Neapolitan Roccocò are typical sweets of the Neapolitan Christmas tradition, like the Mostaccioli and the struffoli, which conclude the lunch on December 8th.
They are made with flour, almonds, and a mix of spices called “Pisto“. Currently, it is easily found in stores, but if you want to prepare it at home you can read Here, and then baked in the oven.
The recipe for Roccocò dates back to 1320, when the nuns of the Royal Convent of Naples prepared them for the first time for the first Sunday of Advent.
They have a crunchy texture and for this reason, they are often eaten after being dipped in red wine, or in a glass of marsala or Vermouth. But I must confess that my dear mother-in-law used to dip them in a good glass of Strega liqueur from Benevento, a tradition that repeats itself every year in my family.
Well, let’s get to work immediately, put on our trusty friend “the apron” and let’s go… let’s make the delicious Neapolitan Roccocò that I assure you will enchant you.
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 20 Pieces
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Christmas
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 1/4 cups sugar
- 14 oz almonds (with skin)
- 10 g pisto
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 orange (organic, both juice and grated zest)
- 1/2 tsp baking ammonia (about 1/2 level teaspoon)
- 1 egg
Preparation
First, we need to toast the almonds in the oven at 285°F for about 5 minutes. Once cooled, coarsely chop about 1/3 of the almonds by hand or in a chopper, and set the others aside.
For the orange:
The orange must be organic. Grate the zest and set it aside, then extract the juice and filter it.
On the work surface or in a large bowl, pour the flour, then add the sugar, the almonds, both chopped and whole, the juice and grated zest of the orange,Pisto , and the baking ammonia (remember to be careful at this step as ammonia has a very strong and unpleasant odor).
Add the grated orange zest, cold water from the fridge, and the filtered orange juice to the dry ingredients. Knead all the ingredients together.
Continue to work and patiently mix until you obtain a smooth and homogeneous dough. Form a dough ball. If the dough is sticky, you can dust your fingers with some flour and also the surface of the dough.
Now we can proceed with forming the roccocò. Divide the dough into pieces weighing a minimum of 2.3 oz to a maximum of 2.6 oz each.
Create a log, always using a dusting of flour to help, then close it forming a ring shape about 4 inches in diameter and smooth the edges well so that the joint is not visible.
As you prepare them, place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, keeping some distance as they will increase in volume during baking.Finally, brush the surface with the beaten egg.
Bake at 355°F in convection mode, for about 10 – 15 minutes or until they have a nice color. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack.
Here are our delicious Roccocò ready.
Silvana’s Tips
To obtain softer roccocò, you can add honey to the dough. Both acacia and orange blossom honey are good.
Since there are many things to do at Christmas, you can prepare the roccocò well in advance. Sealed in a food bag, they keep well for over 10 days.
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