“SOMETHING SPECIAL”
PART 1
We at Borgo Piazza are also “resisting, and we have not lost the #spiritomediterraneo to welcome those who go on vacation.Today, on this Easter weekend, we want you to participate in a short story that brings a gift to you as if you were here. Like everyone in the South and beyond, we share a millenary Easter culinary tradition in #borgopiazza and today we bring you the story of our family for traditional desserts.During the holidays it was traditional to gather in the largest house with all the grandparents, the sisters in law, the cousins to celebrate Easter and Easter Monday. In one of the photos in the gallery, you can see a note from the late 70s, when our mother Elda shared the organization of the menus with her sisters-in-law for both days of celebration. In the list you will find some dishes that we will soon introduce you to, today we share these, because under the heading “sweets” they were the most popular “#cuzzupe”.
Our story includes two “culinary” lines, if we may say so, one from Cosenza, for Dad, and one for Catanzaro for Mom; two families Ponterio and Carpanzano always united when we were young to cook on big occasions.
In Borgo Piazza, we cook Nonna Anna’s Catanzaro recipe and then borrowed from Nonna Elda; the one from Zia Angelina Ponterio from Cosenza was prepared with lard, and as long as she lived with us at home, it was the most cooked one. The use of lard was typical in family places in the province of Cosenza, where it was customary to make pork and then obtain the fat (lard) throughout the year.
We took photos from Nonna Elda’s old recipe book and here we transcribe the two versions.
Here are the recipes:
The Cuzzupa Cosentina of “Zia Angelina”:
1 kg of flour 00
8 eggs
300 gr of sugar
350 gr of suet (lard)
2 sachets of baking powder for desserts
The grated peels of 2 lemons
The Catanzarese Cuzzupa of “Nonna Bà” (and of Elda to the present day and for Borgo Piazza)
1 kg of flour 00
6 eggs
300 gr of sugar
200 g of butter
2 sachets of baking powder for desserts
100 gr of milk
Method:
with the flour on the pastry board we make the wheel for kneading creating a hole in the center where we will put the ingredients or: the eggs beaten with sugar, the milk in the Catanzaro version, and the butter (not melted but soft and at room temperature to be able to work with the mani) or lard in the Cosenza version (which also includes the grated peel of two lemons). It is kneaded (by us with the hands where possible for the necessary quantities), since the hands transmit another fundamental ingredient: the love of those who cook (thinking of the party!)
And only towards the end, also to dry the dough and the hands is mixed by kneading the baking powder and making the large round shape by blessing it with a cross on it before dividing the pieces to make the shapes to be baked.
The family tradition creates them in the shape of a crown with the eggs immersed in the circle at the 4 cardinal points or in the shape of a simple or double braid, or in the shape of a long stick, always with the eggs inserted in the shape (which will then be eaten hard the next day ).
Done!
Who among you will try the recipe let us know and tag yourself under the post on our FB page.
You will have our news soon!
Even if we are stationed all over the country, Borgo Piazza works for you, getting ready for the reopening!
Happy Easter of rebirth and release of tensions with the help of your most beautiful positive memories.
Borgo Piazza Staff
(Copywriter Donatella Ponterio Psychologist)
