CALCIONI
‘Calcioni’
or ‘Piconi’?
Different names for the
same delicious local
dish!
Saying that the Marches is the only region in the “plural” state in Italy indicates that this is a region with many different nuances from North to
South and East to West. The region has many dialects that change from
one town to the next, even in the space of a few kilometres and thanks to
this linguistic richness; a word may have the same meaning but refer to
something that is still different. This is something that happens with one
of the regional dishes that is known under two different names.
If you fancy eating“piconi” ask someone in the area around Ascoli, whilst if
,
thoughts of“calcioni”are making your mouth water, you’d better ask one
of the housewives or cooks around Ancona, especially someone from
Serra San Quirico. In reality, they’ll both bring you the same savoury/sweet
dish. When returning home, if you would like to make them yourself, you
can serve these bites as either a starter or a dessert: something that makes
this dish really unique! In the dough, you’ll find cheese (Pecorino DOC in
the Ascoli versions) as well as sugar in those made according to the recipe
from Serra San Quirico. Now do you understand why the Marches is a region of many, even in the local cuisine
INSTRUCTIONS
ts for the
rt with the ingredien
eggs
ady to mix? Let’s sta
eese, 10 or 11 whole
sy in the kitchen! Re
ing and get bu
0gr Borgetto ch
Calcioni of Serra
’s stop with the chatt
rmigiano cheese, 20
But, let
se, 400gr Pa
l sweet taste of the
ture Pecorino chee
s (to get the typica
filling: 500gr of ma
sugar and 4 lemon
g
r of cheese), 400gr
lings. The shoppin
(one for each 100g
are like stuffed dump
o).
over before
Piconi and Calcioni
San Quiric
because both
g yolks to brush
prepare the pastry
seed (plus 2 – 3 eg
The next step is to
ite wine, half cup oil
6 eggs, half cup wh
ur,
list includes: 1kg flo
completely
ipe.
baking).
th the eggs. Once
’s start with our rec
h. Mix together wi
erything is ready, let
ingredients in a dis
Right, now that ev
t all the
the cheese and pu
the fridge.
and wine in the
For the filling, grate
t for half an hour in
. Place the eggs, oil
in cling
ke a well in the top
ve the mixture to res
combined, lea
stry board and ma
for an hour covered
flour on a pa
rest in the fridge
ke the pastry, put the
ft dough. Leave to
To ma
e but so
flour to make dens
(dewell and bring in the
xture on the pastry
Place balls of the mi
by
thickness of 1mm.
y around the filling
film.
pastry so to a
d close the pastr
stry roll to roll out the
r, cut the edges so
the Picone in half an
Use a pa
one). Fold
a dented cutte
you want your pic
Once
filling. Finally, with
pending on how big
that it sticks to the
edge of the pastry.
n the filling and the
with your fingers so
ezing the edges
ch space betwee
t a cross on the top
sque
ve too mu
ing scissors, cu
ravioli. Tip: don’t lea
th egg yolk and us
oven trays
that they look like
ats, brush them wi
ht into the oven (on
ur sweet/savoury tre
ng
n place them straig
they cook. You ca
you have made yo
brown and the filli
ould be golden
able to escape as
x. 20 mins. They sh
t as the heat will be
so tha
° C for appro
g paper) at 160/170
fore eating.
covered with bakin
ave them to cool be
g out of the top. Le
ould just start spillin
sh
LAND OF MARCHE - WHY MARCHE / 69
Many thanks to Mrs Iole Capriotti for the recipe and to
“Naturalmente Dolce” for the photos.