Thursday, November 17, 2011
Scalilli
The holidays are approaching quickly - I can't believe Thanksgiving is next week already! One of the wonderful things about cookies of just about any variety is that they keep so well. I remember as a child making Scalilli as a family, sometimes with aunts, uncles and Grandma & Grandpa. Often times, if we made them at the home of another family member, we'd pack them up without the honeying them and do the honeying at home. We always made lots and lots of cookies, of several varieties, for the holidays and give plates of them to the neighbors, our teachers, friends and pretty much anyone who stopped by, and there would still be plenty of cookies for us to enjoy Christmas day and even into New Years. Making Scalilli as a family was the best part. Mom would mix up the dough, Dad would cut them and my sister, brother & I would twist them and lay them on baking sheets covered with damp towel and take them to mom, who then did the frying & the honeying later on. If you've never made them before, I recommend getting together with a family member who has - not only will they be able to lend you their experience, but it will be so much more fun!
Scalilli
2 dozen fresh eggs, room temperature
14 cups flour, approx.
1 jigger whiskey
1 tsp salt
1 cup oil
Beat eggs until creamy. Pour into flour mixture with the oil. Mix well & knead dough until smooth. Make into desired shapes and deep fry. When cool, honey them. Store in a cool place.
Chris Additional Instructions
Forming the Cookie: Work with small portions of dough at a time, about the same amount of dough as you would for pie crust, cut out cookies or pizza. Roll out on a floured board until you can see the wood grain through the dough. Cut into long strips in one direction, about 1/2 - 1 inch wide. Cut into strips crosswise, about 1 1/2 - 2 inches long. Cut a small slit into the center of each. Gently remove the strips and run one end of the dough strip through the slit cut into the center - this will create a twist. Lay them out on cookie sheets and keep covered with a damp towel. Fry in small batches.
Honeying: Heat honey in a large skillet or electric fryer, thinning with water slightly as needed. Dip cooled Scalilli into the honey to coat thoroughly, then lay on wire racks. Store in air tight containers in a cool place.
If anyone has photos from making Scalilli, I would love to include them in this post. Please email them to me and I'll be happy to post them!
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This is great, I remember my nonna making these and putting them in a crock and keeping them cold...but one question I have is should you keep pouring honey on these through the holidays while stored? or does it matter?...Thanks!
ReplyDeleteIt is not necessary to continue to add honey. They will be sufficiently coated once you complete the dipping process and store them away. I hope you give them a try - they are fun to make!
ReplyDeleteMy mother, grandmother, and aunts used to make these every year at Christmas time, along with Tordillis, taralli, and frezine. (Too bad it is now so difficult to get black anise seed for some of these treats.)My family is from a small town in southern Italy in the provence of Cosenza. I wonder if your family is from the same area as Carbonne is a familiar name and one that is a part of our family tree.
ReplyDeleteOur family was from a small town near Cosenza named Belsito. I made Turdillis and scallili again this year. We pronounced it scaweela's.
DeleteThis same recipe came from Spezzano Piccolo to Vancouver British Columbia thank you so much for posting it. I've been looking for a long time.
ReplyDeleteloving all the recipes from Italy
ReplyDeleteHi, loving the recipes from Italy! The "Scalillie" recipe by Anna Ungaro does NOT explain where the whiskey and salt go..Am I missing something here! Cheers Jeannie
ReplyDeleteThe salt and whiskey can go in with the wet ingredients. I have made these with or without the whiskey.
DeleteThank you for the recipe. I grew up with these delicious treats and look forward to making them myself.
ReplyDeleteQuestion for you: I'm searching for a recipe for a cookie that my nonna from Calabria made. It was very dense and quite dark. The texture was firm but tender, not crispy or crunchy. It was formed like a biscotti log then shaped into an S. I think it might have been a honey cake or loaf. If you have a recipe, please leave a comment. Thank you!