Ciarduna Recipe

Directions:

1. Ricotta Mix - filling
2. Filling: Sieve the ricotta and then whisk in the icing sugar, lemon essence and then add almond dust - mix well and chill.
3. Description:
4. 1• Mix flour, sugar, ammonia, vanila and yeast.
5. 2• Add milk a little at a time until you get the proper consistancy for the dough (consistancy for the dough should not be to hard and not to soft - in the middle). Let the dough rest until it levetates.
6. 3• The technique for making the hollow body is simply by cutting the end off a broom stick (non dyed or painted), about 8 inches long and rolling the dough around the wood. You can buy the wood object at a specialty ethnic pastry shop supply company.
7. 4• Put in the oven at 325 degrees until lightly browned to maintain softness and a little cookie type texture. Lightly grease the pan so the pastry does'nt stick or use non stick aluminum paper that is now available at major supermarkets.
8. 5• Remove from oven and then let cool. (traditionally the dough mix was cooked in oil - I personally don't like that - I like the cookie texture the oven gives)
9. 6• Add the ricotta mix in the hollow body of the pastry.
10. 7• For decoration lightly sprinkle icing sugar and bit of almonds.
11. Enjoy - Please do not copy this recipe unless you intend to give me credit - please let me know if you want to add this recipe to your site. I'm the only site with this recipe that was translated by a recipe my grandmother gave me in Sicily. Please don't use without permission. I will be more than happy to share this with you - just let me know.
12. *Ammonia Baking Powder: (ammonium bicarbonate) This LEAVENER is the precursor of today's baking powder and baking soda. It's still called for in some European baking recipes, mainly for cookies. It can be purchased in drugstores but must be ground to a powder before using. Also known as hartshorn, carbonate of ammonia and powdered baking ammonia.
13. *Strutto: Lard is fat from a pig. It may or may not be rendered. Fat from beef is referred to as beef tallow or suet .
14. For cooking, Lard has been treasured for centuries upon centuries amongst Northern Europeans and Chinese. Now, in many people's minds, Lard is so far out of fashion that they wouldn't allow it into their grocery carts, let alone their homes. It's certainly not used much anymore in processed foods, as that would put off buyers of products who are Muslim or Jewish.
15. Someone's using it, though, because you still see it at the supermarkets. It never really went out of fashion in cooking in the American South. It's still used a great deal in Chinese cooking, and in all Latin American cooking including Mexican. And, in fact, sales of Lard in America have started to rise again since the early 2000's, perhaps due to the growing Spanish population. And maybe, just maybe, home pastry cooks are sneaking it into their carts again.
16. It is a great carrier of taste, and has a very high smoke point. In baking, Lard doesn't melt as quickly as butter in crusts and breads, so it allows for lighter finished products. Some feel that while butter gives good flavour, Lard gives the best texture, so they often swap in a bit of Lard for some of the butter in recipes such as pie crusts.
17. Url:
18. Www.italiancook.ca/dessert-cake-recipes.htm#strutto
19. (photo can be seen here along with numerous italian recipes - enjoy!)
20. From the family of Elena, Mario, Riccardo and Carmelo - the above url is their's.
21. Contact them for the prep and cook time - not too sure about those times, but til they are LIGHTLY BROWN - between 8 to 12 minutes.