Apulian Calzoncelli are essential traditional Christmas sweets on festive tables along with almond sweets, Christmas cookies, cartellate, castagnelle, and other delicious sweets.
Calzoncelli are small turnovers made with a very thin pastry and a filling based on almonds flavored with lemon, orange, or cocoa. They are then fried or (baked) and tossed in granulated sugar or fig vincotto. Due to their shape, in some parts of Apulia, they are also called Jesus’ cushions or angels’ pillows.
As with any traditional recipe, every region of Apulia has its variations. Each family has its personal recipe that it guards jealously and perfects year after year. There are areas where calzoncelli are filled with a filling of chestnuts and honey or mashed chickpeas mixed with dark chocolate and liqueur. In my area, Apulian calzoncelli are made with a filling based on almond paste flavored with lemon.
The recipe I’m sharing is my family recipe, the one my mother and I have been making for years during the Christmas season and keep trying to perfect each year. We also use the same dough to make cartellate.
This is not a quick recipe, but it requires resting times necessary for the perfect success of the recipe. It also requires time for their preparation. However, tradition has it that calzoncelli and cartellate are prepared in the family during the holidays, making it enjoyable to prepare them together as a small assembly line.
To make Apulian calzoncelli, it’s important to get a pasta machine. For optimal results, it is necessary that the sheets are very thin. Only then will you have a thin and bubbly dough that melts in your mouth. You could do it by hand, but it would become much more challenging.
Now let’s see together how to prepare these delicious Apulian calzoncelli. But first, I’ll leave you some links to other delicious Apulian sweets that are prepared during the Christmas season.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 45 Minutes
- Portions: 10 People
- Cooking methods: Frying
- Cuisine: Regional Italian
- Region: Apulia
- Seasonality: Winter, Christmas
- Energy 1,499.01 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 83.27 (g) of which sugars 78.80 (g)
- Proteins 13.06 (g)
- Fat 124.01 (g) of which saturated 10.79 (g)of which unsaturated 80.95 (g)
- Fibers 6.31 (g)
- Sodium 1.73 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 151 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 to prepare Apulian Calzoncelli
- 4 cups cake flour (or all-purpose flour)
- 5.5 oz extra virgin olive oil
- 4.7 oz white wine
- 1.4 oz liqueur (dry)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons sugar (level)
- 14 oz blanched almonds
- 7 oz sugar
- 3.7 oz fl oz water
- 2 lemon peels (grated)
- 1.2 oz fl oz lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 4 cups sunflower oil (for frying)
- as needed granulated sugar
- as needed vincotto (fig or grape)
Tools to prepare Apulian Calzoncelli
- Pasta Machines
- Fluted Pastry Wheel
Steps to prepare Apulian Calzoncelli
Let’s go through all the steps to prepare Apulian calzoncelli. I recommend preparing the filling a day in advance, as resting helps blend the flavors better.
As mentioned, the filling of calzoncelli varies from area to area in Apulia. In the Bari area, the most common filling is almond-based. Here’s how to prepare it.
Prepare the various ingredients needed for the filling. Grate the peel of 2-3 lemons. Set aside.
Juice the lemons from which you grated the peel and extract about 35 ml of juice.
Finely chop the blanched almonds. Do this in batches to avoid overheating the almonds.
In a saucepan, heat water and sugar to create a syrup. Over low flame, gradually add the finely chopped almonds, lemon peel, and cinnamon. Stir continuously until the mixture dries out.
Let it cool, then add the lemon juice. Mix well to distribute it evenly in the mixture. At this point, taste and adjust the flavor to your liking: you can add more cinnamon, more lemon juice, or more lemon peel. Transfer the filling to a closed container and let it rest for a few hours, preferably overnight.
Now proceed to prepare the dough. I recommend using warm or room temperature wine.
In a bowl, combine the flour, half a teaspoon of cinnamon, and 2 level tablespoons of sugar.
Add the olive oil and warm white wine
.
Also add 40 g of dry liqueur (I usually use grappa or whiskey), which will help create the characteristic bubbles on the surface and perfume the dough.
Start mixing the ingredients and kneading.
You should obtain a compact and elastic dough.
Transfer it to a work surface and knead it further to make it elastic.
When the surface is smooth, shape it into a ball,
wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest for at least 1 hour.
Now you have everything you need to prepare Apulian calzoncelli.
Take a small amount of dough and pass it through the pasta machine. Start working it at the widest setting.
After obtaining the first sheet, fold it over itself and pass it again through the pasta machine rollers. Repeat this operation 2-3 times, tightening the rollers each time. You should reach the first position, which makes the thinnest sheet.
The sheet will be ready when it is smooth and thin.
Take small amounts of filling and place them on the sheet at short distances from each other.
Moisten the edge slightly with some water and fold the sheet over the filling.
Seal the edges well.
Press between each filling with a finger.
Using a pastry wheel (preferably fluted), cut the calzoncelli.
Place them on a lightly floured cloth and proceed until the ingredients are used up.
Once you finish preparing all the calzoncelli, let them dry for a few hours. Ideally, they should dry overnight.
After the resting time, proceed to frying. Place plenty of sunflower oil in a pot and heat over moderate heat. When it reaches the right temperature, start frying the calzoncelli.
The frying should be delicate, and the oil should just sizzle. Cook the dough for a few seconds. As soon as bubbles start forming on the surface of the calzoncelli, turn them over. The surface should remain light, and they should just be lightly golden.
Drain them on a plate lined with paper towels.
Immediately while still hot, roll them in granulated sugar.
For calzoncelli with vincotto, heat the vincotto in a pan. If too thick, dilute it with some water. Immerse the calzoncelli, turn them for a few minutes in the vincotto, and then lay them on a serving plate. Pour the remaining vincotto over the serving plate to make them even more delicious!
Storage and Tips:
– Calzoncelli, like cartellate and almond pastries, are made in advance and in large quantities, usually at the beginning of December to last throughout the holidays. Like all sweets, they should be kept in a tightly closed container. However, if made well in advance, calzoncelli lose their crispness over time, so it’s best to make them at most one or two weeks before the festivities.
– You can vary the filling’s aromas to your liking. Our tradition dictates that the lemon aroma should be prominent, but if you prefer, you can also substitute lemon with cocoa, as done in some provinces.
– They can be topped with granulated sugar or fig or grape vincotto. If you prefer them with sugar, pass them in granulated sugar right after frying. If you prefer them with vincotto, you can also store them undecorated and dip them in vincotto a few hours before consuming them. Over time, the vincotto gets absorbed by the dough, making them even tastier!
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
If I don’t have blanched almonds, what can I use?
You can use almond flour. Alternatively, use almonds with the skin. Place them in a bowl full of water and heat in the microwave for 5 minutes. Then peel them, let them dry, and finely chop them for the filling preparation.
Can calzoncelli be baked instead of fried?
Yes, you can bake them at 180°F (about 82°C) for 15-18 minutes. Of course, they will not have the same texture and consistency as traditional ones, but they will be lighter.
Can the dough for Apulian calzoncelli be flavored?
Yes, heat the oil with some orange peel and then use that oil to prepare the dough for the calzoncelli.
Can honey be used instead of vincotto?
Yes, heat it in a pan and let the calzoncelli soak up the flavor.
