The light of the large candles carried on the shoulder illuminates the darkness of the night of Catania, hundreds of faithful flock to the streets of the historic center while the singing of the cloistered nuns rises from the grates of the Benedictine monastery, in via Crociferi. From 3 to 5 February the magic of the celebrations in honor of Saint Agatha, patroness of the Etna capital, is repeated punctually as every year. A story of all-female courage, that of the young woman of noble origins who underwent – in the year 251 – the martyrdom wanted by the proconsul Quinziano, so ferocious as to make her tear her breasts for her refusal to deny love for God.

History of the saint

From the memory of this sad but heroic episode, one of the most representative desserts of Sicilian pastry was born: the minne of Sant'Agata, or the famous cassettes with an unmistakable hemispherical shape that recall the breasts of a girl. «It's not just a dessert. Preparing the minne represents for me a true act of gratitude and respect for the courage and determination of Santuzza . To speak is Giovanna Musumeci, a young and exuberant pastry chef from Catania who, together with his father Santo, carries on the family pastry shop in Randazzo, one of the most beautiful villages in Etna. «Agata is first of all a woman who, in the third century, decided on her life with incredible strength and modernity. A woman who says no, even at the risk of life. A woman who prefers martyrdom to abjuration. A woman who does not fulfill the wishes of a powerful man at the expense of her faith and her being. For me an extraordinary example. And I like to celebrate it by preparing one of my favorite desserts, minne. Round and candid, virginal and at the same time voluptuous and intense, with a great personality .

The sweet

The main ingredients of this celestial delicacy are ricotta, marzipan and sugar glaze, which combine together with an all-female grace, thus creating a subtle seduction that is difficult to resist. Certainly not very suitable for people devoted to the balance, but in the end, as Giovanna likes to underline, "minna is not a dessert for everyone". According to tradition, minne must always be eaten in even numbers: two breasts and then two sweets, as well narrated in the novel Il conto delle minne by Giuseppina Torregrossa, much loved by Musumeci and mentioned several times during our meeting in the pastry shop. «There is a part of this novel that I particularly love: it is when the grandmother teaches Agatina how to make minne and how to be female in a world of males, in which males command, and while they confide they prepare minne, the sweet dedicated to Saint Agatha, to her martyrdom, to the violence of wanting to deprive a woman of her breast, of her femininity. A strong, feminine bond in which the grandmother educates, warns and passes down recipes for life around a table that remains, for us Sicilians, one of the family places .

Very current and contemporary – despite many centuries having passed – the history of Santuzza remains an example of timeless courage and determination. Before saying goodbye, Giovanna gives us her very own minne recipe. And we too can only shout out loud (and in dialect): "Long live Saint Aita!".

Giovanna Musumeci's recipe for the minne di Sant'Agata

Marzipan
120 g of almonds, 120 g of sugar, 40 g of pasteurized egg white.

Blend almonds and sugar together until you get a very fine mixture. Pour the mixture into a bowl by adding the egg white and kneading until it is compact and malleable. Add some very fine pistachio flour or, alternatively, a few drops of green food color.

Sponge cake
120 g of sugar, 120 g of flour, 4 eggs.

Whip sugar and eggs until a puffy and fluffy mixture is obtained. Add the sifted flour a little at a time with a spoon and with light movements from the bottom upwards. Pour the mixture into a mold and cook it for about 20 minutes at 180 degrees.

Ricotta for filling
300 g of sheep's ricotta, 80 g of sugar, 60 g of chocolate, 30 g of cedar, orange and candied pumpkin.

Put the ricotta to drain in a colander until it has lost the whey. Mix it well in a bowl with the sugar and sift the mixture to obtain a fine cream. Leave to rest in the fridge for a couple of hours and add the chocolate chips and candied fruit.

Sugar glaze
300 g of icing sugar, 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, 2 pasteurized egg whites.

Beat the egg whites in a planetary mixer. When the mixture is semi-whipped add the icing sugar a little at a time. Finally the lemon juice until obtaining a white, shiny and frothy cream.

Method

Line round molds with marzipan. Fill the mold cavity with ricotta. Close the mold with a sponge cake which, according to taste, can be soaked with a bath. Leave to rest in the fridge for a couple of hours. Turn out the minne by placing them on a grate. Slide the sugar glaze over the minne. Garnish with a candied cherry.

Santo Musumeci pastry shop, piazza Santa Maria 5, Randazzo (Catania).