[ Post a Response | Aunt Runner's Lost Recipes ]
Posted by tata on January 4, 2007, 6:12 am, in reply to "Re: Italian ring, Biten Biliad" --Previous Message--
89.34.249.182
: Ok. I think this is what your grandmother made from the
: description you gave (somewhat sketchy). I am
: including two recipes. One is Italian - so you can
: get the idea of flavorings and one is more
: americanized. I have also seen this called Italian
: Christmas Pie.
:
: Too late for this year but maybe for next year in
: memory of a special great-aunt to keep up the
: tradition.
:
: The cake sounds German. Do you know where your great
: aunt was from?
:
: Deweydecimal
:
:
: Spongata (kind of sweet pie)
:
: Very special pie of the Emilia area between Brescello
: and Parma, typical of both the Parma and the Piacenza
: provinces - a pleasure to eat but also to make, since
: its filling alone requires a 15-day-long preparation!
:
: Ingredients For the filling: toasted bread (250 g.),
: pine seeds (140 g.), sultana raisins (100 g.),
: hazelnut kernels (200 g.), peeled almonds (120 g.),
: candied citron-peel (50 g.), jam (300 g.), honey (1000
: g.), powdered cinnamon (6 g.), powdered cloves (4 g.),
: nutmeg (4 g.). For the pastry: finest white flour (500
: g.), butter (250 g.), honey (250 g.), an egg, baking
: powder (15 g.), icing sugar, as much white wine as
: necessary.
:
: Preparation of the filling: grind the toasted bread
: very thinly. Pour the honey into a pan and let it boil
: over a medium flame for five minutes. Add all the
: ingredients, stir, then take the pan off the cooker
: and let the mixture settle for 15 days, minding to
: stir it everyday.
:
: The dough: dissolve the baking powder in a little
: quantity of lukewarm wine. Make a flour heap and pour
: in the middle of it the softened butter, the honey,
: the egg yolk, the baking powder with the wine, then
: knead quickly. If necessary add some white wine. Let
: the dough settle for 15 m., then divide it into two
: parts and roll them out rather thickly with a rolling
: pin.
:
: Preparation of the pie: butter and flour the pan, then
: lay the first sheet of dough. Pour the filling on it
: and cover it with the second sheet of dough. Put the
: pan in the pre-heated oven (180°C) for half-an-hour,
: until the pie gets brown-coloured. Then take it out of
: the oven and dust with icing sugar.
:
:
: ___________________________________________________________
:
:
: Christmas Pie
: Spongata
:
: Serves 6
: Preparation: 2 hours plus 2-3 days' resting for the
: filling
: Cooking: 25 minutes
: Recipe grading: complicated
:
: A classic Renaissance dessert, usually served at
: Christmas time. It is a specialty of two Emilian
: towns, Brescello and Busseto, the latter being the
: birthplace of Giuseppe Verdi.
:
:
: For the filling: Scant 1 cup/4 oz/125 g walnuts
: Scant 1 cup/3-1/2 oz/100 g fine, dry breadcrumbs
: 1 cup/11 oz/300 g chunky jam
: 1-3/4 cups/1 lb/500 g clear runny honey
: 1/2 cup/4 fl oz/125 ml water
: 1/2 cup/3 oz/90 g seedless golden raisins/sultanas,
: soaked in water; well drained
: 1/2 cup/3 oz/90 g pine nuts
: Dash of ground cinnamon
:
:
: For the pastry: 2-1/2 cups/l0 oz/300 g all-purpose/
: plain flour
: Scant 1/2 cup/3-1/2 oz/100 g superfine/caster sugar
: Dash of salt
: Finely grated zest/peel of 1 lemon
: 2/3 cup/5 oz/150 g butter; cut into small pieces
: 1 whole egg and 2 egg yolks
: Confectioners'/ icing sugar
:
:
: Chop the walnuts finely.
:
: Spread the breadcrumbs out on a shallow baking sheet.
: Place in a moderate oven to brown lightly.
:
: Chop the fruit pieces in the jam into very small
: pieces.
:
: Place the jam, walnuts, and breadcrumbs in a mixing
: bowl.
:
: Pour the honey into a small saucepan with the water
: and bring slowly to a boil.
:
: Stir into the mixing bowl with the nut and breadcrumb
: mixture. Add the golden raisins, pine nuts, and
: cinnamon. Mix well.
:
: Cover the bowl with a clean cloth and leave to stand
: in a cool place (not in the refrigerator) for 2-3
: days.
:
: To make the pastry, sift the flour into a mixing bowl.
: Add the sugar; salt, and lemon zest (with no pith) and
: mix well.
:
: Turn out onto a pastry board and heap up into a mound.
: Make a well in the center, then add the butter, using
: your fingertips to rub it into the flour. The mixture
: should resemble fine breadcrumbs.
:
: Add the egg and yolks and combine, working the pastry
: dough briefly. Shape it into a ball and cover with
: plastic wrap (cling film). Chill in the refrigerator
: for 1 hour.
:
: Divide the dough in two portions, one slightly larger
: than the other. Roll them out into two disks, trimming
: one to 9-1/2-in/24 cm, the other to 11 in/28 cm in
: diameter. (Use the lower edges of suitable size
: saucepan lids, dipped in flour, for neatness.)
:
: Place a sheet of silicone baking paper on a baking
: sheet and transfer the smaller disk carefully onto it.
:
: Give the filling a final stir and spoon it onto the
: pastry dough, spreading it out, but leaving a 1/2 in/1
: cm border all round the edge.
:
: Cover with the large disk, pressing the border and
: edges to seal well (trim off any overlapping dough
: from the larger disk). Bake in a preheated oven at 375
: degrees F/190 degrees C/Gas 5 for 25 minutes.
:
: Leave to cool before sprinkling with sifted
: confectioners' sugar.
:
: Flavors of Italy: Emilia Romagna
: By Rosalba Gioffrè
: Time Life Books, 1999
:
:
:
:
:
: --Previous Message--
: A great aunt on my husbands side made this and gave it
: to us for years until she died. It was a ring of
: pastry dough, almost like pie crust, that had wine in
: the dough. It was filled with raisins and nuts rolled
: up then formed into a ring and baked until brown. The
: descriptive name is spelled phoenetically since I have
: no idea of the correct spelling.
:
:
:
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