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Sfogliatelle Ricce (Recipe)

 

 

Flashback, I remember my father James "Jimmy" Selvaggio telling stories about a worker in his bakery,"Big John" he said they use to joke that his Sfogiatelle were huge like giant clams due to the size of his large hands.

Sfogiatelle Ricce (layered Sfogiatelle) is one of the most famous examples of Neapolitan pastry.

The local tradition says that this pastry was created by pure chance. It happened on bread-making day; one of the sisters (cloistered Nuns).

 A cook and blessed at pastry, found herself with some leftover semolina flour cooked in milk. As it is a sin to throw away food,  she thought of adding a few ingredients which she had in abundance in her pantry.

She mixed the semolina with dried fruit, lemon liquor (not yet called "Limoncello"), and sugar.

Then, after kneading the bread-dough with a little pork-fat and white wine, she flattened two portions of dough, filled them with the dried fruit preparation, folded them in the shape of a nun's wimple and cooked them in her wood burning oven.

 The abbess was the first to taste the new cake; she relished it so much that she decided to share it with "the outside world". On the Feast Day of St. Rosa's August 30th, she offered it to the people of Conca. Conca dei Marini google map

The Legend holds that when King Ferdinand first tasted the Sfogiatelle, he understood that he had found a way to access all European royal courts: what king or queen could resist such a Machiavellian culinary temptation?

 How many alliances would be owed to this splendid and delicious masterpiece? But... and there was a but: the Santa Rosa nuns had to remain cloistered... The king therefore had to abandon his project, because the authentic Sfogiatelle could only be eaten fresh out of the oven, it could not be re-warmed without losing its delicate crunchy crust.

SFOGLIATELLA SANTA ROSA
According to the 18th century convent recipe:

Take half a rotolo* of flour, mix it with a little pork fat and knead it with all your might (literally: "with the strength of a convict").

Then flatten out the dough and roll it out into the shape of a large bowl. Add a quarter of pork fat and roll it out four times "summerwise" and six times "winterwise".

Then cut it up into many pieces, roll them out and fill them with cream and chocolate or, if you prefer, with Castellammare ricotta.

Should you add a dash of vanilla, a drop of extract of Orange flower or a stick of candied citron, it will become a heavenly thing.

Fold the pâte feuilletée only halfway and, where the cream seeps from, add seven "weeping eyes" made with black-cherries or slices of peach. Slip into the oven and cook at a low temperature. Eat warm and lick your fingers."

*A rotolo ("roll") is an old Neapolitan measure of weight, approximately 2 lbs.

St. Joseph's Cakes (Recipe)

On this day, the feast of San Giuseppe, every Italian household makes its version of St. Joseph's Cakes , Zeppole, or cream puffs.

The St. Joseph's Cakes can be made ahead and frozen, and the filling can be made a day before serving. The lard is what makes the recipe authentic, but you may use all butter.

St. Joseph's Cakes (print recipe)

Ingredients:
CREAM PUFF SHELLS or you may use the Salera version
2 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups water
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
3 1/2 tablespoons lard (butter may be used, if desired)
6 large eggs

CREAM FILLING
1/4 cup potato starch or cornstarch
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large egg yolks
1 1/2 teaspoons Pure Almond Extract

GARNISH
Confectioner's sugar

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 425ºF (220ºC). Grease and flour a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.

Cream Puff Shells
Sift the flour, salt, and baking soda together and set aside.

In a heavy saucepan, heat the water, add the butter and lard, and when melted, remove pan from the stove and add the flour mixture all at once. Beat with a wooden spoon, then return the pan to medium-high heat, beating the mixture until it comes away from the sides of the pan. Remove the pan from the heat and add the eggs one at a time, beating with a wooden spoon or hand mixer to blend each in well before adding the next egg.

Fill a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain nozzle with some of the cream puff mixture. Squeeze out 1 1/4-inch puffs about 1/2 inch apart on cookie sheet. Bake the cream puffs in preheated 425ºF (220ºC) oven for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. When done, carefully slit the side of each cream puff with a knife to allow steam to escape and prevent the puffs from becoming soggy inside. Transfer the cream puffs to cooling racks.

Cream Filling
In a small bowl, mix the potato starch (or cornstarch, if using) and sugar for the filling. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, heat the milk and butter over medium-high heat until the butter melts. Add the starch mixture and cook over medium heat until it starts to thicken, about 2 minutes. Remove the mixture from the heat and slowly add the eggs, beating well. Return the mixture to the heat for just a few seconds to cook the mixture, being careful not to scramble the eggs. Pour the filling into a bowl, add the almond extract, and blend. Cover with buttered waxed paper and refrigerate until ready to use.

To Serve
Use a small knife to cut off the top third of each cream puff. Add about 2 teaspoons filling (more if the puffs are larger), replace the tops, and put puffs on a decorative platter. Dust with confectioner's sugar and serve immediately.

Makes about 48 Zeppole.

Variation:
Fill cream puffs with jam, chocolate cream filling, or ice cream. Drizzle chocolate sauce over the top and place a maraschino cherry over each Zeppoli, instead of confectioners' sugar.

Source: Nella Cucina by: Mary Ann Esposito
Publisher: Morrow Cookbooks; May 21, 1993

Date: March 19, 2004

Neapolitan Christmas and St. Joseph's Day Treats - Struffoli (Recipe)

 

 

  

Struffoli, is is one of the most popular Italian sweets found on dessert tables for Christmas Eve or St Joesph's Day!

 I remember well the towers of Struffoli at my Grandpa Salara's home!  I am so grateful I found this recipe here!  I loved the fried flavor reminiscent of mini eclair puffs drenched in honey syrup!  I will pass this down to my children as well!

The preparation is not fast but relatively simple (provided you have a bit of  familiarity with deep frying).

The following traditional recipe from my family has no leavening but the struffoli still comes out crisp.  If you prefer them more full in size, you may add a pinch of baking soda.

With this recipe be sure to let the dough rest a few hours before making the struffoli.

 

 

St. Joseph Cakes - Zepole (Recipe)

 

St. Joseph Cakes - Zepole- Choux pastry

 (print recipe)

 

Ingredients

2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4- cup water
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
1/2- teaspoon salt
3/4-cup all purpose flour, sifted
3 large eggs
4-cups vegetable oil (for deep frying)

 

Method

Mix sugar and cinnamon in shallow bowl, set aside.

Combine 3/4-cup water, butter and salt in heavy medium saucepan, stir over
medium heat until butter melts.  Increase heat and bring to boil.

Add flour all at once and stir with wooden spoon to blend.  Stir over
Medium heat until dough forms a ball in center of pan, about 1 minute.
Transfer dough to bowl.  Using electric mixer, beat dough until slightly
Cool, about 15 seconds.  Add eggs 1 at a time, beating until blended after
Each addition.

Heat vegetable oil in heavy large deep saucepan to 370 f.  Working in
batches, carefully drop mounded 1/2 teaspoons of dough into hot oil and
cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes per batch.

Using slotted spoon, transfer fritters to paper towels and drain 10 seconds.  Immediately roll fritters in cinnamon sugar. Fill puffs with Cannoli filling or custard and cooked cherries.  Dust with powder sugar