Dear Friends,
Happy February. It is the shortest but coldest month. Febbraio e corto e amaro.
Every month there is a celebration or a festivity in Italy. And if you are like me and just learning what are the festivities of the month, head down to the pasticcieria. In Allumiere Peccati Di Gola is our favorite.
This month it is carnival. The festivity before the pious period of lent in which you indulge in rich foods and festivities. In Rome ( and because of history, Civitavecchia and Monti della Tolfa are provinces of Rome), two traditional treats line the counters of every pasticceria and forno around the time of carnevale: frappe and castenogle.
I didn’t need to go to the pasticceria this month to realize what to look forward to this month. The Noni (grandparents) and Zia (Aunt) had started sending us parcels from Rome from the week before.
Frappe arrived first. Frappe or angel wings, are strips of sweetened deep fried dough with crimped edges and dusted with confectioners sugar. According to Rachel Roddy whose cook book I have been using for years for all things Roman “A good frappe will shatter, flake and then melt in your mouth”. Since the beginning of February and the weekend of the birthday these treats have popped up at the end of every meal.
I am in constant admiration of Roman women enjoying their dolce with out worry for their hips. The other day around 10:30 Ďam, on the way to the piazza to get the pulman to Civitavecchia, just outside the Bar Il Giardino getting some sun, I passed a friend who called me over to have a coffee with her friends. With espresso they had their treats of snow dusted frappe. I felt such guilt looking at these fried strips I had to turn them down after indulging in the previous weekend. The key to not gaining weight, is just to taste. I am still learning this most important rule why Italians don't gain weight. In fact at the pasticcieria there are bite size morsels to choose from. I am struggling with the concept. Sadly I turned down the offer. But I am still in admiration.
Yesterday Friday, I went to get castagnole for Alex which are his favorite. The castagnole ( little chestnuts) are named after the shape of the chestnut. They are also fried but rolled in sugar. I think Alex is drawn to them because it reminds him of munchkins.
When he was younger about 10, a treat after school when lived in New Jersey, was to go to Dunkin Donuts, the coffee franchise in Bloomfield. The ladies behind the counters who thought he was the sweetest, would often slip him a few samples of round sugar dusted donut holes called ‘munchkins’ while I ordered my ‘desert’ coffee - pumpkin spices latte or hazelnut flavored coffee. None of this “fru-fru” coffee is to be found in Italy!
To me they resemble sugary Johnny cakes, the fried dumplings I grew up with in Jamaica.
But the pasticierre was all sold out. I checked the bar that is quite popular with dolce. Whenever you visit a friend it’s customary to bring a package of pastry. And this bar is well know in Allumiere.
Packaged beautifully by Il Giardino
I was told “come back tomorrow at 12”. In rapid Italian she was trying to explain to me the difference and tried to convince me to buy the zeppole which had the cream so I that I did not have to come back. “Tutti fritti” she said. “All fried”. “All the same for carnevale”. Most people prefer the ones with the cream.
I did go back. Again no castenogle. So I took a sample of carnevale treats for after lunch desert. Larger square beignet dotted with icing and inside is zabiaone (cream), fritte and zeppole (little dots with cream inside). What makes the zeppole different from a donut is that it is made with more yeast and fewer eggs. The zeppole and castagnole are interchangeable these days.
Traditionally the castagnole was without the cream. Now they are made with different fillings. Ricotta spiked with rum or sambuca ( my favorite), pistachio cream or vanilla infused cream. What makes them so much better than a munchkin. One bite of these delectable pastries and you are in heaven. They are soft and fluffy in the middle and the flavored cream is a lovely surprise once you bite into the center.
Beignet, fritte and zeppole
I asked Chef Antonio if he could teach Alex and I to make Castagnole. Luckily for us he will on Sunday. I hope you can join us we will be on Instagram live.
At some point, we will be giving online classes. So if you are interested please let us know. And what are the dishes you would like him to make. He is no doubt one of the best chefs in Tolfa.
On Sunday, February 5th at 5pm Rome Time ( we are 6 hours ahead of Jamaica and New York) , We will be on Instagram Live again for more fun and learning Italian in the beautiful medieval town of Tolfa. I hope you will come to join us and please share with your friends.
COOKBOOKS
Looking for cook books with recipes and stories from, I use these the most.
Ps. If you download the app on your phone, it will be easy for you to see all my postcards on one page.