American Food Roots meets Italian Christmas Cookies
Adri’s Great Blog Cook-a-thon #5
Greetings of the season to all. And to those of you who follow me on Facebook, welcome to installment #5 of my Great Blog Cook- a-thon. For the rest of you dear Readers all, who are wondering “Great Blog what?” – let me explain. I often wonder if anyone actually makes the recipes I post. I figured I could not possibly be alone in the wondering. So I thought I’d cruise my fave blogs and make some of the recipes I see. So far I’ve made Linda’s Spiced Persimmon Cake, Greg’s Potato Galette, Mette’s Parrozzo, and Paola’s Ciambella.
Today it is Gabriella’s Calcionelli, a Christmas cookie from Italy’s Abruzzo region.
But this is a double header because in introducing you to this Italian Christmas cookie, I am also introducing you to a wonderful new website. Yes, Virginia, another website – American Food Roots. The brainchild of journalists and food writers Carol Guensberg, Michele Kayal, Domenica Marchetti, and Bonny Wolf, the blog will “address the question of why we eat what we eat.” Through essays, blogs, videos, interviews and recipes from all fifty states the site will explore American cuisine, its history and changes, the farmers who grow our food and more. And they welcome your help. Visit the site and be inspired to dig up a long forgotten recipe, and share it with everyone.
To return to #5 in my Great Blog Cook-a-thon, calcionelli come right from the American Food Roots site. Cookbook author Domenica Marchetti writes that her mother, Gabriella makes these cookies every Christmas morning.
Half-moons of tender dough are filled with fragrant walnut and almond honey fillings, fried in oil and dusted with powdered sugar.
A classic Italian Christmas cookie, calcionelli are destined to become a holiday tradition in your home too. American Food Roots and Domenica are “Calling all cookie stories”, inviting readers to send their favorite cookie with a story. Is it a family treasure? A neighbor’s pride and joy? Click here to find out the details about submissions. And for the calcionelli recipe, click here. These cookies are superb.
Note: You can click on any picture for a larger image, and to see a slide show!
I have no affiliation with any product, manufacturer, or site mentioned in this article.
Monday, December 10th 2012 at 12:48 am |
Oh, I love the season, and I think I’ll love these cookies. Good Luck to the new site.
Monday, December 10th 2012 at 7:20 am |
Grazie, Foodie, and Merry Christmas to you!
Monday, December 10th 2012 at 9:23 am |
Adri ~ your calcionelli came out just perfect. Brava! Thanks for giving a shout-out to American Food Roots. We are brand new but we are hoping to build a vibrant and engaged community of cooks and food lovers. We appreciate your support.
Buon natale, amica!
Domenica
Monday, December 10th 2012 at 9:47 am |
Grazie, Domenica!
The calcionelli were a dream to put together, and we gobbled them up. It was my pleasure to write about American Food Roots. It is a welcome concept, and there are so many knowledgeable and engaged cooks out there. I think you will soon see a thriving community.
Buon Natale!
Monday, December 10th 2012 at 1:32 pm |
Oh Adri – You’ve reminded me of a cookie my mother-in-law (from Abruzzo) used to make but she called them “calzoncelli” and filled them with a mixture of chickpeas and chocolate. I love this version by Domenica too and will definitely try them. Thanks for the shout-out about my recipe and the links to the others. I think that American Food Roots blog is a great idea and I hope to contribute to it in the future.
Monday, December 10th 2012 at 1:58 pm |
Ciao Linda!
Well Domenica is waiting for you! She truly wants us to send in recipes for her site. I immediately thought of your spectacular cartellate and your story about the attic. The cookies are works of art, and the attic story is truly special. And this one, calzoncelli, sounds wonderful too. I would wager that Domenica’s mom’s calcionelli and your mother-in-law’s calzoncelli are variants of one another. I know Domenica would find this of interest. Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you enjoy American Food Roots. It is really special.
Tuesday, December 11th 2012 at 9:21 am |
Maybe Christmas is the perfect time for me to try some of your recipes since I’ll be home from work. These cookies look fabulous and would be wonderful on Christmas morning. Also I might try the buttermilk panna cotta that I never got around to making, oh, and I don’t want to forget the persimmon cake since they’re in abundance right now. Buon Natale Adri!
Tuesday, December 11th 2012 at 10:46 am |
Hi Peggy,
And don’t forget the LA City Schools Coffee Cake! I hope you get to cook some great food for your family, and I wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Tuesday, December 11th 2012 at 9:26 am |
Adri, great cookies! I think I must add them to my list of cookies to make this Christmas. Thanks for the heads up about the new website as well, I am really excited to check it out!
Tuesday, December 11th 2012 at 10:50 am |
Hi Deborah,
These cookies really do rock. Domenica has provided two different fillings, one walnut and one almond. The dough is a breeze to work with, and the cookies come together quite easily.
I bet you will enjoy the new site, and I hope you submit a “Cookie story ” to Domenica’s project – I bet you have a million from which to choose!
Buon Natale!
Wednesday, December 12th 2012 at 12:12 am |
What a great cookie, Adri. I seem to have encountered something similar in other regions of Italy, but now I’ll try these. Even though I don’t feel to confident when it comes to deep frying.
Wednesday, December 12th 2012 at 6:42 am |
Hi Mette,
These really are fantastic. And about the frying, it just takes a little getting used to. A couple of inches of oil will do just fine for these. I know you will enjoy them. Merry Christmas!