The Scalette (also called Scaliddre, Scaliddri, Scalilli or Scaliddi) are typical biscuits of Calabria, in particular of Altomonte, an ancient village in the province of Cosenza. In the local dialect it means “small stairs”, which indicate metaphorically the starting point (precisely, the stairs) of the ascending path towards Jesus. These sweets, in fact, have a Christian meaning and, for this reason, they are ideal for feasts and religious celebrations . According to the Calabrian tradition, the head of the family immersed a cross-shaped piece of dough in boiling oil, as a wish for peace, before the pasta was then fried for the preparation of biscuits.
Ingredients
10 eggs (8 red and 2 whole)
10 tablespoons of sugar
10 tablespoons of anise
10 tablespoons of melted lard or extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon baking powder
flour q.b. (about 1Kg)
sugar
water
Method
Insert the ingredients into a mixing bowl. Pour the flour, eggs, oil, anise, sugar, cinnamon and baking powder. We knead everything until the dough is soft and smooth. Let’s take a part of the dough, stretch it with your hands, obtaining a loaf of about 20-25 centimeters. We wrap it around a wooden spoon, then remove it from the ladle and place it on a tray. We dip the ladders in hot oil and fry them until they turn a golden color. Drain them and let them cool. We heat the honey in a saucepan. Add the cakes and mix with a spoon, so as to season the desserts with honey. Before serving, we decorate the ladders with a little sugar.
Photo by www.lericettediteresa.it
…enjoy your meal!
