Minna by Virgini
Breast-shaped shortcrust pastry with a darker protuberance at the apex, filled with milk cream, pumpkin and dark chocolate flakes, covered with icing and colored sugar grains.
The dessert is linked to the 1725th century Sambuca, and in particular to the noble Beccadelli family. Donna Francesca Reggio, who became Marquise of Sambuca for marrying Don Giuseppe, in XNUMX, on the occasion of the wedding of her only son Pietro, asked Sister Virginia Casale di Rocca Menna of the college of Maria "to go all out to come up with the absolute novelties in the fields of their competence and, among these, in the field of confectionery. "
Alfonso di Giovanna in his book "By way of saying" tells how the nun describes how she got the inspiration for the creation of the dessert:
- I was looking this morning from the window of my little room at the hills that follow one another from the Anguillara Valley to the Castellaccio hill and the Minnulazza coast. The shape of the hills suggested to me that we should present to the marquises a dessert that has the shape and, as far as the content is concerned, brings the sweetness of this land. In short, a peasant sweet, but delicious, an end that arouses the instinct of feeling in the moment of tasting, and at the same time elevates the spirit -
The name derives, therefore, from the same nun who invented the dessert, Virginia della Menna. Instead, it probably derives from an ancient tradition linked to pre-existing female cults, which developed throughout Sicily.
Festival of the Minni of Virgini
In the month of May, in conjunction with the celebrations for Maria SS. of the audience, patron saint of Sambuca di Sicilia, which take place every year on the third Sunday of the month, the minna di virgini festival takes place. Numerous events, shows and various initiatives surround this festival.
Quotes:
Virgini's minna is cited by various Sicilian authors. Here are some examples:
- Alfonso Di Giovanna dedicates an entire chapter in his book So to speak.
Here is a passage from the story: - Flour, eggs, milk, yeast. It consists of a round pasta fin like a full moon; in the center a little of everything accumulates: things, however, that I have to study carefully: the pumpkin, the cream, the essence of carnation and cinnamon, a few pieces of chocolate and ... anything else will inspire me Lord ... You will see that we can make a sweet psychic -
- Giuseppe Tomasi Di Lampedusa there The Leopard he mentions, among the many sweets on the table of Prince Fabrizio Salina, the shameless pastas of the Virgin
Recipe:
- 500 grams of flour
- 150 g sugar
- 150 grams of margarine
- 1 whole egg
- 1 albumen
- 50 gr of pumpkin into small pieces
- 50 grams of dark chocolate
- 200 grams of powdered sugar
- Juice of half a lemon
- Candied cherries
- Milk to taste
- 500 gr of milk cream
- (1/2 l. Of milk, 80 g of starch for sweets, a lemon, 100 g of granulated sugar)
Mix the flour, granulated sugar, margarine, whole egg and milk until the mixture is homogeneous.
Wrap the mixture in cling film and place it in the fridge for an hour. Then roll out a thin sheet from which to cut discs of about 10 cm in diameter.
Half of the discs are placed in cup molds, the cavity of which will be filled with milk cream mixed with pumpkin and chocolate.
Cover with the rest of the discs, being careful to seal the edges, then turn the sweets upside down and place them on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.
Spread the icing sugar with a few teaspoons of milk and lemon juice. Beat the mixture with a whisk until you get a smooth and rather thick cream.
After the cakes have cooled, you can move on to the glazing phase. At the end decorate with a clip on the top.
To prepare the milk cream, heat half of the milk with the sugar and lemon zest, filter it and mix it with the rest of the milk in which the starch will be dissolved. Turn continuously until it thickens on a low flame stove.
Product included in the national list of traditional agri-food products (PAT)
Typology PAT : Fresh pasta and products from the bakery, biscuits, pastry and confectionery
Production area: Sambuca di Sicilia (AG)
Technical data sheet of the traditional agri-food product (PAT)
Area of production: Sambuca di Sicilia (AG)
Brief description of the product: Breast-shaped shortcrust pastry with a darker protuberance at the apex, filled with milk cream, pumpkin and dark chocolate flakes, covered with icing and colored sugar grains.
Description of the processing and maturing methods: Prepare the pastry until a homogeneous mixture is obtained. Wrap the mixture in cling film and place it in the fridge for an hour. Then roll out a thin sheet from which to cut discs of about 10 cm in diameter.
Half of the discs are placed in cup molds, the cavity of which will be filled with the milk cream.
Cover with the rest of the discs, being careful to seal the edges, then turn the sweets upside down and place them on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper and bake in the oven.
After the cakes have cooled, you can move on to the glazing phase.
Specific materials and equipment used for preparation and conditioning: Pastry tools.
Description of the processing, storage and maturing rooms: Pastry laboratory.
Elements proving that the methodologies have been practiced in a homogeneous way and according to traditional rules for a period of not less than 25 years: The dessert is inextricably linked to the XNUMXth century Sambuca, and in particular to the noble Beccadelli family. Donna Francesca Reggio, who became Marquise of Sambuca for having married Don Giuseppe, on the occasion of the wedding of her only son Pietro, asked Sister Virginia Casale di Rocca Menna of the college of Maria "to do everything to come up with the absolute novelties in the fields of their competence and, among these, in the field of confectionery. "
In the year 1725, the nun created one of the sweetest pastries of Sicilian pastry and of which the local historian Alfonso Di Giovanna reports the expression of the nun regarding her creature: "This morning I looked at the hills that follow one another from the window of my little room. from the Anguillara Valley to the Castellaccio hill and the Minnulazza coast. The shape of the hills suggested to me that we should present to the marquises a dessert that has the shape and, as far as the content is concerned, brings the sweetness of this land. In short, a peasant sweet, but delicious, an end that arouses the instinct of feeling in the moment of tasting, and at the same time elevates the spirit. "
Source Pat Cards: Sicily Region
Card insertion: Ignazio Caloggero
Information contributions: Web, Region of Sicily
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