Cecci, Nut, and Chocolate Ravioli
Dec 20, 2018 10:52:07 #
Cecci, Nut, and Chocolate Ravioli
We always called them Chocolate Bean Cookies. These cookies are also known as Calzonetti or Calzonelli, they are a deep fried ravioli with a Cecci Bean, Nut and Chocolate filling. Cecci Beans are better known as Chickpeas or Garbanzo Beans; they are available in cans at most supermarkets. If you are a purist, who likes useless work, you can buy dried Chickpeas, soak them overnight and boil them. The cooked, canned Chickpeas are currently cheaper than the dried beans. For every 1 lb. of dry Garbanzo beans, you need four cans of Garbanzo beans. This breaks down to one 15-to-16 oz. can of beans per each 1.5 cups of cooked dry beans.
Filling
1 lb. dried Cecci beans soaked and cooked or 4 ea.(16 oz) cans cooked Chickpeas
1 cup Honey
2 cups Sugar
1 lb. Walnuts chopped coarsely
Zests of 2 Large Oranges, Grated fine
1 lb. Raisins
8 Oz Hershey’s Cocoa
6 Tblsp. Cinnamon
1 fluid Oz Orange Extract, (Optional but good)
Dough
10 eggs
2 cups water
1 cup sugar
10 tsp. Baking Powder
2 cups Vegetable Oil (Cannola or equivalent) for frying
5 lbs Flour
{This recipe makes about 400 plus or minus a few cookies, it can be halved or reduced. The photo above was cribbed from the net and has two defects, the cookie dough is very dark, obviously a different recipe; they should be golden brown after frying. There is chocolate oozing out of the cookie because they used chocolate chips not cocoa powder. I would guess that it seriously compromises the taste. The size and shape are about right.}
Directions:
· Puree the Beans and mix with the Honey, Cinnamon, Cocoa, and Sugar until smooth. Add Raisins, Nuts, finely grated Orange Zests and stir to incorporate evenly. Use a food processor to prepare the chopped and pureed ingredients, mix with an electric mixer or by hand in a bowl large enough for all ingredients. Cover the filling mixture and let it sit overnight in the refrigerator to meld the flavors.
· The next day taste the filling for Sweetness, Orange flavor, Chocolate flavor and Cinnamon strength; if needed, add additional amounts of whatever is needed to your taste. Do not skip this tasting step, critically important! I often find that the chocolate has become muted.
Prepare the dough, mixing, kneading and rolling out as you would for ravioli or making a pasty crust. Work with a small ball of dough at a time, dough should be between a sixteenth and an eighth of an inch thick when rolled out, either in a rectangle or a circle. Drop the filling from a teaspoon, in small walnut size rough balls on half the rolled out dough. Allow enough room between each ball of filling to seal the dough around the filling. Flip the uncovered half of the dough over the filling balls to form the top, use a ravioli cutter to cut out the cookies and then use a fork to seal the edges if needed. To assist in sealing, you can make an egg wash and use a pastry brush to coat the half of the dough that will be used to cover.
Heat additional oil or vegetable fat in a large pan (deep fat fryer) to cover one layer of cookies. Deep Fat Fry the ravioli in batches at a high enough temperature (375 to 400) so that the dough does not become soggy with oil. Cook until the ravioli have gone beyond golden color to a light brown color. Check them and flip them over when one side is properly colored. None of the ravioli should be white or pale in color when they are done. Drain and cool on paper towels, line the storage container with paper towels, or waxed paper, sprinkle cookies generously with additional granulated sugar while still warm. Most of the sugar will fall off.
This recipe Yields approximately 400 -- 1½ Inch Square cookies. Recipe can be successfully cut proportionately to make smaller batches. You can use a pasta-rolling machine to roll out the dough.
NOTTO BENE:
Even though chickpeas are the largest element these cookie have no beanie taste and are delicious. To me they are addictive and eating just one is impossible.
