Easter "dolls" and "horses"
A classic Easter tradition here in Abruzzo, it is typical (prior to Holy Week) to make a shortcrust pastry in the shape of pupe (dolls), and cavalli (horses) to be exchanged with family and friends before the arrival of Easter. My father (being obsessed with rhinos) couldn't help but shape the pastry into rhinos instead of the traditional horses. This recipe comes from an old notebook belonging to my great grandmother Maria Antoniette, where she uses humble, old fashioned ingredients (which makes all the difference) to obtain a perfectly friable dough using pork fat or strutto as we call it here in Abruzzo. Although I may not really like the idea of pork fat, it is actually a rather common ingredient here in Italy – especially in the South – and it really does make a difference in comparison to butter!
Makes approx. 4 medium/small dolls
Ingredients:
250 g flour
50 g pork fat (or butter)
2 eggs
100 g sugar
Zest from one lemon
Sift the flour into a bowl, add the sugar, salt, and make a well in the middle of the mixture using a spoon. Add the yolks into the middle of the well (one at a time), while slowly mixing with a fork and allowing some of the flour to ‘fall’ into the well from the sides. Now add the cold pork fat and start mixing quickly using your fingertips until the dough comes together. Let the dough rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes. Then, roll out the dough and use your creativity to shape it into figures of a doll, horse, or even a rhino! Finally, decorate with Jordan almonds or nuts and bake the figurines in a preheated oven at 180 °C for about 15-20 minutes, or until golden.
