Tilicas
Description
Want to try your hand at making a unique dessert? Want to learn about some traditional Sardinian ones? Here are some sweet ideas . Tilicas, also known as tiliccas or tiriccas, are typical Sardinian desserts usually prepared during the Easter period.
The puff pastry casing of these traditional Sardinian sweets contains a filling made of honey, sapa (grape must) and 100% semolina , flavoured with orange zest and chopped almonds .
If you love almonds and like to prepare traditional desserts during the holidays, don’t miss this delicious recipe !
Ingredients
to recalculate the ingredient amounts
For the dough
- Re-milled durum wheat semolina 500 g
- Butter 100 g
- Water q.b.
- Salt 1 pizzichi
For the filling
- Sapa (grape syrup) 500 g
- Semolina 100 g
- Shelled and toasted almonds 250 g
- Orange 1
- Honey 20 g
Instructions
- 1 The first step in the tilicas recipe is preparing the dough: combine the semolina flour, a pinch of salt, and the softened butter in a bowl, then begin kneading the ingredients, gradually adding a little warm water. Once the dough is smooth and firm, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
- 2 While the dough rests, prepare the sapa and honey filling. Blend the almonds in a blender until they form a flour. Combine the sapa in a saucepan, add half a glass of water, and bring to a boil. Add the honey, almond flour, grated orange zest, and finally the semolina. For an innovative twist, you can also add raisins or chopped walnuts for added flavor.
- 3 Stir until the mixture pulls away from the sides and takes on the consistency of soft polenta. Turn off the heat and let it cool.
- 4 Take the dough and, using a pasta machine, roll it out into thin sheets, then cut them into strips about 12 x 5 cm with a pastry wheel. Take a small amount of the sapa filling, shape it into a worm (alternatively, use a piping bag), place it in the center of a strip of puff pastry, and wrap it with the two edges of the pastry. Shape the sweet treat as desired (for example, by spiraling it or bringing the two edges together). As they're ready, arrange the tilicas on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- 5 Preheat the oven to 180°C and bake the tilicas for about 15-20 minutes. When the outer crust has dried out, remove them from the oven, even if it isn't golden brown. Let the tilicas cool before serving.
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Did You Know?
Tiliccas are a typical Sardinian dessert . This isn’t their only name; they’re also called tericcas, tziliccas, cucciulendi e meli, cotzuli, seddines, and panigheddos. They’re a traditional dish of central and northern Sardinian culture.
Tiliccas are a dessert with a truly unique flavor, so much so that one leads to another, and are mainly cooked in autumn and winter . In fact, they were prepared for the holidays of All Saints’ Day, during the Feast of the Dead, but also for Sant’Antonio Abate, Christmas and in some areas even to celebrate Easter.
But what does this word mean?
According to a study of the Italian language, the term tiliccas and all its variants derive directly from the word “Siliqua.” This term referred to the fruit of the carob tree .
And in fact, if you think about it, the dessert resembles the fruit: the shape is curled, the color is the same and even the flavor is sweetish, thanks to the presence of almonds.
Almonds are the queens of Sardinian cuisine, the star of many traditional desserts, such as amaretti. According to some official documents, almond trees have been cultivated on the island since ancient times, particularly since the Middle Ages.
There are numerous types of almonds, each characterized by a specific use. The heart-shaped Schina de Porcu almond and the smooth, sparsely poreed Olla almond are widely used in sweet recipes.
As for their areas of origin, while the Cossu variety—used for sweets but also for extracting essential oils—is found throughout most of the island, the Arrubbia almond is grown primarily in the south, around Chia . This latter variety, with its more rustic flavor, is typically used to make sugared almonds, but is also excellent enjoyed on its own.
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