· The cocoa selected is crucial to the taste of this pastry. I once used Nestles cocoa powder instead of Hershey’s and the result was disappointing. Even with extra cocoa it didn’t get the rich chocolate taste of the Hershey’s cocoa. Different process, different taste.
· Lacking time to complete the cookie making one year, I froze the dough and filling for about a month. Bad move—the oil in the dough was forced out and the outside half inch got soggy and discolored. It needed large amounts of flour to permit rolling the dough—the taste of the dough after frying was the same. The filling lost most of its flavor, particularly the Orange and Honey flavor as well as the sweetness. How it became less sweet is a mystery, but it needed a lot of doctoring to fix and it wasn’t quite as good. Freezing is not recommended before frying.
· After frying, if the cookies will not be eaten within a week, freezing is the best way to insure that the cookies remain fresh and do not get moldy. Room Temp storage in sealed plastic bags (Ziplocks) almost always results in moldy cookies within a few days. Storage in cookie bins with a cloth cover does not cause mold to grow. Defrost frozen cookies at room temp or in a very slow oven (200- 225F). Do not microwave. In the old days they were stored in a large dough pan with some clean sheets to cover and they never went bad – also never had any hanging around all that long either!
We always called them Chocolate Bean Cookies. These cookies are also known as Calzonetti or Calzonelli, they are a deep fried ravioli with a Cecci Bean, Nut and Chocolate filling. Cecci Beans are better known as Chickpeas or Garbanzo Beans; they are available in cans at most supermarkets. If you are a purist, who likes useless work, you can buy dried Chickpeas, soak them overnight and boil them. The cooked, canned Chickpeas are currently cheaper than the dried beans. For every 1 lb. of dry Garbanzo beans, you need four cans of Garbanzo beans. This breaks down to one 15-to-16 oz. can of beans per each 1.5 cups of cooked dry beans.
Filling
1 lb. dried Cecci beans soaked and cooked or 4 ea.(16 oz) cans cooked Chickpeas
1 cup Honey
2 cups Sugar
1 lb. Walnuts chopped coarsely
Zests of 2 Large Oranges, Grated fine
1 lb. Raisins
8 Oz Hershey’s Cocoa
6 Tblsp. Cinnamon
1 fluid Oz Orange Extract, (Optional but good)
Dough
10 eggs
2 cups water
1 cup sugar
10 tsp. Baking Powder
2 cups Vegetable Oil (Cannola or equivalent) for frying
5 lbs Flour
{This recipe makes about 400 plus or minus a few cookies, it can be halved or reduced. The photo above was cribbed from the net and has two defects, the cookie dough is very dark, obviously a different recipe; they should be golden brown after frying. There is chocolate oozing out of the cookie because they used chocolate chips not cocoa powder. I would guess that it seriously compromises the taste. The size and shape are about right.}
Directions:
· Puree the Beans and mix with the Honey, Cinnamon, Cocoa, and Sugar until smooth. Add Raisins, Nuts, finely grated Orange Zests and stir to incorporate evenly. Use a food processor to prepare the chopped and pureed ingredients, mix with an electric mixer or by hand in a bowl large enough for all ingredients. Cover the filling mixture and let it sit overnight in the refrigerator to meld the flavors.
· The next day taste the filling for Sweetness, Orange flavor, Chocolate flavor and Cinnamon strength; if needed, add additional amounts of whatever is needed to your taste. Do not skip this tasting step, critically important! I often find that the chocolate has become muted.
Prepare the dough, mixing, kneading and rolling out as you would for ravioli or making a pasty crust. Work with a small ball of dough at a time, dough should be between a sixteenth and an eighth of an inch thick when rolled out, either in a rectangle or a circle. Drop the filling from a teaspoon, in small walnut size rough balls on half the rolled out dough. Allow enough room between each ball of filling to seal the dough around the filling. Flip the uncovered half of the dough over the filling balls to form the top, use a ravioli cutter to cut out the cookies and then use a fork to seal the edges if needed. To assist in sealing, you can make an egg wash and use a pastry brush to coat the half of the dough that will be used to cover.
