Spongata della Nonna Velia

Dolci tradizionali

Grandma Velia’s Spongata

Recommended track: You are the light (coro gospel)

Ingredients for 7 spongate (17 cm diameter):

Filling:

700 g honey
400 g almonds
250 g breadcrumbs
100 g raisins
100 g pine nuts
100 g crushed amaretti cookies
10 g cinnamon and ground cloves
Zest of 1 lemon
A splash of your preferred liqueur

Shortcrust Pastry:

800 g flour
300 g sugar
100 g butter
3–4 eggs (depending on size)
1 packet of baking powder
Optional: a splash of white wine or liqueur to soften the dough if needed

The Spongata is a tipical Christmas dessert from North Italy, makes whit honey, almonds, breadcrumbs, raisin and a flavor of cinnamon.

Finely chop the almonds and pine nuts if they are large.

Soak the raisins in warm water, optionally adding a splash of liqueur for flavor.Combine the amaretti, almonds, pine nuts, grated lemon zest, and ground spices in a bowl.Warm the honey in a small saucepan over very low heat or a bain-marie, being careful not to overheat it—it should just be warm enough to make it easier to mix with the other ingredients.In a non-stick pan, toast the breadcrumbs until they become a light beige color, like bread crust.Mix the warm honey, toasted breadcrumbs, and the rest of the ingredients with a wooden spoon. If necessary, finish mixing by hand.

At this point, you have two options:

Use the filling immediately after it cools to prepare the spongate.
For better results, transfer the filling to a bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and let it rest in a cool place for a few days. This allows the flavors to meld perfectly.

Shortcrust Pastry:
Combine all the ingredients, adding a bit of liquid (white wine or liqueur) if the dough is too dry. Knead until smooth, then let it rest for 30 minutes covered with plastic wrap.

Assembling the Spongate:

Portion the filling into 7 equal portions of about 230 g each to minimize mess during assembly.

Roll out a portion of the shortcrust pastry thinly. To create the base and top, use two plates of different sizes (we used 17 cm for the base and 19 cm for the top, as Grandma Velia did).

Place a portion of the filling on the base, pressing it lightly and leaving about 1.5 cm of space around the edges. Cover with the larger circle of pastry, pressing the edges together to seal them using your fingers or a fork without applying too much pressure.

Poke small holes in the top with a fork to prevent the pastry from puffing up during baking.