Aranciata

The Aranciata, which should not be confused with the well Known drink, is an ancient dessert that has Arab origins and is prepared  in the area of Modica for the Christmas holidays.
These are small orange zest sands candied in honey with nuts and almonds and arranged to form a small basket.
For the known digestive properties, as well as aromatic, of oranges, this dessert was served, precisely, at the  end of the abundant christmas meal to facilitate digestion.

Despite the simplicity of the preparation and the ingredients, we assure you that this dessert will d be sure a worthy closure of your Christmas lunches and will leave the palates of all your guests happy.

There are several variants of this preparation that replace oranges with other citrus fruits that are equally widespread on the Island, such as cedars, lemons, mandarins and clementines.

First, peel the oranges, removing the peels in slices, which you will place in a pot with plenty of water and salt.

When the water has started to boil and the zest has been placed, drain it, leave it to cool and finally place it in a container with cold water.

Let them rest for 72 hours, but take care to change the water at least twice a day.

After soaking, drain and let them dry well. When they are dry, cut them into strips, not too thin.

Now start chopping not too small walnuts and almonds.

Take a quantity of sugar equal to the weight of the peel and place it in a pot with high sides, add honey and cinnamon. Melt the mixture over a low flame and mix until the aspect is that of a golden caramel.

At this point, dip the zest and cook over low heat, stirring the dough.

Slowly add the dried fruit, then remove the dough, place it on greased parchment paper (preferably almond oil) and give it the shape of a basket.

Let everything cool.

The dessert can be prepared a little in advance, thus recovering precious time to dedicate yourself to the other delicacies you will bring to the table during the holidays.

We advise you to use all quality products for an optimal preparation result and to accompany this dessert with good sweet island wines.

Happy holidays to all !!!!

Doses for 4 people:

- 8 oranges

- 2 tablespoons of honey (we recommend using orange honey, but with a liquid consistency)

- sugar (the quantity must be equivalent to that of orange peel)

- 4 teaspoons of cinnamon

- 2 tablespoons almonds (preferably peeled)

- 2 tablespoons of walnuts (preferably peeled)

Rice crepes or Sicilian donuts ("Crispeddi i risu" or "Zeppuli")

Rice crepes or Sicilian donuts, called in dialect " crispeddi i risu " or " Zeppuli " ) according to the places where they are cooked , are cakes very easy to make with honey and rice . However in the island there are numerous variations and according to tradition they are prepared during the Christmas period or on the occasion of Father's Day (March 19 ). Economic and tasty, they are a real delight of which are greedy adults and children .

In a large saucepan place the rice, along with the milk, salt and whole peel of an orange . Put the pot on the fire and let cook over low heat , until the rice has fully absorbed the milk (if necessary, add water so that is not too dry rice) . When the rice has completely absorbed the milk and assumed the appearance of an almost overcooked risott, remove the saucepan from heat and let cool for a few minutes. Now, put the rice in a bowl, remove the orange whole peel and add to the mixture sugar , cinnamon, the grated peel of an organge and a lemon, brewer's yeast (diluted with a little of warm water) and, finally, flour. Mix everything gently with a spoon, place over a placemat and let stand for about 2 hours. Take care that the mixture is not too dry, in that case add a little  of milk .



Put a pan with the oil on the fire and let it heat. Meanwhile, pour the rice mixture on a floured cutting board, roll it (the mixture will be higher about 2-3 cm), then cut it with a floured knife, creating little cane long 4-5 cm and thick almost a finger. Work the little cane with hands trying to shape into small cylinders and when the oil is hot start to fry your rice little cane, little by little and over low heat , turning from time to time. Remove them when they are golden , arrange on a plate with paper towels to absorb excess oil , finally put the little cane on another plate. In a saucepan heat the honey in a water bath ( or a few seconds in a microwave oven), when it is well liquid pour abundantly on rice cane . Sprinkle the donuts with icing sugar and serve at the table still warm .


I recommend to accompany zeppuli, simple but exquisite and that win young and old, with a fortified wine such as passito, zibibbo and marsala to exalt the citrus taste of rice crepes.

Doses:

- 1 liter/ Us quart of milk
- 300grams/11 oz of rice
- 200 grams/7 oz of Acacia's honey ( if you find it on commerce,I suggest to use organge blossom honey
- 150 grams/5 oz of 00 flour (or if you prefer cake flour)
- 20 grams/ ¾ oz of brewer's yeast

- 60 grams/ 2½ of granulated sugar
- salt (1 teaspoon)
- cinnamon powder (1 teaspoon)
- 2 orange peel (1 whole, 1 grated)
- 1 grated lemon peel
- extra virgin olive oil (4 tablespoons)
- incing sugar (6 teapoons)

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Cuccìa

The cuccìa is a Sicilian typical dessert that is prepared on the occasion of the party of Saint Lucy (December 13) during which, according to the tradition, in the Island nobody eats pasta and bread . It's a dessert  really simple to make, however wheat must be soaked for three days before cooking and the water should be changed every 24 hours. This step is fundamental otherwise the grain will remain too hard. There are versions that  prescribe the use of chocolate or cream of milk, but one that I present below is the original recipe made with Ewe's ricotta.



