Pastizzi ($1.50) are savory phyllo pastries native to Malta, a Mediterranean island country not far south of Sicily. Ricotta, you will not be surprised to hear, is one common filling. Another, shown here, may have been introduced during a century-and-a-half of British rule: beef and mushy peas. (For that matter, one wonders about a possible connection between the names of the Maltese pastizz and the Cornish pastie.)
Most of Leli's wares hail from the European mainland, but several other items are also prepared daily for Astoria's Maltese community. Qassatat (with a silent Q), open-topped shortcrust pastries with the same fillings as the pastizzi, appear during breakfast hours, though on the day of my visit they'd already vanished by lunchtime. Anchovies don't figure into the pastizzi or the qassatat as sometimes in Malta, but they do appear on what the menu board calls a "Maltese pizza," accompanied by ricotta, lima beans, capers, olives, and potatoes. Ample cafe seating would enable you to divvy up your pizza on the spot.
Leli's Bakery & Pastry Shop
35-14 30th Ave. (35th-36th Sts.), Astoria, Queens
718-626-8090
www.Facebook.com/pages/Lelis-Bakery-Cafe/494162847280991
