Sant’Agata Olivettes: the original convent recipe and the legend that accompanies them. The olivettes of Sant’Agata are a typical Catanese sweet, closely tied to the Agata tradition like the famous Minnuzze di Sant’Agata or cassatelle and they belong to the great Sicilian cuisine and the many grandmother’s recipes. If you find yourself in Catania between January and February you would notice how the counters of pastry shops, bars and bakeries are full of beautiful and particular green sweets: the olivettes of Sant’Agata. But what are Sant’Agata olivettes? The Catanese sweet olivettes are small and very fragrant desserts made from almonds and sugar, traditionally linked to the celebration of the patron saint Agata. During the days of the festivities, stalls along the city center, full of torrone, candied almonds, torroncini and many other sweets, are on display. Where does the tradition of the olivettes of Sant’Agata come from? The origins of this sweet draw inspiration from the legends that tell the life of Agata. One, for example, tells how the girl, brought to trial by the soldiers of Quinziano, while bending down to fasten a shoe, saw a wild olive tree spring up in front of her. Another legend recounts that Agata accidentally struck a barren olive tree: at her simple touch it began, inexplicably, to bear fruit. The townspeople of Agata, after the girl’s martyrdom, took to collecting the olives produced by the tree to preserve them or give them as miraculous fruits. Thus, perhaps in memory of that event and maybe through the work of the Benedictine nuns of the Catania convent, a marzipan-like sweet was created that in shape, size and color slightly resembles olives. To taste this sweet, which is certainly much better and more characteristic when eaten locally, you don’t have to go to Catania: its preparation is in fact so simple that it is truly within everyone’s reach! Let’s go to the kitchen; we’ll discover together how to make the Sant’Agata olivettes, but first remember that if you want to stay updated on my recipes you can follow my page Facebook and my profile Instagram.
Also check out the recipes for these famous Sicilian sweets:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Inexpensive
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 30 Olivettes
- Cooking methods: No-cook
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons, Winter
Ingredients to make Sant’Agata olivettes
- 8 oz (about 1 1/2 cups) Almonds (freshly peeled)
- 10 Bitter almonds (or bitter almond extract)
- 7 oz (about 1 2/3 cups) Powdered sugar (confectioners') (pure, without added starch, just sugar)
- 2 1/3 tbsp Amaretto (liqueur) (preferably a dry amaretto)
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- 1 pinch Food coloring (green)
- as needed Granulated sugar (for finishing)
- 2 tbsp Water (about)
Tools
- Food processor
- Bowl
Preparation
Use almonds with the skin on and blanch them yourself — the result will surely be better. Gather the almonds in a bowl and pour over boiling water. Let them soak for 10 minutes, then drain them; you’ll see that the skins will have softened and you can peel them easily. Arrange them on a baking sheet and dry them in the oven at 320°F for 10–15 minutes; they should only dry out a bit. Alternatively, leave them exposed to the air for 24 hours.
Chop the almonds (they must be at room temperature) as finely as possible, avoiding overheating them so they don’t release their oil. Mix the resulting almond flour with the powdered sugar, add the liqueur, the vanilla extract and the food coloring.
Start kneading and assess how much water to add; you may need a bit more than indicated, but don’t overdo it.
Once you have a malleable mixture, form logs about 3/4 inch in diameter and cut them into pieces about 5/8 inch long. Shape the olivettes giving them the classic pointed olive shape and roll them in granulated sugar.
The Sant’Agata olivettes are ready — enjoy them right away and you’ll appreciate their aroma and goodness! You can also decide to glaze the olivettes by dipping them in melted chocolate, either halfway or entirely, but I love them in the traditional version, without chocolate.
The Catanese sweet olivettes keep well stored in a tin box for about ten days, but over time they will gradually dry out and lose some aroma.
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