To get to know the Sfince of San Giuseppe di Alimena it is necessary to refer to the art of Sicilian pastry which has its roots in a remote past where this is combined with both myth and religion.
What is produced today in Sicily is the fruit of peoples and cultures that have succeeded one another on the island over the millennia starting from the Sicans and continuing with the Sicels, Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans up to the Spaniards passing through Arabs and Normans.
Each domination has also made its contribution in terms of gastronomy but it must be remembered that the true roots of island bakery are connected with i sacred rites such as those, for example, dedicated to Mother Goddess and that they produced a first dessert in the shape of a doghouse made up of an amalgam of wheat, milk and honey.
From the Greeks who brought the almond tree to the Arabs who used honey and almond paste, every people has left its indelible mark.
The Sphinx of San Giuseppe and its history
For those who do not know the Sfince Di San Giuseppe of Alimena must imagine big ones fried puffs alveolar shape filled with a ricotta cream mixed with candied pumpkin enriched with chocolate drops and embellished with a rough grain of pistachios mixed with candied orange peels.
This cake is due to the inventiveness of nuns of the Monastery of the Stigmata of San Francesco that some centuries ago they created the sfince as humble sweets sprinkled with honey to be consumed on the occasion of feast of Saint Joseph on March 19. Over time, Sicilian pastry chefs drew inspiration from the original recipe to modify it, enriching it with other colorful ingredients so as to create the product as it is prepared today and which is served all year round and not only in Palermo pastry shops.
Given its simplicity, the recipe for the sfince di San Giuseppe can also be made at home by everyone, you only need to pay attention when frying the bignole which must be cooked at a high temperature, but not excessive so that the cream puffs swell in an ideal way.
Recipe of the Sphinx of St. Joseph
Ingredients needed:
- Flour for cakes 300 gr
- 6 eggs and 6 yolks
- butter 100 g
- a pinch of salt
- water 425 g
- fresh sheep ricotta 300 gr
- sugar 200 g
- dark chocolate 100 g
- pumpkin 50 gr
- candied orange peel.
Step-by-step preparation
For the Sphinxes
Dissolve the lard and salt in a saucepan together with the water and bring to the boil and when reached, add the sifted flour little by little, mixing everything continuously for about 5-10 minutes, i.e. the time necessary for the mixture to take the color of the wax and detaches from the sides of the pan.
Once you get this result, put the dough in a bowl to let it cool down and add a whole egg and then, always little by little, the beaten egg whites, waiting each time for them to be well absorbed into the dough before to the next egg yolk or the rest of the whites until a smooth mixture is obtained with a creamy and dense consistency. Cook 3-4 spoonfuls of the mixture at a time in plenty of hot oil at 165°C, turning them from time to time until they puff up and brown well before placing the cream puffs on absorbent paper so that they lose the excess oil.
For the filling of the sfince
Put the sheep's ricotta to drain in a colander before leaving it to rest in the refrigerator until it has lost its whey. Then sift it and then mix it in a bowl together with the sugar, adding chocolate chips and diced candied pumpkin.
For the embellishment of the sphere of San Giuseppe di Alimena, after having filled both the inside and the upper surface of the sphere with enough ricotta cream, garnish it with chopped pistachios, a candied cherry and a candied orange peel.
