Quaresimali genovesi
Even Genoa has its Lenten, colorful biscuits prepared without animal fat to respect the precept of lean that precedes the days before Easter.
The origin of the Genoese quaresimali is very ancient and has been handed down for centuries thanks to the historic pastry shops of the Ligurian capital that continue to produce them with the care and wisdom of which they are depositaries.
It is said that they were invented in the Genoese convent of the Augustinian nuns of San Tommaso (church now destroyed), where some nuns created these almond cakes, orange flower water and sugar, without the addition of animal fat. At the base of these tasty biscuits there was almond paste, very common in the menus of the Genoese nobility, especially in 1700. The art of mixing sweet and bitter almonds with sugar has its origins in the Arab-Persian culture brought to Italy thanks to the commercial role of the Republic of Genoa.
During the nineteenth century, a famous pastry shop in Genoa made its own the original recipe for Lent that, following the destruction of the convent, was in danger of being lost.
Does your greediness lead you into temptation? Then give in, surrender to this authentic "sin" of gluttony. You have the choice between the three different types of quaresimali: canestrellini (or donuts) with distilled water of orange flowers; mostaccioli, lozenge-shaped, with fig and lemon jam; marzipan, prepared on the wafer and filled with dark sugar syrup to taste various (chocolate, coffee, various fruit compotes).
If you visit Genoa during Lent, do not miss the opportunity to taste or give quaresimali gifts, an original way to get in tune with the culture of this city.
Procedure:
Put the almonds in a mixer with the sugar. Beat the egg whites until stiff and add them gently to the mixture of almonds and sugar until it is well compact and uniform. Add the orange blossom water and the flour you need to dry the dough until it no longer sticks to your hands.
Roll out the dough with a thickness of one centimeter and obtain donuts and small rounds to be dug in the center and diamonds. Spread the jam of figs and lemons or apricots on one of the two sides, and then overlap the other making a slight pressure to make it stick. Decorate the donuts and lozenges with the confettini, brush all three types of biscuit and bake at about 180° for about ten minutes.
To decorate the round biscuits dug in the center, prepare the icing (with sugar, lemon juice and warm water with food coloring, or syrups of various flavors) to use to fill the recesses in the center of the cakes and decorated with confetti.
Ingredients:
- 250 grams of peeled almonds
- 200 grams of sugar
- 2 egg whites
- meal to taste
- 2 or 3 teaspoons of orange blossom water
- jam (with figs and lemons or apricots)
- grain of sugar
- fennel seed sprinkles
- mompariglia
- codettes