Tag: Befana

Sweet brooms of the Befana – Italian Cuisine

The sweet brooms of the Befana are a very sweet idea to bring a themed sweet to the table on the day of the Epiphany (even if, if you want, you can also recycle them for Halloween, passing them off as witches;)) Little work (just enough time to prepare and shape the pastry and then to assemble everything with melted chocolate) for a tender, cute and even greedy result. You can serve them as a sweet on the day of the Befana, or even use them as a little gift to put in the stocking … what do you think?

Preparation: 35 min
cooking: 10 min
total: 45 min + 1-2 hours of rest

Method

How to make the Befana's sweet brooms

Prepare the shortcrust pastry by combining all the ingredients in a bowl and stirring quickly until you get a smooth dough.
Cover with cling film and let it rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Resume the dough, create 3 sausages about 1-2 cm wide and divide them into 5 pieces, which you will then have to shape to create the bristles of the brushes: just create a half oval and then engrave the bristles with the prongs of a fork.

Arrange the biscuits on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 180 ° C for about 10-12 minutes or until golden brown, in a preheated convection oven.

Remove the biscuits from the oven and let them cool completely, then melt the chocolate, dip the top of the pretzels in it and let them adhere to the biscuits to create the handles (use plenty of chocolate so that they do not come off!).
As they are ready, place your brooms on parchment paper and let it dry completely.

The sweet brooms of the Befana are ready, you just have to serve them.

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Befana: history, traditions and typical dishes – Italian Cuisine

He arrives with his broom and gives sweets to the good children and coal to the bad ones. The history of the Befana and the traditions linked to this figure

"There hag he comes at night with his shoes all broken . Or: "Theepiphany all parties take away . There are many proverbs and idioms handed down over time and linked to the feast of January 6. The last of the Christmas period, with many meanings and symbols, typical recipes and above all with many desserts surprises for the little ones.

Between sacred and profane

According to the Christian religion, Epiphany is the day on which the three Magi kings, coming from the East, as the second Gospel reports Matteo, following a star they managed to reach Bethlehem, in the manger where he was born Jesus to honor him with gods gifts. It is no coincidence that the word Epiphany derives from the Greek "Manifestation" and Befana is none other than one corruption lexical of this term. But January 6 is actually an important date since the times of pre-Christian antiquity. The ancients Romans, for example, on this day they celebrated the beginning of the year with celebrations dedicated to the god Janus and to the goddess Strenia, while at the time of the emperor Aureliano from December 25 (feast of the sun) until the twelfth day following that date a particular practice was introduced: to burn an oak trunk continuously since from coal product could have obtained benefits in terms of luck for the following year. Furthermore, always in ancient times, it was believed that in the twelve nights preceding January 6 the goddess Diana, flying in the sky together with other female figures, he could make the soil more fertile and more fruitful. It is therefore evident that the origins of these holidays, and especially of the Befana, the great secular protagonist of the Epiphany, are truly ancient.

From gods to witches

With the Roman church's condemnations of pagan rites, the previously celebrated female image began to take on another form. And from the divinities we passed to witches. Long skirt, apron with pockets, shawl, worn shoes, handkerchief in the head, a physical aspect that is anything but pleasant and inevitable broom: soon the iconography of the Befana as we know it today took over, also favored by the hostile climate of Middle Ages towards certain pagan representations. Yet there are also those who speak of a relationship with Saint Lucia, the saint of light, illumination and therefore of the "manifestation", or even of a legend linked to the Christian origin of this holiday. According to this version, the figure of the Befana could in fact be inspired by one old lady to which the three Magi would have turned for information on the road to Bethlehem. The woman in question, however, would have refused to help them, soon regretting it: the next day, realizing the missed opportunity to see Jesus, the old woman tried to follow the Magi but was no longer able to find the baby. And for this reason every year, on January 6, he goes to all the houses to bring gifts to children.

