Category: Dolci

Cuccia

Ingredients 

350 g of wheat grains

1 L of vino cotto (sweet cooked wine)

150-200 g of sugar

150 g of walnuts

150 g of grated bittersweet chocolate

150 g of pomegranate seeds

Preparation 

Soak the wheat grains overnight. Cook them in a large pot of boiling water. Drain thoroughly.

Transfer the wheat grains in a separate saucepan and add the vino cotto, the sugar, the coarsely chopped nuts and the grated chocolate. Combine all ingredients and mix with a wooden spoon.

Cook for 15 minutes and let it cool. At the end, add the pomegranate seeds and mix.

Ossa di Morti

Ingredients 

500 of flour

70 g of sugar

50 ml of anice

Wild fennel seeds to taste

40 g of lard

Salt

Preparation 

Arrange flour in a mound and make a well. Add the sugar, the anice, the fennel seeds, the melted lard and a pinch of salt. Combine all the ingredients and knead to obtain a smooth and elastic dough. Roll out little sticks with the dough and shape them into an 8, a braid or a ring. Bake in a preheated oven at 170° C (335° F), 20 minutes approximately. Take them out when they are golden.

Apostles’ Fingers

Ingredients 

3 eggs

200 g of ricotta

1 teaspoon of finely ground espresso coffee

Ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon of vanilla

80 g of confectioners’ sugar

Pinch of salt

Preparation 

Beat eggs with a pinch of salt and vanilla. Combine well. Heat an anti-adhesive pan and drop a spoonful of batter in it. Proceed as for a crepe. Turn it and cook until golden. Place it on paper towels. Continue with the rest of the batter. Pass the ricotta through a sieve. Combine with the confectioners’ sugar and the finely ground espresso coffee. Spread the filling over the crepes and roll them up. Transfer them on a dessert plate and dust with ground cinnamon.

Cooked Grape Wine

(Vino cotto can also be prepared with the must of grapes)

Ingredients 

10 kg of white or red grapes

Preparation 

Rinse the grapes. Discard grape-stalks. Drain thoroughly and dry the grapes on a kitchen towel. Place them in a large saucepan. Cook until thickened. Pass them through a sieve to obtain as much liquid as possible. Pour the liquid in a separate saucepan and continue cooking until it becomes almost solid. Pour it in bottles (previously washed) and cork the bottles. Keep it in a cool and dry place.

Copete

Ingredients 

200 g of sweet almonds

20 g of bitter almonds

600 g of confectioners sugar

3 egg whites

3 g of ground cinnamon

Round wafers (ostie)

Preparation 

Roast almonds in the oven, peel them and crush them in a mortar. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Slowly fold in the confectioners’ sugar, the almonds and a pinch of cinnamon. Place the round wafers (ostie) on a cookie sheet. Spread some mixture on each one. Bake in a preheated oven at l00°C (215°F), 20 minutes approximately. Serve cold. (Copete can be kept for a while)