I am immensely proud of my southern Italian heritage and love all things Calabrese, particularly the cuisine, which is not only rich in flavor but also tradition. Those culinary traditions seem to really shine through during the Christmas season. Some of my most beloved dishes are prepared at this magical time of year, savory spuntini, pleasing primi, succulent secondi and their sides, festive fruits, and sensational sweets.
One such sweet, filled cookies, known in our dialect, as sambartini. Biscuits typical of Reggio Calabria, also going by the names sammartini, petrali, cucciddati, cuddareddi and bucalleti; they are glazed ravioli with a heart of spiced fig and nuts, baked and decorated for the holidays. They currently rank highly among my festive favorites, however that was not always the case. Despite the fact that as a child I enjoyed shaping and decorating them with my mother, the idea of a fruit cookie did not score top marks in my books, and, as a result we actually went through a bit of a dry spell without them. However, as I grew older and developed my palette they were reintroduced as a Christmas tradition, and now I proudly take the reins on preparing our Calabrian celebratory confection.
The process actually begins in September, during wine season when a reserve of the freshly pressed grape juice is simmered into a syrup known as vino cotto (or vincotto) The reduced must (which can be used in a multitude of ways) is set aside until it is ready to be married with dried figs, raisins, walnuts, almonds, cocoa and other aromatics to make up the delicious centre of the sambartini. Come December, the ingredients are combined, and the waiting begins. A period of three days goes by in which the flavors of the blend are left to meld and intensify into a wonderful fruit mince. With each passing day, a small addition of the mulled wine is mixed in for moisture.
Next, comes the cookie dough, a semi-sweet pastry kneaded together with care and rolled out into a turnover of sorts, filled with the luxurious stuffing. Traditionally half-mooned shaped they are then brushed with egg yolk and garnished with colored sugar or sprinkles before baking or alternatively topped with chocolate or an icing sugar glaze once baked. I have fond memories of being a little girl perched onto a chair helping my mother cut the circles of dough and adding the finishing sprinkles. Even more fond are the moments I spent bonding with my parents learning how to make them with my own little girls as onlookers, sharing stories and laughter in the process of carrying on a treasured holiday tradition. The best part, proudly piling the freshly baked sambartini high on a plate and sharing them over an espresso. Buon Appetito e Buon Natale!
Sambartini Recipe
Filling:
- 1 cup dried figs
- 1 cup walnuts
- 1 cup hazelnuts
- 1 cup almonds
- 2 tsp cocoa powder dissolved in 1 cut hot water
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp cloves
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 cup vino cotto + additional 1/4 cup for mixing
- 1/4 cup unsweetened espresso for mixing
Pastry:
- 4 cups all-purpose flour plus additional for rolling
- 1 packet of Lievito Bertolini
- 3 eggs
- zest of one lemon or orange
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
Method:
Chop figs and nuts in the food processor to get a semi-fine mince and place in a large mixing bowl. Add in the raisins whole along with spices, hot cocoa, and vino cotto and mix well. Cover the mixture and allow it to rest in a cool place for three days, mixing once each day and adding the additional vino cotto and espresso.
When the mixture has set make the dough. Combine all the ingredients for the dough in a large mixing bowl and knead until you get a semi-soft bread like dough. Once the dough is made portion out and roll into 4″ circles. Place a tablespoon of the fruit mince in each circle and fold over into a half-moon shape.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place the filled pastries onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Brush the cookies with a beaten egg and sprinkle with decorator sugar or sprinkles. Alternatively, the cookies can be baked without the egg wash and then topped with an icing sugar glaze or melted chocolate.
Bake on middle rack for 20 minutes until the dough has browned. Remove and allow to cool.
Makes approximately 3-4 dozen cookies.
