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Pitte con Niepita Calabrian turnovers
Pitte con Niepita (Baked Calabrian turnovers filled with wine grape marmalade, cinnamon, ground walnuts, cocoa and rum)
Originated from: Calabria, Italy
Occasion: Christmas and other times
Contributed by: Adapted from "The Flavor of Italy in Recipes and Pictures" by the Chamberlains (1965)

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Ingredients

For pastry crust
Pasta frolla dough or store-bought pastry dough

For filling
1 cup Italian wine grape marmalade (Or, if unavailable, use grape jam or grape jelly thickened with 2 or 3 teaspoons of potato starch, dissolved in a few drops of water.)
1/4 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
2/3 cup walnuts, ground
6 tablespoons cocoa
1 1/8 tablespoons rum

Egg wash
1 egg yolk



Directions

Place about 1/2 cup Italian wine grape marmalade in a large bowl (If one does not have Italian grape marmalade, thicken grape jam or grape jelly by stirring 2 or 3 teaspoons of potato starch first dissolved in a few drops of cold water. Let it cool before using).

Add sugar, cinnamon, ground walnuts, cocoa and rum and work into a firm paste.

Make pastry dough or use a good mix sweetened with a little sugar.

Roll the pastry dough to about 1/8-inch thick out rather thin, cut it into 3 1/2-inch rounds, and put a spoonful of filling in the center of each round.

Moisten the edges of the dough, turn the rounds over in half over their filling, and pinch the edges together.

Prick the tops of the turnovers with the tip of a pointed knife, and brush them with egg yolk.

Bake them on a floured baking sheet in a 400 degrees oven for 15 minutes.

Serve hot or cold.


Notes

The recipe in this entry was adapted from one published in, "The Flavor of Italy in Recipes and Pictures" by the Chamberlains (New York: Hastings House, 1965). The cookbook can be borrowed for free from the on-line public library, www.openlibrary.org.... The author commences the recipe by saying "The distinctive thing about these little turnovers is the unusual flavor of the filling. The base is grape jam which must be quite firm. If necessary, thicken 1 cup of grape jam by melting it over low heat and stirring into it 2 or 3 teaspoons of potato starch first dissolved in a few drops of cold water. Let it cool....." Photo: Mary Melfi.

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