The stocking, the coal and the exchange of gifts

Whatever the true story of the Befana is, what is certain is that it is a figure closely linked to tradition Italian, despite some assonance with those of Celtic and Germanic origin. Suffice it to say that this word, used to mean a female puppet exhibited on the night of the Epiphany, was already widespread in the popular dialect of the fourteenth century, especially in Tuscany It is in the Lazio northern. Gruff character and, in some ways, a representation of the old year, ready to sacrifice itself to revive a new period of prosperity, the Befana over time has become a sort of Grandmother who rewards good children with gifts, sweets And treats (formerly also tangerines and fruit) and punishes the bad ones with charcoal. The dreaded charcoal which, however, can also become edible and a very simple dessert to prepare. But why on the night of the Befana there is the tradition of socks? Again there are several theories. One of these is inspired by a legend according to which Numa Pompilius, one of the famous seven kings of Rome, used to hang during the period of solstice in winter a sock in a cave to receive gifts from a nymph. However, this is only a hypothesis. And it doesn't matter: today the Befana continues to be awaited by everyone, even by adults (who, however, tend to exchange gifts that are less demanding than those of Christmas) and always remembering to keep alive the tradition of the stocking to be filled.

Befana from north to south

But what are the dishes always linked to this holiday? In almost all regions there are traditional recipes that continue to live, especially with regard to desserts. In Tuscany, for example, they prepare for the occasion i horses di Siena, soft biscuits with water, sugar, honey, candied fruit, anise, nuts and yeast, while in Versilia there are so-called befanini, citrus-based shortbread biscuits e rum, covered with colored grain. In Varese January 6 rhymes with pinsa, a polenta pizza prepared with corn flour and dried fruit, while in Liguria there are the anicini (aniseed biscuits), in Abruzzo the pepatelli (similar to cantucci, but based on black pepper, honey, flour, cocoa, almonds and orange peel) while in Puglia you go by purcidduzzi from Salento at cartellate from Bari. In Campania, finally, the arrival of the Befana corresponds with the preparation of the prima pastiera of the year.

The gluten-free stocking of the Befana – Italian Cuisine

Ideas and ideas for sweets and treats to be included in a gluten-free Epiphany sock, for celiac children of all ages

The Befana comes at night, you know. But if she has to enter the house of a celiac or intolerant child with her broken shoes, things get complicated. What can the good old woman put in the sock of those who cannot consume gluten? Obviously you can select desserts of all kinds among the gluten free guarantee products. Or it can be done in home. Obviously a leading role can be played by fruit, fresh (oranges and mandarins always give color and scent) or dry. And then you can add chocolate and candies, taking care to select them among the "safe" ones. The extra touch, however, what will not make you feel the lack of other products not tolerated, is the realization of small home made delights. Here are some greedy and completely gluten-free ideas

Puffed rice chocolates, pistachios and pine nuts

It starts by melting, separately, 150 g of dark chocolate, 150 g of milk chocolate and 150 g of white chocolate. In a bowl, mix 60 g of safe puffed rice with the same number of shelled pistachios and pine nuts. Each type of chocolate incorporates one third of mixed rice and dried fruit, then arrange the mixture obtained in well-spaced piles on one or more trays lined with baking paper. Put the sweets in the refrigerator to cool until the chocolate has solidified, before transferring them to colored tins or food bags.

meringues

It seems like a complex preparation, but it is not, it only takes a little time. After weighing them, whisk the egg whites of 4 eggs until stiff, with a pinch of salt. We will proceed first at low speed, then gradually at ever higher speed. Got one very swollen and soft mass, a quantity of sugar equal to double the weight of the egg whites is added, little by little. Continue to work until the mixture is firm and shiny. It is placed in bows with a pastry bag on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and baked in the oven at 80 ° C for about 4 hours.

Marzipan sweets

Finely chop 150 g of almonds and mix them with the same amount of sugar, a teaspoon of orange blossom water and 2 tablespoons of unmounted egg white. Work to obtain a firm mixture, adding more egg white if necessary. Divide the mixture into balls, arrange them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and let them rest for a whole night, then brush them with egg white and brown them in the oven at 250 ° C for about 10 minutes.

Candied peels

To prepare the candied peel, you must first peel some oranges and cut the peel into sticks. After putting them in a saucepan, cover them with cold water, bring to a boil and drain. Repeat this operation 4 times, then put the peels back into the saucepan and sprinkle them with sugar: calculate 4 or 5 tablespoons of sugar for the peel of 4 oranges. Add a little water and boil them until they are candied. Let them dry before packing: if you like, you can dip them in chocolate melted dark chocolate, then let them dry again.

Crisp

Briefly toast 500 g of almonds in the oven (or if you prefer hazelnuts, pistachios, or mixed dried fruit). Put 300 g of sugar and a little water in a saucepan, bring to low heat and prepare a rather dark caramel. Pour the dried fruit into the caramel, remove immediately from the heat and pour the mixture into a pan greased with oil. Level with a spatula and let the brittle cool, then cut it into pieces.