I TURTLITT AD SANT’ANTONI (sweet ravioli)

Municipal denomination De.Co

The tradition of the “Turtlitt ad Sant’Antoni” has its roots in an ancient time linked to the village of S.Antonio in Trebbia (Piacenza) and to the celebration of the patronal feast which takes place on January 17th.

Turtlitt ad Sant’Antoni in the tradition

On this date it was customary for the inhabitants of the town and of the neighbouring villages to go to S. Antonio a Trebbia to receive the blessing that the priest gave to the fields, the animals and the people and to taste the “turtlitt”.
People used to celebrate the feast with lunches shared with relatives and friends, who did not live in the village and, at the end of the meal, to offer them the traditional “turtlitt” as dessert.
In the past the sweets, rigorously fried in hot lard, were prepared in the single houses and in the taverns, so that the scent invaded all the village.

In March 2007, on request of the elementary school of S. Antonio, the recipe by Mrs. Giuseppine Zucca was enrolled in the Municipal register and became a De.Co (Municipal Denomination of Origin).

Similar recipes are sold throughout the province during the Carnival period.

Recipe

Soak the dried chestnuts, remove the skin and then cook them in salted water with the addition of a bay leaf. Pass the cooked chestnuts through a sieve or vegetable mill and place them in a bowl. Add the chopped Italian mostarda and citron and chop the amaretti biscuits. Combine everything and add the chocolate, cocoa, jam and liqueur cocktail.

The filling must be homogeneous and pasty and it is advisable to prepare it at least one day before.

To prepare the dough, make a well in the flour, add a pinch of salt, sugar, eggs (one whole egg + one yolk), oil and melted butter (it must be melted over low heat because it should not fry). Wet with wine and rum.

Knead very well (the old women used to say and still say “the dough must be like silk”). Roll out the pastry, make it 2-3 millimeters thick, place small piles of filling at regular intervals, cover with the pastry and cut out the turtlitt in a rectangular shape using a pastry cutter and close them by pressing the edges.
Fry in plenty of boiling hot lard and, as soon as they are golden brown on both sides, remove them with the appropriate paddle and place them on absorbent paper to remove any excess grease; then place them on a tray and dust with icing sugar.