QUALITALY_144

MAGAZINE Februar y/March 2025 Preparation Grate the peel of one lemon, mix with the flour and add the granulated sugar. Add the other ingredients needed to make the doughnut. Then add the eggs, the softened butter, a pinch of salt and the aniseed liqueur. Knead everything together with your hands until you have a smooth mixture, with the consistency of soft but very compact shortcrust pastry. When the dough is smooth, shape it into the typical Romagna doughnut shape, elongated and roun- ded, similar to a loaf of bread. Cover a baking tray with baking paper and pla- ce the dough on top. Brush the surface with milk and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Now place in a conventional oven at 180°C for about 40 minutes. Remove the doughnut from the oven and leave to cool, then cut into fairly thick slices. Salame del Papa (Pope's Salami) Some say that the name comes from the fact that it is so good that it is worthy of the papal table; others say that it was so called because it was created to get around the fasting rules of Lent that prohibited eating meat. Il salame del Papa is unusual in that it contains chopped ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ RECIPE Lamb almond paste This is a Sicilian recipe that does not involve baking marzipan. It can be shaped by hand as cloistered nuns did a century ago in Sicilian monasteries. Ingredients 500 g almond flour; 400 g icing sugar; ½ am- poule of bitter almond flavouring; 75 ml water; 150 g honey (or glucose); 1 Easter sheep mould; water-based food colouring. Preparation Pour the almond flour and icing sugar into a bowl and mix until smooth. Then add the honey (or glucose), water and bitter almond flavouring, and knead by hand for about 10 minutes, until the almond paste is firm and uniform in colour. Now take the lamb mould. We recommend li- ning the inside with cling film to avoid wetting the plaster. Portion the dough into the 2 pieces to fill the mould. Finally, close the mould and press it, removing all excess parts. With the colours, define the details of the sheep: the eyes, the coat and the muzzle. Once placed on the tray ready to serve, don't forget to place the all-important red paper banner. Brazadela romagnola A sweet little cake that evokes fond memories and traditional flavours. The original recipe for the Romagna-style doughnut does not have a hole in the middle. It is not soft and resembles a loaf of bread covered with a sprinkling of sugar. Tradition has it that each slice is dipped in wine at the end of a meal or soaked in tea, coffee or breakfast milk. Ingredients 300 g plain flour; 2 eggs; 80 g butter; 130 g granu- lated sugar; half a sachet of baking powder; 15 ml aniseed liqueur; zest of 1 lemon; a pinch of salt; milk for brushing; granulated sugar, for garnish. NORTHERN ITALY: UNIQUE RECIPES AND LOCAL TRADITIONS In northern Italy, Easter is celebrated with des- serts that represent a blend of innovation and tradition. In Lombardy, for example, Resta is a sweet focaccia that originated from a mistake made in the 19th century, when a baker added too much yeast to the dough, creating a focac- cia that soon became very popular. Its recipe is similar to that of panettone, but it is enriched with raisins, candied fruit, butter and orange. In the Veneto region, Easter fugassa is a le- avened cake made with butter, sugar, eggs, almonds and orange zest. It is prepared in a similar way to panettone, but its shape and ingredients make it unique. In Friuli, Easter desserts include Pinza triestina, a sweet bread enriched with raisins, and Presnitz, a dessert filled with walnuts, almonds and rum. TRADITIONS IN LIGURIA, PIEDMONT AND VALLE D'AOSTA In Liguria, during Easter, marzipan and cava- gnetti are the traditional festive desserts. Marza- pani are small pastries made with almond paste, while cavagnetti are baskets of sweet leavened dough, which often contain a boiled egg, a sym- bol of rebirth. In Piedmont, on the other hand, Salame del Papa (Pope's Salami) is a chocolate dessert reminiscent of the salami of the same name, enriched with hazelnuts and rum. In the Aosta Valley, Easter traditions include Mecoulin di Cogne, a panettone enriched with cream and raisins, and Presnitz, which is prepared with rum, walnuts, hazelnuts and almonds, and is one of the most popular desserts in the region. Its origins are ancient; it was prepared once a year in the communal ovens scattered throu- ghout the villages. But even today it is a deeply felt tradition for which all true Valdostans jea- lously guard their recipe. XV