I am so excited and honored to be sharing this post today! I know what you’re thinking… “Poland and Italy? Is she crazy?”
Mr and Mrs D ~ second family to my husband after he immigrated with his family and moved to Ohio, are amazing. Mr D is the typical hard-working, generous and kind-hearted Italian man. He comes from a small municipality, Aqua Santa. It is located in the Province of Ascoli Piceno in the Italian region Marche, located about 90 km south of Ancona and about 15 km southwest of Ascoli Piceno. It is located in the Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park. Mrs D is someone I try to emulate… she is a gracious, loving woman, looking after her family because they are her greatest treasure. Her family comes from the town of Poznan, Poland. The Old Town Square was the centre of old Poznań, and to this day is rich in historic architecture, museums and restaurants.
The marriage of Poland and Italy works… for Mr and Mrs D ~ and especially for those of us who love them, who have had the honor of knowing them, to be a part of their big family! enjoy ~ v
Chestnut Ravioli
Pastry pillows of chestnut puree, chocolate, amaretto, almonds, and candied fruit are deep-fried for an unusual dessert.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Ingredients:
Pastry:
2 egg yolks
1 Tablespoon water
1-1/2 Tablespoons white wine
4 teaspoons olive oil
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
.
Filling:
1/2 pound cooked chestnuts or canned chestnut puree
1/4 cup chopped candied orange peel
3 Tablespoons toasted almonds, chopped
2-1/2 Tablespoons grated bittersweet chocolate
1-1/2 Tablespoons amaretto liqueur
1-1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
4 teaspoons honey
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Oil for deep frying
Powdered sugar for garnish
Preparation:
Pastry:
Whisk together egg yolks, water, wine, and olive oil. Sift flour onto a clean workspace and make a well in the center. Pour the liquid into the center and begin working the flour inward from the sides until you have a dough. Knead the dough until smooth, cover, and set aside.
Filling:
Combine the chestnut puree, candied orange, almonds, chocolate, amaretto, vanilla, honey, and cinnamon until well-blended.
Roll pastry dough in a rectangle to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut 3-inch circles and place 1 tablespoon of filling on each. Fold over and press edges to seal.
Deep-fry in hot oil until golden and drain on paper towels. Let cool slightly and dust with powdered sugar.
Yield: 12 raviolis
Polish Chrusciki
Ingredients
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- 4 egg yolks at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
- 2 cups flour
- 1/4 cup softened butter
- 1 shot (1 1/2 ounces) of brandy, rum, brandy, or whiskey
- 1 egg white vegetable shortening, canola oil or lard for frying confectioner’s sugar for dusting 1 cup or so of jam, jelly or candied cherries (optional)
Directions
- Makes About 3 Dozen Cookies
- In the bowl of an electric mixer with the whisk attachment, beat eggs, egg yolks and salt until thick and lemon colored. Slowly beat in the powdered sugar, brandy and alcohol of choice.
- Change to the dough hook attachment on the mixer. Slowly mix in 2 cups of flour. Use the dough hook to knead the dough for 3-5 minutes. The dough should be thick, almost like bread dough.
- Rolling and Frying the Cookies To roll the dough you will be working with small balls of dough. Keep the rest of the dough in the bowl, covered with a clean damp kitchen towel to keep it from drying out while you are working.
- Take a piece of dough about the size of a baseball. On a floured surface, use a rolling pin to roll the dough out very thin — 1/8 of an inch at the most!
- Go through your cupboard and find three glasses in descending sizes (or if you have 3 round cookie cutters of different sizes, so much the better). Each rosette is comprised of 3 circles of dough, so use the glasses to cut circles out of the thinly rolled dough.
- Take a sharp knife and cut slits evenly around the circles from the outside edge to not quite to the center. Cut 6 slits in the largest circle and 4 slits into each of the 2 smaller circles.
- In a large pot or deep skillet heat about 3-4 inches of shortening, oil or lard until very hot. (You could alternatively use a deep fat fryer with clean oil.) Test the oil by putting in a small scrap of dough, it should sink to the bottom then immediately float to the top. When this happens your oil is ready.
- Use a large slotted spoon to gently lower each rosette into the hot oil Fry the cookies in small batches — depending on the size of your pot — no more than 3 at a time . Fry for about 1 minute (possibly a little less) then use tongs to gently remove the cookies. The cookies should just be barely golden brown. Drain on paper towels or on a wire rack set on a baking sheet. Dust liberally with confectioner’s sugar. If desired fill the center of the rosette with a dab of jam or jelly or a candied cherry. Store cool cookies in an airtight container.
- 1. 2. Brush a small amount of eggwhite onto the center of the largest circle. Staggering the slits so they are place on top of each other, center the second circle on top of the first, pressing gently so the egg white acts like glue to hold the two together. Repeat with the last circle.
http://www.inyourpocket.com/poland/poznan
http://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Europe/Italy/Marche/Aquasanta-156367/TravelGuide-Aquasanta.html
delectablediction 