Some of the most joyous things of the Italian table are the desserts, breads and fried pastries that they make to honor holidays and which change according to the seasons and the holiday. Winter in general brings more fried goodies to celebrate religious holidays, like fried rice balls for the feast of St. Joseph’s on March 19th or fried pastry strips for Carnivale before Lent starts. But Christmas in particular showcases many fried and baked delicacies that are only made at this special time of year.
Panettone has become symbolic of the Italian Christmas celebration, golden elastic bread studded with raisins. Originally from Milan, panettone is now widely found not only all over Italy but also throughout the US. Even small grocery stores and specialty shops, from Italian grocers to World Market to Walmart: if you want a good panettone for the holidays, it is easy to procure. From Verona comes pandoro. Less well known, it’s a delicate, molded cake, 10 inches high and sprinkled with rum powered sugar.
But I want to talk about all the wonderful fried pastries they make in Italy at Christmas. Struffoli, those little balls of fried dough piled high and drizzled with honey and colored sprinkles; or stracci, thin strips of dough that are cut with a zigzag edge and sprinkled with powered sugar; or frittelle, rounds of bread dough puffed up in hot oil and dredged with granulated sugar. My favorite though is the panzerotti that my grandma used to make and serve on Christmas Eve.
Similar to a ravioli, panzerotti are from southern Italy and can be stuffed with either savory or sweet. At Christmas they are stuffed with a puree of chestnut, cocoa and liquor, fried and then sprinkled with powdered sugar or rolled in granulated sugar. They can be made with sweet pasta dough, which is crispy, or a bread dough, which results in a chewy dough. Either way they’re delicious and elegant.
Merry Christmas and Buon Appetito!
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