragrant filling that balances the richness of the cheese.
Step 3: Roll The Dough
Roll out the rested dough into 2 thin sheets using a rolling pin or pasta machine. Fold the dough over on itself at least 4 times for best texture.
Step 4: Fill And Cut The Seadas
Place a spoonful of the cheese mixture in the center of half of 1 dough sheet. Space out the scoops of cheese and then cover with the remaining piece of dough. Cut out circles using a cutting wedge or a round mold.
Step 5: Fry The Seadas
Heat the sunflower oil in a deep pan until hot but not smoking. Fry the seadas one at a time, spooning hot oil over them to ensure even cooking. Make sure to not flip them while cooking. They should puff slightly and turn golden brown, typically in a couple of minutes per side.
Step 6: Serve With Honey
Remove La Seadas from the oil and drain on paper towels. Serve warm, drizzled with honey. (Traditionally, eucalyptus or chestnut honey for a rich, floral contrast)
Step 7: Mangia, Mangia
Now that you're done, there's only one thing left to do!
Before You Start Cooking
In Sardinia, a properly made Seada carries the maker's fingerprints in invisible patterns through the dough. Following the same recipe, each one tells you about the hands that created it. What will yours reveal?
P.S. What dish from your childhood announces "welcome home" to you?
Reply to this email and let us know; we might feature your story in an upcoming newsletter.
Nonna’s Notes
Quality matters especially with cheese.
La Seadas can be prepared ahead of time and frozen before frying. When unexpected guests arrive, you'll be ready to welcome them properly.
You can test the oil temperature by dropping a small piece of dough in it. If it rises surrounded by tiny bubbles, the oil is ready.
Different honeys create different experiences.
A Little Life Lesson from Nonna
“I find inspiration with a lot of imagination,” Nonna Roberta said.
She’s not one to cook with recipes or look at books. She is a true eater, a foodie.
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We add recipes to our collection weekly, drawing from kitchens across Italy's diverse regions and nonnas. 👌 Join our community and share your attempts at La Seadas with @cookwithanana. We'd love to see what you make!