Heat additional oil or vegetable fat in a large pan (deep fat fryer) to cover one layer of cookies. Deep Fat Fry the ravioli in batches at a high enough temperature (375 to 400) so that the dough does not become soggy with oil. Cook until the ravioli have gone beyond golden color to a light brown color. Check them and flip them over when one side is properly colored. None of the ravioli should be white or pale in color when they are done. Drain and cool on paper towels, line the storage container with paper towels, or waxed paper, sprinkle cookies generously with additional granulated sugar while still warm. Most of the sugar will fall off.
This recipe Yields approximately 400 -- 1½ Inch Square cookies. Recipe can be successfully cut proportionately to make smaller batches. You can use a pasta-rolling machine to roll out the dough.
NOTTO BENE:
Even though chickpeas are the largest element these cookie have no beanie taste and are delicious. To me they are addictive and eating just one is impossible.
· The cocoa selected is crucial to the taste of this pastry. I once used Nestles cocoa powder instead of Hershey’s and the result was disappointing. Even with extra cocoa it didn’t get the rich chocolate taste of the Hershey’s cocoa. Different process, different taste.
· Lacking time to complete the cookie making one year, I froze the dough and filling for about a month. Bad move—the oil in the dough was forced out and the outside half inch got soggy and discolored. It needed large amounts of flour to permit rolling the dough—the taste of the dough after frying was the same. The filling lost most of its flavor, particularly the Orange and Honey flavor as well as the sweetness. How it became less sweet is a mystery, but it needed a lot of doctoring to fix and it wasn’t quite as good. Freezing is not recommended before frying.
· After frying, if the cookies will not be eaten within a week, freezing is the best way to insure that the cookies remain fresh and do not get moldy. Room Temp storage in sealed plastic bags (Ziplocks) almost always results in moldy cookies within a few days. Storage in cookie bins with a cloth cover does not cause mold to grow. Defrost frozen cookies at room temp or in a very slow oven (200- 225F). Do not microwave. In the old days they were stored in a large dough pan with some clean sheets to cover and they never went bad – also never had any hanging around all that long either!
Dec 25, 2018 16:24:27 #
Gotta Question About The Dough
I've Finally Gotten A Pasta Machine
Problem Is,
The Dough Doesn't Come Out Like The Pictures
My Basic Recipe:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
Pinch of salt
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
The Dough Goes Through The Machine
Sags, Tears, And Is Generally Unsatisfactory
It Bunches And Sticks Itself As It Comes Out Of The Cutters
I've Tried Some Oil Or Water
It Feels Elastic In My Hand
But It Just Won't Roll Through The Machine Right
Any Pointers ??
I've Finally Gotten A Pasta Machine
Problem Is,
The Dough Doesn't Come Out Like The Pictures
My Basic Recipe:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
Pinch of salt
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
The Dough Goes Through The Machine
Sags, Tears, And Is Generally Unsatisfactory
It Bunches And Sticks Itself As It Comes Out Of The Cutters
I've Tried Some Oil Or Water
It Feels Elastic In My Hand
But It Just Won't Roll Through The Machine Right
Any Pointers ??
Dec 25, 2018 20:20:16 #
karpenter wrote:
Gotta Question About The Dough br br I've Finally... (show quote)
Generally, you have sticky dough and you should sprinkle flour over it before feeding it through the rollers. Or, spread some flour out on your cutting board and slide your dough through it and powder the topside. You may need to be generous with the extra flour powdering.
Dec 25, 2018 21:06:24 #
pafret wrote:
That May Be ItYou may need to be generous with the extra flour powdering.
Clean-Up Is Not My Favorite Thing
So I Try To Control Messes To Start
Dec 25, 2018 21:54:29 #
karpenter wrote:
That May Be It
Clean-Up Is Not My Favorite Thing
So I Try To Control Messes To Start
Clean-Up Is Not My Favorite Thing
So I Try To Control Messes To Start
Yes, the extra flour can be a mess. I have a huge board to roll doughs on. It is 3 1/2 by 5 feet so it helps keep the mess localized.
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