Holidays Archives - Very EATalian

Crostoli: a perfectly crisp Carnevale treat

January 23, 2020 By very EATalian Leave a Comment

Carnevale is the period falling right before Lent when Italians indulge in rich foods, silly costumes, and pranks. Kids (and sometimes adults) dress up for Carnevale and even go to school and local parades, all dressed up. I was an adorable Pierrot at age 3 and a cute gypsy at 4. Then there’s no other photographic evidence of my Carnevale outfits…until I was about 10. That’s when I wore my unforgettable (cringe!) 1800s-style Principessa Primavera dress. I looked like a pink cloud, covered in tulle and frills, with a silly hoop at the bottom of the skirt, bouncing back and forth as I moved anywhere. The best part of the costume? The wide-brim hat covered in pink tulle, leaving my poofy bangs intact. In the picture I looked all cheerful, right next to my cousin wearing the same exact dress (yikes!).

As I grew older, my interest shifted from wearing costumes and throwing confetti in the air, to savoring delicious Carnevale treats, i.e., frittelle, castagnole, and crostoli. My mom usually makes one batch of each and they all disappear pretty quickly. Crostoli are the treat that goes the quickest, as they are utterly and sneakingly addictive!

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Torrone dei Morti: Chocolate Hazelnut Torrone

November 2, 2016 By very EATalian 2 Comments

The Day of the Dead (commonly known in Italy as “i Morti“) is a Catholic festivity occurring on November 2nd, right after All Saints’ Day. This is when most Italians visit the cemeteries and bring fresh flowers — often mums, a flower representing mourning and death — to the tombs of their loved ones. Back home, my dad usually lights a few red candles (lumini) and puts them on the window sill as a way to remember those of our family who aren’t with us anymore.

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Frittelle – Italian Carnival Fritters

February 7, 2016 By very EATalian 2 Comments

Carnevale is all about excess — it’s time to dress up in costume, throw coriandoli (confetti) in the air, and indulge in sweets of all sorts! Talking about sweets, our Carnival family tradition is to make enough fried confections (frittelle, castagnole, and crostoli) to feed 5 families (i.e.: us + aunts, uncles, and cousins)…so I’ll let you imagine the hustle and bustle going on in the kitchen during this frying marathon and the endless spread of goodies we always end up with.

For those who aren’t familiar with these typical Carnevale sweet confections, frittelle and castagnole are conceptually similar – they both come in a round shape and they’re typically fried. While castagnole are smaller and firmer to the bite, frittelle are bigger, softer and sometimes filled with different variations of delicious pastry cream (my favorite is Zabaione custard!). Also, what we call crostoli are called galani in Venice — they’re thin flaky sheets of pastry drenched in powdered sugar.

Last year, while I was in Florida, I made castagnole under the close supervision of my mom on Skype. This time around I’m lucky to be in Italy again and partake in the crazy preparations of Carnevale sweets in her kitchen. We made all the sweets listed above…and we’re probably not even done yet, since the last day of Carnevale is next (fat) Tuesday!

Here are her frittelle! They’re soft and relatively easy to make. I dare you to have just one.

Frittelle - Italian Carnival fritters

Author: Very EATalian

Serves: 6-8 people

Ingredients

5.3 oz (150 g) raisins
3 medium eggs
5.3 oz (150 g) granulated sugar (+ more for final dusting)
1 cup (250 ml) whole milk
¼ cup (60 ml) grappa (or rum)
3.5 g (half packet) active dry yeast
2 big apples, grated
a generous pinch of salt
the zest of 1 big orange
17.6 oz (500 g) flour, sifted
peanut oil

