Holiday Traditions

Every year my mom and my aunt (and lots of helpers) get together to make an Italian treat, called Penolata. Though, none of us are sure on the spelling or the origin. The one thing we are sure of is the recipe! There are precise instructions on how to make this dessert, and like most family recipes, it's never written down.
Thankfully this year, I documented the process:


First the dough is made--7 cups of flour and 1 dozen eggs for just ONE batch! The mixer belonged to my grandma (rest her soul) and it's over 50 years old! Why we don't use a newer one (like the never-used one I got for our wedding) is beyond me!





Next comes the rolling. My aunt Nanny (hands on the left) is a professional roller! Of course this means she is forever showing us younger girls how thick or thin the dough should be. We'll learn some day!

The dough strips are then layed out to dry a bit before cutting. If they're too wet they can't be cut into the proper size and shape. Once again, heritage is before us, with an old cloth that's used every year for the drying phase! I'm sure my sister and I will fight our cousins for it! :)

The little pieces are then transferred to paper plates, which means there can be alot of confusion as to which plate belongs to which batch! Each family member gets a batch of penolata so it's important to keep track! Do you think we've figured out a system over the years? Of course not! It's more fun to yell: "Is this batch 7 or 8?" "Wait! That's batch 6! Don't mix these up!" :)

The toughest part is next...the dough pieces are dropped into heated oil and once they start to puff up, you can't stop stiring for 5 minutes, or until they are a perfect golden brown. It's hard work and the it can get very heated in the kitchen. It's important to dress for the occasion! :)

The pieces are then set in paper bags to soak up extra oil before the finishing touches:

Finally, the night is over...the women meet back up a few days later to decorate the penolata with honey, nuts and chocolate bits. It can be frozen and served at a later time. In fact, while making the fresh batches, we snack on plates from last year!