Puglia, a land of treasures that hides as many ancient recipes in its ancient history. Like that of Cegliesi Biscuits, a typical dessert from the village of Ceglie Messapica in the province of Brindisi, which today is making the rounds of Italy and the world.
I come from Ceglie Messapica, one of the oldest towns in Puglia, which marks the hilly border of the Murge plateau to the south-east, and expands its natural terrace towards Salento and the Brindisi plain.
It is the oldest town in the region and taking a walk in the historic center you will immediately come across the old square, where the imposing market once stood.
Among the many architectures of past eras and rewritten history, there is the Ducal Castle of Ceglie, with its Norman tower and the more recent structures of the Angevin period. And how not to mention the many ancient churches, such as that of San Domenico with its square façade that hides beautifully Baroque colors and canvases inside.
A beautiful village, where tourism has increased thanks to a tasty peculiarity: gastronomy!
Thanks also to the initiative of some farms and trulli in the countryside of Ceglie Messapica which, transformed into enchanting farmhouses, have re-proposed one of the typical sweets of the peasant tradition of my country: the Cegliese biscuit.
History tells that these sweets were prepared and served by peasant families during important occasions: wedding banquets, popular celebrations and so on. Today, the Cegliese Biscuit can be found every day of the year, in local bakeries, bars and pastry shops, or served as a meal together with coffee in Cegliese restaurants.
Those who try to recreate the Cegliese Biscuit must traditionally know all its ingredients should be at Km 0 (excluding Sugar). This is to savor the real taste.
How is the Cegliese biscuit made?
The raw material at the base of this recipe is the local almond from the almond groves of the Alto Salento, a typical Apulian product.
The Cegliese Biscuit is a cake made with toasted almonds, with a filling of jam that can be chosen according to your favorite tastes. A light lemon or coffee fragrance is added to the dough, and it is finished with a coating with a sugar and cocoa based glaze, to make these delicious biscuits shiny.
INGREDIENTS:
1 kg of almonds
One and a half hectograms of jam (to taste)
4 eggs
1 lemon
Honey (to taste)
100 ml of citrus Rosolio.
Method:
Chop the almonds into small pieces, but not too small and you must be able to see the almonds inside the dough.
Arrange the almonds in a "fountain" on your work surface, and add the sugar, honey, eggs, lemon zest. Begin to knead adding as much liqueur as needed.
At this point, roll out the dough to create the shape of a rectangle. Now distribute the jam in the center, and close the dough on itself, working it with your hands until it forms a small cylinder or rollè.
With a knife, cut the freshly rolled dough into slices, arrange them face up on a baking sheet and cook for 15/20 minutes at 160/180 degrees.
At this point our Cegliesi biscuits will be ready, let them cool and, if you prefer, they can be covered with a light cocoa glaze.
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