The Spicchiteddi are a typical Eolian sweet, my sweet and dear grandmother Maria known as Francisca A’Marzuna, often made them.
She was from Panarea, and now after 50 years I’ve made them again.
” I found an old recipe at the bottom of the crumpled and greasy pages of an old notebook, with old-fashioned, ink-stained writing, a bit smudged and a bit stained with cooked wine, and I tied my apron with tears in my eyes for the emotion and nostalgia I made the Panarea cookies for my grandchildren”.
Origins of the Spicchiteddi
The Arabs had a hand in this during their domination of our lands in Sicily, bringing their spices, which, combined with our ingredients, created a special blend in Sicilian pastry in general.
The Spicchiteddi are made with: type 00 flour, sugar, cinnamon, cooked wine, almonds, citrus zest, cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves.
A soft dough is formed, twisted by hand into curls and spirals typical of Arab art.
They are prepared for all special occasions like Christmas, but my grandmother also made them at Carnival, Easter, and Ascension.
You can enjoy the Spicchiteddi with a small glass of Malvasia both in summer and winter.
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- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 40 cookies
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 156.39 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 22.60 (g) of which sugars 7.75 (g)
- Proteins 2.90 (g)
- Fat 6.65 (g) of which saturated 2.08 (g)of which unsaturated 4.13 (g)
- Fibers 0.96 (g)
- Sodium 0.76 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 40 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
Let’s go shopping
- 8 cups 00 flour
- 2 cups cooked wine (approximately)
- 1 orange zest
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves (leveled)
- 1 pinch cardamom
- 9 oz lard (at room temperature)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 packet baking powder
- 1 cups almonds (with or without skin, toasted)
The Spicchiteddi
Tools
What we need for making
- 1 Pastry board
- 1 Rolling pin
- 4 Baking trays
Steps
Before kneading, we must perform some preliminary operations:
Peel the orange, including the white part, and place it in a hot, turned-off oven until toasted, then pulverize it with a blender, and set aside.
Take the lard out of the fridge at least 1 hour before if it is winter.
Pour the flour on a pastry board, or in a bowl, make a well in the middle, and add the sugar, baking soda, pulverized orange zest, ground cloves, cinnamon, baking powder, and cardamom. Begin mixing the powders
Then add the lard in chunks, and gradually mix
For your convenience, you can transfer the mixture onto the pastry board and meanwhile pour the cooked wine, and knead slowly.
you need to achieve a dough similar to a shortcrust, form a ball and wrap it in cling film, or as grandma Maria used to say “nta pezza bagnata”, in a damp cloth. Let it rest for 30 minutes while you clean the pastry board.
After the resting time, roll out the dough obtained with a rolling pin to a thickness of about 3/4 inch, then cut into pieces to shape with your hands into serpent shapes about 3/4 inch in diameter and 4-6 inches long.
Then roll each dough stick on itself in a more or less elaborate manner and embed one or two peeled almonds on top of each cookie.
This is the classic shape but to simplify the work you can also make shapes of your choice.
Arrange on a greased tray with lard or for modernity with a sheet of parchment paper, and bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for 10-15 minutes.
And here are the Spicchiteddi ready with their typical amber-brown color from the cooked wine.
The Spicchiteddi can be stored in an airtight container or in the classic biscuit tin, they will not lose their goodness and fragrance for up to 1 month, and beyond.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
The Spicchiteddi
Where can I buy Malvasia to better enjoy the Spicchiteddi?
Click on the link to find out where to buy it. This one is original from the island of Salina. Malvasia Lipari Doc Hauner