After the grain has been in soak for three days, proceed to cook it in a pot with water and salt (1 spoon and a half). The cooking of the grain will last for several hours, about 6-8, and must happen on a low flame. Alternatively, to shorten the time you can cook the grain in a pressure cooker (in this case the cooking will last about 40-50 minutes). When the grains is ready, remove from the fire and and leave it the whole night in the pot covered by a tea towel. The day later drain it and then dry it well with a tea towel

At this point, start to prepare the ricotta, that must assume the consistence of a cream. Mix together the ricotta with the sugar until the mixture seems like a smooth cream (if you want you can use an electric mixer). Now add the drops of chocolate, the candied fruit cut into small pieces and the cooked grain, stirring delicacy until everything is well amalgamated. Finish garnishing the surface with a sprinkling of cinnamon powder and some candied fruit, such as cherries. Let stand the cake in the fridge for 20-30 minutes before serving. If you prefer, you can serve cuccìa to your friends in single little cup.

I suggest you to accompany this dessert with the Sicilian sweet liqueurs like Malvasia, Passito, Zibibbo or, for those who prefer a contrasting taste, a dry prosecco.

Doses for 500 grams/1 lb 2 oz of grain:

- 500 grams/1 lb 2 oz of grain (to shorten the times of soaking and cooking, you can use the already cooked grain, but the final taste will be not the same)
- 800 grams/2 lb of Ewe's ricotta
- 400 grams/1 lb granulated sugar
- 100 grams/4 oz of drops of chocolate
- 100 grams/4 oz of candied fruit (cedar, orange, pumpkin and cherries to garnishing)
- cinnamon powder (about 5 teaspoon)
- salt (1 and a half sppon)

Almond jelly ("Biancomangiare" or Gelo alle mandorle)

Typical of the area of Modica, Biancomangiare is a dessert simple to prepare, its consistency similar to a pudding and its flavor delicate, ideal to consume at the end of a meal or even as a snack.

The traditional recipe prescribes to garnish it with cinnamon powder and almonds, but you can decorate it as you prefer, for example, with chopped pistachios, melted chocolate, mixed berries, fruit, etc...You can prepare it in a single big pudding mold or in little molds to make monoportions.


I will use for the preparation commercial almon milk, but if you want you can make fresh almond milk melting almond paste in water at ambiental temperature (usually it needs 1,25 liters of water to dissolve a paste of 200 grams, anyway you follow the instructions on the package).

Pour the starch and the almond milk in a saucepan and mix until starch will be completely dissolved, be careful that the are no lumps. Now add cinnamon powder, sugar and the lemon peel. Put the saucepan on gas and let cook over a low flame, mixing occasionally. Starting when it begins to boil, let cook for other two minutes, stirring constantly to prevent that cream sticks to saucepan. At this point, remove the lemon peel and pour the cream in a pudding mold (or, if you prefer, in little molds to make single portions) and let cool. When it will cool, put in fridge for at least 4 hours. Personally I suggest you let it in fridge for all the night. Garnish Biancomangiare with cinnamon powder and almonds, or how you prefer, and bring on the table.

If you consume Biancomangiare at the end of the meal, I suggest you to accompany it with a sweet red wine or a sweet sparkling white wine. This cake is ideal to be consumed by our vegan, lactose intolerant or celiac friends.

Doses for 6/8 people:

- 1 liter/US quart of almond milk
- 100 grams/ 4 oz of sugar
- 110 grams/ 4 oz of starch cake
- cinnamon powder (1 dessert spoon for the preparation, 3 to garnish)
- 1 lemon peel (try to cut the peel in a single strip)
- almond to garnish (with o without peel)

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Piparelle ("Pipareddi")

Piparelle (or "Piapreddi") are typical biscuits from Messina, which do my mind travelling in a sweet past: a characteristic hamlet in the mountains of Messina, San Pier Niceto; an old house with a brick oven on the first floor; a recipe written in a yellowed notebook handed down from generation to generation, placed on a table beset with flour; a woman called by all "Aunt Nanna", who loved to wear the apron to make happys his grandchildren and great-grandchildren and the scent that conquered all the rooms, strongly flavored, prelude to a delicious crispness. There are several variants of this recipe but I want to publish just that yellowed by the time, which my mother does live again during Christmas and Easter.

Preheat oven to 180 °C (356 °F). While oven heats up, put the sugar in a kettle on fire and melt it in water (about a glass). After pour flour in a large bowl and add almonds, baking soda, powder cinnamon and  mandarin-peel. Make a well in the center of the flour and put in the center the melted sugar, lard at room temperature, muscat wine and honey. So makes a soft dough worked with hands; if it is necessary add water at room ambient, just enough to soften the dough.  Divide it in loafs with a circumference of about 20 cm and length as the trays. Bake loafs for about 30 minutes (they will be ready when the crust is golden). Once cooked, let cool loafs for about 10 minutes, then cut into slices about 1 cm thicks. Put again Piparelle in oven, yet hot but turned off, until they become cold. This step gives the characteristic crispness.

Piparelle are the perfect biscuits for who loves the taste of almonds and the scent of honey and citrus fruits. I suggest you to dim them in a little glass of liqueur wine, like Moscato, Passito and Marsala, after meals. But who doesn't like this kind of dessert wine, can dim them in milk at breakfast, in tea in the afternoon or eat them natural during all hours oh the day.

Doses for a kilogram

- 1 kilogram of superfine flour (00 Italian Flour)
- 30 grams/1,05 oz of sugar
- 200 grams/7 oz of honey, preferably Orange honey
- 130 grams/4,6 oz of lard
- 30 grams/1,05 of baking soda
- 100 grams/3,5 oz of almonds with the peel
- mandarin (or organe or lemone) -peel (of 1 fruit)
- half a glass of Moscato wine
- half tablespoon of powder cinnamon

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