Instructions

Soak raisins in water for about 20 minutes. Then, let them drain in a colander and lightly dust them with flour.
Lightly beat eggs inside a bowl. Add sugar and mix well.
Add milk and grappa (or rum). Add yeast and let it dissolve in the liquid mixture.
Add grated apples, orange zest, and salt. Gradually add sifted flour and mix well. Cover and let it rest for an hour.
Add lightly floured raisins to the mixture and stir to distribute them evenly in the batter.
Heat peanut oil in a medium steel pot. The temperature of the oil should be between 160°-170°C (320°-340° F). Using your finger, release a spoonful of batter into the oil (be careful not to burn yourself!). Repeat. Cook frittelle in small batches and do not overcrowd the pan.
Rotate frittelle often to ensure even cooking. When they have reached a brown/golden color and they're completely cooked through, remove them from the oil with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl lined with paper towels to absorb the oil in excess. Sprinkle granulated sugar on them while they're still hot.

Pinza Veneta – Holiday Cornmeal Cake from Veneto

January 6, 2016 By very EATalian 2 Comments

Here in Italy the holiday season is officially closing with today’s Epiphany festivities and tomorrow people will start taking down their Christmas decorations (if it was up to me, I’d keep’em up all year long!). Today, my family and I will enjoy the pinza leftovers from last night’s Panevin and get together to play boardgames.

As I mentioned in my previous post, pinza is a rustic cake made with polenta flour (which is a bit coarser than cornmeal) and wheat flour and it’s filled with dried fruit such as raisins, figs, dates and flavored with grappa, fennel seeds and orange zest. My mom and my aunt always get together to make it and they take turns mixing the ingredients in the pot, as the dough is quite thick and dense (like polenta!). Since both of them have bad shoulders, I normally step in and help them with the mixing. This time I carefully observed how they make it and …

Panevin Bonfire and Vin Brule’ (Italian Mulled Wine)

January 4, 2016 By very EATalian 2 Comments

On the day before Epiphany, the 5th of January, the ancient and rural ritual of Panevin (pan-eh-veen) is still observed around this part of Italy (i.e. in the Friuli and Veneto regions).

Panevin is a big bonfire made with a pile of off-cuts from pruned branches, brushwood, and other old wood destined to be burnt, on top of which an old lady-like puppet made of straws is placed. This puppet, commonly known as “La Vecia” (the old woman), symbolizes all the mishaps and calamities of the previous year (i.e. drought, hale, and anything that ruined the harvest) and “she” is meant to be burnt to give way to a better and luckier year and a plentiful crop. This ritual has also a religious meaning — the fire is supposed to light the way for the Three Kings bearing gifts to Baby Jesus.

Panevin in the making: these pruned grapevine branches will all be piled up to make a huge bonfire.

If a few years ago, it was very common for neighbouring families to set up and burn their own Panevin, these days it’s more common for local organizations to set up a giant bonefire in the town’s piazza or in an open farmland….

Small Bite Party Appetizers

December 31, 2015 By very EATalian Leave a Comment

2016 is almost here! Whoo-hoo!!

My plans for New Year’s involve staying home with my family, preparing TONS of stuzzichini (small bites), eating zampone and lentils (for good luck), fiercely playing tombola to possibly win some money, let my cousins and uncles scare me to death while they set off firecrackers, drink a glass or two of fine Franciacorta, and shamelessly do the conga around the table to 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s music. Oh, and I failed to mention my favorite part: lighting sparklers!!

What about you? How are you going to ring in the new year?? If you’re hosting dinner or you’re participating in a potluck, I’d like to inspire you with some of the small bite party appetizers I made for our NYE party. They’re pretty, refined, and elegant — suitable for any party and especially perfect for New Year’s Eve!

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Quick Panettone Muffins

December 24, 2015 By very EATalian Leave a Comment

If you’re still trying to figure out what dessert to make for Christmas, you should consider these delicious mini-panettone muffins. Not only are they easy and quick to make, they’re also super cute!

These little guys are a “cheat” and miniature version of panettone, the Italian traditional Christmas (sweet) bread. No leavening is required. Although their texture will remind you more of a cake, their flavor is definitely similar to the panettone’s….