Scalille Calabrese
It isn’t Christmas until I make Scalille Calabrese. This is one of those recipes that texture, feel and practice works in your favour. Now, everyone has their own recipe. I was hoping to be home with my mom to make these, but her old recipe card and patience are on my side. She is also available through Facetime. LOL That’s right, at 86 she is pretty savvy on that tablet.
My nonna Emilia was the queen of these little honey logs that became known as dog bones. They resemble a dog bone and the honey sweetens them. Today 4 generations gather in my mom’s kitchen to make these Christmas favourites. My video is a mix of mom making them and me. I hope you enjoy our collaboration in making this recipe.
You can watch our video on my FaceBook Page. It goes between me and my mom. I think you will enjoy the process.
Don’t forget to check out our Calabrese Turdilli https://recipesatmytable.com/calabrese-turdilli/
If you are up to reading some Italian or looking at some yummy pictures of the food in Calabria https://guideincalabria.it/itinerari/cosa-vedere-a-cosenza/natale-in-calabria-i-sapori-della-tradizione/
Ingredients
- 12 eggs ( remove half the whites)
- 3 to 3/12 cups of flour ( mom used to 2/12 and then another 1/2 on the board) I used 3/12
- 2 tbsp crisco
- 2 tbsp sugar
- pinch of baking powder ( about 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/8 tsp salt)
- 2 cups honey plus 1/2 cup water for the coating.
My mom, Nilde Piraino ready with her trusty recipe book. She is our hero. A cancer survivor, Nilde has never complained and at the age of 86 cooks every day making the delicious Calabrese recipes of her childhood. Love this woman!!
Instructions
Mix eggs,crisco and sugar. Make a well with flour. Pour wet ingredients into centre and mix.
You want to add enough flour to make a stiff dough.
For traditional Dog bones, Roll dough into logs and slit along the sides.
Mom making her traditional braids.
Deep fry in oil until golden. I used a deep fryer, but mom put a pot of oil on the stove.
I put them on a paper towel to dry.
Look at how fluffy they are inside.
Dip the cookies in the honey.
You can decorate with some sprinkles.
Scalille Calabrese
Ingredients
- * 12 eggs remove half the whites
- * 3 to 3/12 cups of flour mom used to 2/12 and then another 1/2 on the board I used 3/12
- * 2 tbsp crisco
- * 2 tbsp sugar
- * pinch of baking powder about 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/8 tsp salt
- * 2 cups honey plus 1/2 cup water for the coating
- * 1 gallon and 1/2 oil for frying canola or vegetable
Instructions
-
Mix eggs,crisco and sugar. Make a well with flour. Pour wet ingredients into centre and mix.
-
You want to add enough flour to make a stiff dough.
-
For traditional Dog bones, Roll dough into logs and slit along the sides.
-
Mom making her traditional braids.
-
Deep fry in oil until golden. I used a deep fryer, but mom put a pot of oil on the stove.
-
I put them on a paper towel to dry.
-
Look at how fluffy they are inside.
-
Dip the cookies in the honey.
-
You can decorate with some sprinkles.
Being a Piraino and living in Northern Ontario, I have searched for this forever since my Nonna passed. She never wrote anything down and there was never a conversation to ask her how she made all the traditional food we enjoyed.
Thank you for this.
So happy you can now make the Scalille. May your memories with your nonna fill your home this Christmas season!🎄
is their no sort of liqueur added ?
My family does not add liqueur to the dough. We add it into the icing. Different Regions and different recipes. You could add a tablespoon of liqueur and not alter the dough.
Hope this helps,
Thank you for posting this recipe it is so very close to the one I have. I was wondering if you can show how to make the dog bones, the shape, when I fry mine they get too big and do not look like how my grandpa would make them! Thanks! Merry Christmas 🎄
Thanks Cara. I have the video on Facebook. I will check to see if it is on the recipe. We make tiny ropes and slit the edges a bit. My mom does fancy braided ones. You can also do little braids. Enjoy!
Heat your honey in a pot with a bit of cold water until bubbly and mix scalille in the honey and drain in a strainer until cool. It always sticks on mine.
Exactly what we do. Just added a new video with the method. Thanks and enjoy the holidays.
Thank you for sharing your recipes, stories and traditions. It is incredibly heartwarming, particularly with your Matriarch sharing her talents. It has taken a few years for me to use my Mamma’s recipes – I had opted for the North American Christmas baking. My Mamma passed a few years ago and I miss her dearly, especially around this time of year when we would bake together for days. So many Italian traditions for baking, slightly different in each region and all so delicious! I decided it’s time and will make a few of my favorite Italian cookies, one of which is Turdilli. Is your recipe the same for Turdilli and Scalilli? I remember my Mamma boiling the honey with lemon and orange peel. She said it was so that the turdilli or scalilli would soak in the honey. Also, would you share the recipe for Tsipolli made Christmas Eve? (Wet and sticky bread dough with anchovy in centre and deep fried).
Silvana it touches my heart deeply to read your comment. Nothing ever replaces our mom’s cooking. The recipes are different. You can find the both on the blog. The Scalille at https://recipesatmytable.com/scalille-calabrese/ and the Turdilli at https://recipesatmytable.com/calabrese-turdilli/. I also have an oven baked turdilli on the blog. I am working on the cullurelli, Christmas Eve fritters with mom this year. Merry Christmas to you and yours.
I never get the honey right. It’s either too hard or falls off onto the plate
Any hints to help
Getting ready to make pitta impigliata also
My mom and I will be making pitta impigliata soon. For the honey, bring it to the boil in a very large pan. Shut off the heat and directly add the turdilli or Scalille to the pan. Toss and remove with a slotted spoon. Sprinkle with white sugar. Hope this works.
Omg love this so much
So glad you enjoyed the recipe. My mother is 87 this year and it’s such a gift to have her with us so we can share more recipes. Merry Christmas and stay tuned I’m gonna be doing some other Calebra‘s recipes this month. Thanks so much
How do you stop the oil from foaming and boiling over?
Hi Nancy,
The oil may be foaming for one of two reasons. First, don’t over crowd the pan. Secondly, once it gets hot, I keep it at medium/high.
My mom uses a pot on the stove. I had more control using a deep fryer. I hope this helps.
My mother in law was Ca.abrese a d her family made scalilli using a dowel which the dough was wrapped around and then over itself they would then tap it on the table if you tapped too hard it wouldn’t come off if you didn’t tap hard enough it fellapart in the oil
Thanks so much for sharing. I love the stories. Even within the regions, there are many variations of the process. I would love to see a picture of this. This method sounds interesting.