March

Pan di ramerino - Bread of Rosemary

This little bread is typical of Tuscany. The word “ramerino” is in dialect of Tuscany, in fact the correct Italian word for rosemary is “rosmarino”.
It’s a very ancient dish, now we can find it during all the year, but it’s traditional of Lent, especially of Maundy Thursday and it is traditionally blessed during the mass of Maundy Thursday.
 

Ingredients
500 g flour
30 g brewer’s yeast
50 g sugar
200 grapes “zibibbo”
2 little branches of rosemary
Salt
Olive oil

Method
Dissolve the yeast in warm water and make a quite thick mixture with the flour.
Let rise the mixture for one hour, then mix again.
Brown 4 spoons of olive oil with the rosemary.
Add to the mixture the oil (without rosemary), the zibibbo grapes, the sugar, some leafs of rosemary and a pinch of salt.
Divide the mixture in little balls and let them rise for half an hour.
Cook in the oven (200°) brushed by olive oil.
 

Biscotti quaresimali - Biscuits of the Lent

Ingredients
120 g icing sugar
100 g flour
15 g cocoa
2 egg whites
Orange grated peel

Methods
Put all the ingredients in a bowl, mix well to obtain a creamy and thick mixture.
Butter a big  baking tin and, with a syringe for confectioner, make the letters of alphabet with the mixture.
Put the baking tin in the oven (150° for 10 minutes)

Baccalá e ceci - Dried salt cod and chickpeas

This is a typical dish of Lent, when the Christians can’t eat meat on Friday

Ingredients (4 people)
½ Kg. Filets of dried salt cod
flour
olive oil
A branch of rosemary
garlic
400 g peel tomatoes
500 gr boiled chickpeas

Method
Soak the filets of dried salt cod for 24 hours, changing water several times.
Drip the filets well, dry, cut in pieces and flour them.
Brown the filets in oil, then add the garlic and the peel tomatoes.
Cover and let it boiled for about 20 minuts.
Meanwhile, boil the chickpeas and sauté them in a frying pan with oil and rosemary.
When the dried salt cod is cooked, add the chickpeas.