Calabrian Easter Bread:
From Ciro'Marina-Cotrone
Calabrian Easter Bread
11/2 cakes yeast dissolved in 2 cups warm water
5 pounds flour(all purpose)
11/2 cups sugar
8 eggs
2 tablespoons salt
2 sticks margarine
1 pint milk
Heat together milk, margarine, sugar and salt. Set aside. Beat eggs well,add a
few drops of yellow food coloring and a few drops of lemon flavoring for a
richer color. Fold in half of flour to egg mixture. Then add water and yeast
as well as warm milk mixture. Fold in remaining flour, let rise one hour or
until doubled in size. Shape into twisted rings or rolls, let rise 1 hour
again. Brush with 1 whole egg and 1 tbs. milk-well blended. Bake at 350
degrees for 20-30 minutes.
Rosalia Curtice Jones-Pittsburg Pa
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Homemade Macaroni-Pasta:
Oriolo, Prov Cosenza
Fusilli, Rashkatill and Tagliarini
3 cups all purpose flour(unbleached)
1 tlbs veg. oil
1 Tsp salt
3 whole eggs(if you want lighter pastas or egg noodles)
Prepare the flour as you would normal bread dough with salt and oil.(duram or Semolino flour is preferred by some.)If adding eggs,eliminate the oil. mound dry flour add salt mixture, leaving a crater in the center where the eggs are added.Graduslly work the entire mixture together kneeding the dough untill thourghly mixed(sprinkel more flour to elimanate any stickiness)
The dough is then rolled out into thin, flat sheets and the choice of the macorni which follows is now up to you.
Fusilli
These curley macaroni are made with the aid of a steel knitting needel.
Cut thin strips of dough and beginning at on end, wrap the strip around the needle(which has been lightly coated with oil) coiling it up all the way to the top. allow the pasta to set for a few minutes, before sliding it from the needle.Place finished product on a white cloth that has been sprinkeled with dry flour untill you are ready to cook.
Tagliarini
Tagliarini macaroni can be made by cutting the flattened dough into 1/4 inch strips with a pastry knife. Another faster and eisier way is with a long, metal, 1/4" square rod.This rod is simply rolled across the dough with the palms of your hands.The sharp edges of the rod cut into the dough resulting in perfect uniformed macaroni.the finished macaroni can now be laid on a floured
cloth, or hung up to dry, untill ready to use.
Rascatelle
This one is the most fun and my very favorite.With the palms of your hands, roll the dough out into long, narrow lenghts. Now chop off dough into about 1/4" pieces, which you will roll into marble sized balls.
With your indet finger, press the ball flat and roll forward. You should end up with a round, pressed pasta resembling shell macaroni. Thats Rascatelle!
Cooking macaroni
Remember the pasta is already soft and will not require the same amount of time nessecary to cook regular hard pastas. 5 -10 minutes of boiling,will usually be sufficient time. Boil in salted water untill dough is tender.It is now ready to serve topped with some good grated Pecorino cheese
and your favorite sauce.
Pilomena Corrado Grizzuti
Oriolo Calabria:
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Pit e Pepperoli:
(Pepper Pizza)
Oriolo, Cosenza
1 lb Rosted or Fried peppers
1/4 cup olive oil
Romano or parmagian cheese(grated)
Salt-black pepper
1 cup of your favorite meatless sugo.
THE DOUGH: Prepare it your way. Regular bread dough works well. let it raise to about 1- 2 inches.Dust dough with flour and crimp edges. Now punch(poke) in the finger indentations.
Rub the top & edges of the raised dough with a mixture of 1/4 cup of
olive oil(the oil from a tin of anchovies is added by some). sprinkle black pepper. top dough with enough pepper and sugo mixture to make a neat
topping. sprinkle on top some capers & black lye cured olives. If you
like top with romano cheese. (never mozzarella). it italy they never use mozzarella. they prefer the greayer type cheeses with less moisture.
TOPPING # 2
prepare dough as above #1
mix together 1/2 cup each of bread crumbs, 6 to 8 sliced garlic cloves,
1/2 cup of green onion or chives, 1/4 cup fresh italian parsley & basil. &
1/4 cup pine nuts (if available) mix well together
and sprinkle mixture over the dough.
Bake both versions according to the personality of your oven.
Jim Frega-Youngstown Ohio
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