The little birds of Saint Anthony (cillitte) are typical sweets from Abruzzo made for Saint Anthony’s day (January 17th) and also during the Christmas holidays.
In the Province of Teramo, these little birds of Saint Anthony are made in various shapes, depending on the skill of the maker. In the past, they were offered to singing groups that roamed the streets to represent the life of the Saint in question. In some villages, like mine, this tradition is still practiced.
Like all typical recipes, everyone has their own personal recipe, but what doesn’t change is the filling, similar to Abruzzo sfogliatelle which consists of grape jam, cocoa (or chopped dark chocolate), and chopped almonds.
For more Christmas sweets, check out the collection: Regional Christmas Sweets
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 50Pieces
- Cooking methods: Oven
Ingredients
- 26.5 oz Flour
- 2 glasses Sugar
- 6 Eggs
- 1 glass Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 packet Baking powder for desserts
- Lemon zest
- 10.5 oz Grape jam
- 1.8 oz Dark chocolate (or unsweetened cocoa)
- 1.8 oz Chopped almonds
- 1 tsp Ground cinnamon
- Liquor (to taste)
Tools
- Pasta machine
Preparation
To make the little birds of Saint Anthony, form a well with the flour on the work surface, add the baking powder, and place the eggs in the center. Then add the sugar, olive oil, and the grated zest of one lemon. Initially, use a fork to mix the ingredients.
When the dough begins to form, knead it with your hands until it becomes soft and homogeneous. Let the dough rest for half an hour.
In the meantime, prepare the filling: in a bowl, combine the jam with the chopped chocolate, almonds, and a tablespoon of cinnamon. If the mixture is too thick, you can add a splash of liquor, like maraschino.
Roll out the dough with the pasta machine to a thickness of 1/8 inch and cut it with a pastry cutter (diameter 3 inches). Place a spoonful of filling in the center of each disk and fold them into a half-moon shape. In this case, I pricked the part where the closure occurs (the two ends) with scissors. Then I placed the little birds on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper with the decorated part facing up.
There is also another method to form the little birds: once the disk is closed in a half-moon, roll it onto itself to form an S. Prick the surface of the dough with small scissors to draw the feathers, with the tip pointing up to form the head and beak, and the one pointing down to form the tail.
Place the little birds of Saint Anthony on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake in a preheated oven at 350°F for about twenty minutes, until golden brown. Let them cool and serve them, if desired, with a dusting of powdered sugar.
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