I have always had a deep interest in learning about my family origins, and to no one's surprise, about the food, too! This afternoon we stopped at my Grandmom's house (my dad's mom, to be specific). When the conversation made a turn for baked goods and me making my Christmas cookies this week, my Grandmom (Hoosie) started to wax nostalgic.
Hoosie's family is from the Abruzzi region of Italy, in a mountainous area East of Rome. They came from the actual town of Abruzzi (I believe it is Anversa degli Abruzzi). Grandma Nardone (Hoosie's mother) barely spoke a lick of English, but I do remember her and that even though we could barely speak to each other, we still kinda understood each other when we would speak. The only words I ever really learned were Bene Bene (Good Good), Buon Natale (Merry Christmas), and Bacala (a dried and salted cod). Bacala was learned because Grandma Nardone yelled it when I was bad. In the old country, they apparently would use the bacala to paddle bad kids tushes, mainly because it was stiff and would sting. I really enjoy hearing about Hoosie's great-grandparents, too. They came from the same region of Italy, and were diplomats/ambassadors. Our family crest and name actually still throws a little weight in the region, from what I understand and what family research I have done...exciting stuff!
To get back to the main point of this post, Hoosie started to talk about all of the baked goods Grandma Nardone would make this time of year. Hoosie began to describe a cookie that sounded absolutely divine that I have never seen or heard of before. She said that her family called them cuiznit (that was her guess on the spelling), and is pronounced like kuginit. I found them online as caljunettis or cecilottala. She said the dough was made and rolled out ravioli dough. Grandma Nardone would then mix chocolate with garbanzo beans and some sort of nut. This mixture would be put in the ravioli, the ravioli were cut, deep fried, and then sprinkled with powdered sugar.
Needless to say, I was immediately intrigued and asked for the recipe. True to family form, NO ONE had thought to write down the recipe. I find this a lot with my dad's side of the family. I think it is just the cultures - no one wrote it down because it was learned by doing and passed down by teaching. It would get made every year, and eventually you just learned it and remembered it. There weren't recipe swaps because everyone made them, and you didn't get the recipes when you had your bridal shower. Cookbooks didn't have the recipes because every family had their own variation, and the recipes were really only passed to the girls. I wish I had thought to ask or had cared about this as much years ago, when maybe the memories and ingredients were more likely to be remembered.
I've tried searching for the recipe online, and there are soooooo many variations and a lack of consistency amongst the ingredients. I'm going to try this Saturday to make the recipe that sounds the most authentic and close to what Hoosie described. I am hoping she enjoys them and can confirm if they are close to what she remembers or not!
This is the closest recipe...
Has anyone ever heard of these or had them...maybe has a recipe they would be willing to share with a Great-Grand Daughter of Italy???
okay, I am Italian mad right now. I wrote you a huge letter, then went to look at your recipe that you found and when I came back the comment window was empty. I have just finished cursing in 3 languages!!!! Bella Maddona! Ok, deep breath... Rocky writes blog Take II...
ReplyDeleteBasically, your found recipe is the closest to the one I lost. My family also has it's roots in Abbruzzi. Both grand fathers were from a small town in the mountains of Abbruzo called Moro d'Oro. I havent made "Cod-joons" in over 30 years, because for 3 christmas's I made them and the first two batches were crappy. Finally I got it right the third year and I stopped making them. My dad exclaimed, "Oh my God, these are just like Nano's (His grand mother)!" That did it. I was afraid I would never top that batch so I stopped. But, there is a lot of history wrapped in those cookies, and I don't want to lose it. I am still searching my house and the web for the recipe.
Anyway... From what I remember (I'm 61 so the memory isn't great) I used Bakers Chocolate, semi sweet, chick peas, honey, a splash of vermouth wine, and blanched almonds. I also used a few tablespoons of the fruit you put in fruit cake. I pureed all of that and chilled it. I do know that the key to a good dough, was leaving it a little wet, and dusting the pastry board with flour and the rolling pin. That dough needs to be light or it gets bready and chewy. I think I used 2 cups where your recipe calls for 2-1/2.
My great-great grandmother obviously made them, as did my great grandmother, my dad's mother, then my mother. I dont want the recipe to die, since it has been around for at least 200 years. If I find the actual recipe, I will send it to you. Meanwhile, yours is the closest I've seen. Good luck, and Boun Anno! Rocky M. from Philadelphia, Pa.
Thank you so much for your story about these cookies! What you described is exactly what my grandmother always talks about! I have promised her a batch within the next week or two, and am hoping for good results...I will let you know how they come out! I would really appreciate it if you can send me your recipe if you find it! Happy New Year!
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