Strufoli della Peppa.
The Peppa was my great-aunt, my granny's sister.
Still young, she was abandoned by her big love, and remained single. However, she kept a big love for the children.
She was used to take a big number of us and walk through the woods and collect flowers and fruits :Protective, careful, her wrinkled and stern face was relaxing only with us, wild devils.
Back home, we could always find surprise snacks, such as, sometimes, her famous "strufoli", a typical carnival cake, which we loved at all times.

300 grams flour
3 eggs
2 spoons of sugar
2 spoons of extra virgin olive oil
5 spoons of grappa
some rum
some alcohol
1 liter of frying oil
honey
grated lemon peels

They were good and costly for that time. For this reason some recipes were carried out only in the big holidays and events.

 

BREAD (description with the dialect words of that age)

The bread was done every 20 days. For Nonna Rosa the bread was sacred, and she was used to do it almost devoutly. Her respect for the bread was present within the whole farmer family.If a slice or even some crumb was falling down from their table, it was collected, then cleaned blowing on it, kissed and eaten with no problem.
This sacred respect was due to the many efforts it required and the need to have what necessary to live, as the bread was including any material maintenance.
Women were sieving the flour, in order to separate the fine from the course one.
This was happening at the "mattara", making the sieve running over the "cavalletta"
In the evening the housewife was used to take the flour using the wooden "miscula", then make "na mucchia de farina ta la mattara", making a hole and putting the yeast, after softening it through warm water. Finally she was used to mix everything.
Nonna Rosa was used to take part of the dough and cover it with flour: it was the yeast for the next time. Then she was taking off her wedding ring, to be used to mak out a cross on the rising, thus closing the "mattara".
The following morning the dough was kneaded and rows of bread were made, to be put in the bread table, properly covered by a hemp cloth, the bread rising was continuing.
Cross signs were made on the bread rows, using the hand edge.
In the meantime the oven, located close to the house, was heated. In front of it there was a very comfortable roofing, to protect the people from the rain. The oven reached the right temperature when the brick of the vault were taking a precise color; the housewife was then starting to bake with the wooden shovel. By one and one half hours the bread was cooked and it was a pleasure to feel the aroma of freshly-baked bread.

 

We will periodically publish anectodes and recipes and invite you to come with us and learn how to make a so good bread and more.