Minne di Sant’Agata: the recipe for the typical filled sweets of Catania pastry

the those of Sant’Agata they are gods treaty typical of Catania pastry, eaten all year round but traditionally prepared on February 5 on the occasion of the feasts of Sant’Agata, patroness and protector of the city. It is a kind of mini cassatin composed of a dome of pastrydeliciously filled with a filling of ricotta, icing sugar, dark chocolate chips and candied orange peel.

Once baked in the oven and left to cool, they are then glazed with royal icing and then decorated with candied cherries: the result will be a dessert in individual portions, gourmet and refined, to bring to the table like a joyful fine meal for Sunday lunch or to enjoy at snack with a hot infusion.

The school recipe calls for the use of mutton ricottarigorously sieved and strained from the whey, but if you prefer a more delicate taste, you can use an equal amount of cow’s milk instead, then enrich it, for a pleasant variation on the theme, with a pinch of cinnamon or bitter cocoa powder. If you wish, you can replace the shortcrust pastry with a sponge cake, to be dipped in a rosolio bath then cover with a double layer of marzipan and royal icing, or you can flavor everything with a drop of marsala.

typical hemispherical shapethe dessert is reminiscent of the appearance of women’s breasts (remind oh Minnuzze in Sicilian dialect): this in memory of the martyrdom suffered by the young Agata, guilty of having refused the amorous advances of the proconsul Quinziano and, for this reason, punished by the amputation of both breasts.

Find out how to prepare Sant’Agata minne by following the step-by-step procedure and tips. If you liked this recipe, try other irresistible Sicilian desserts.

How to prepare minne di Sant’Agata

Prepare the shortcrust pastry: collect the sifted flour in the bowl of a mixer 1.

Add the cold butter cut into pieces 2 and pulse for a few moments, until you get a sandy mixture.

Turn it over on the work surface and arrange it as a fountain 3.

Pour the sugar in the center 4.

Continue with yolks 5.

Vanilla Extract Fragrances 6.

Beat the egg yolks with the tines of a fork 7 and start mixing the ingredients.

Keep kneading quickly with your hands 8.

At the end you will have to obtain a smooth and homogeneous brick 9.

Wrap it in a sheet of cling film, press it lightly with a rolling pin ten and let sit in the fridge for about 1 hour.

In the meantime, dedicate yourself to the filling: sift the ricotta, well drained from the whey, in a bowl 11.

Add sugar 12.

Flavor with grated orange zest 13.

Mix well with a spoon 14until you get a smooth and silky cream.

Cut the candied orange zest into cubes 15.

Mix the candied fruit with the ricotta cream 16.

Chop the dark chocolate with a knife 17.

Transfer it to the bowl with the ricotta cream and candied fruit 18.

Add the ingredients and let cool in the refrigerator 19.

After the rest time, roll out the dough with a rolling pin 20.

At the end you will have to obtain a sheet about 1/2 cm thick 21.

Cut out the shortcrust pastry using an 8 cm diameter cookie cutter and line the silicone half-sphere molds with half of the disks obtained 22.

Fill with the ricotta filling 23.

Cover with the remaining discs of dough 24 and seal them with your fingertips.

Bake at 200°C and cook for about 20 minutes 25.

After the cooking time, take out the candies 26 and let them cool inside the mold.

Once cold, unmold them and transfer them to a wire rack. 27.

Prepare the royal icing: pour the egg whites into a bowl 28.

Work with electric whisks, until you get a frothy consistency 29.

Add the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time 30, and continue editing; then add the lemon juice.

Work again until you get a homogeneous icing, but not too thick. 31.

Cover the Sant’Agata minne with royal icing 32: in this phase, we suggest that you place a sheet of parchment paper under the grid, in order to collect the excess icing and not to dirty the work surface.

Decorate with candied cherries 33 and let the ice harden perfectly.

Once ready, arrange the minne di Sant’Agata on dessert plates 34bring to the table and serve.

storage

Minne de Sant’Agata can be stored in the refrigerator, sealed in an airtight container, for 2 days massive.