“Almond Pastry – a Symbol of Sicily’s Culinary Delight”
Almond pastry is one of Sicily’s culinary symbols, widely spread in various forms and textures across the entire island, each variety being delightful in its own way!
In Sicily, this type of pastry is called “pasta di mandorla”! In Messina, they are small and white, in Catania, they take the shape of the letter ‘S,’ in Bronte, there’s a version with pistachios, and in the Nebrodi and Etna regions, they incorporate walnuts.
This pastry can be left in its simple form or adorned with almonds, cherries, and candied orange peel, or even other types of dried fruits like pine nuts. However, the differences are only external because the internal part is always made only from ground almonds (Sicilian Avola variety), sugar, and egg white, with a subtle citrus aroma from lemon zest.
And here’s where it gets a bit tricky with just three ingredients, you might think. Not quite! These almond pastries, born in Palermo around 1100 AD thanks to the tireless work of the nuns of the Martorana monastery, actually hide a trap ?: if you don’t observe the resting time of the dough, they will spread in your oven instantly. I know, like me, you want every pastry to be ready in the shortest time possible, straight into the oven as quickly as possible. But in this case, time is everything! The almond paste cookies need to be refrigerated for 24 hours and then left at room temperature for an additional 12 hours. Only then will you achieve truly optimal results.
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You will need:
- 200g Peeled Almonds (Avola type, but I couldn’t find it)
- 180g Sugar
- 20g Honey
- 60g Egg Whites (approximately from 2 eggs)
- Grated Lemon Zest
- Powdered Sugar
For decoration, either almonds or sugared fruits…
Place the almonds and sugar in a blender and grind until the consistency resembles flour, slightly coarser. Then add honey, egg whites, and grated lemon zest. Blend for 1-2 minutes until all ingredients form a homogeneous mixture. Now, you can shape your sweets. I made balls. Roll each one in powdered sugar and decorate as desired. Place the sweets on a tray and refrigerate for 24 hours. Then, choose and keep them at room temperature for an additional 12 hours. The resting time is a crucial stage of preparation! Bake for 8-12 minutes at 180°C. Let your sweets cool well and savor the taste of Sicily.
