Canestrello or Canestrelletto
Production area: Inland of Genoa, Val Trebbia.
Curiosities: Documented since the 18th century, canestrelli, whose origins are claimed by several towns of the inland of Genoa and the lower Piemonte, are classical ring-shaped biscuits with a central hole. They are very good at breakfast and even better with tea or sweet wine at tea-time. These short pastry biscuits, soft and crumbly, are characterized by a scalloped edge and the quantity of butter used to prepare them. "A son de vende reste e canestrelli..." This ancient saying demonstrates that there is also a poorer version of canestrelli, made with bread dough: Caterina Campodonico used to sell them at the village markets and with the proceeds of the sale she was able to buy her grave in Staglieno cemetery in Genoa.
Product features: Canestrelletto di Torriglia (GE) or Canestrello ligure.
Short pastry ring-shaped biscuits with a diameter of about 10 cm and a central hole of about 3 cm; thickness 6-7 mm. Golden color and a crumbly and soft consistency. Canestrello dell'Acquasanta is characterized by grains of sugar.
Recipe: ingredients: 500 g flour, 300 g butter, 150 g sugar, 2 eggs, powdered sugar, ammonium bicarbonate, milk.
Preparation: take the flour and add sugar, softened butter, a pinch of bicarbonate, yolks. Knead with care and let it settle. Make a dough that must be rolled and squeezed by hand or with a machine, until you obtain a sheet of pasta dough one cm high. Create canestrelli with the special mold, brush everything with milk and put in the oven at 150° for 15 minutes. Let them cool and spread with powdered sugar.
