Typical sweet of catania

In honor of St. Agatha, patron saint of the city, in Catania they prepare delicious cassatine, with a particular semi-spherical shape, reminiscent of a woman's breast and are called minne or minnuzze of Sant'Agata.

This dessert is prepared throughout Sicily, where it is more commonly known as minni'i'virgini: its origin is to be traced in antiquity, when it was prepared as a propitiatory sign.

Sant'Agata minne are crumbly shortcrust pastry, filled with sheep's ricotta cheese, processed with sugar and enriched with candied fruit and dark chocolate.

Once cooked, the cassatine is covered with a candied cherry.

Ingredients

Pastafrolla
600 g. of flour 00
120 g. of lard
150 g. of powdered sugar
aroma of vanilla
2 eggs

Icing
350 g. of powdered sugar
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
2 egg whites

Stuffed
500 g. of sheep's ricotta cheese
100 g. of candied fruit
100 g. of chocolate chips
80 g. of sugar

Instructions

For the shortcrust pastry: Cut the lard into cubes and work between the fingers together with the flour. When the two ingredients are blended add the icing sugar, incorporated eggs and vanilla. Knead quickly, until the mixture has a voluptuous breasts, cover with a "mappina" and let it rest.

For the glaze: Partially beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt. Add the sugar, lemon juice and continue to mix until you get a white cream, lucina, frothy.

For the filling: the ricotta and the sugar until it becomes a smooth cream, without lumps. Add the candies and the chocolate. Let the refrigerator rest for half an hour. Grease and flour the round molds, I know that the cake has the shape of a breast. Roll out the short pastry in a thin layer. Dough. Turn them over to a greased and floured plate. Bake in the oven at 180 for 25-35 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it cool on a grill. Gently extract each cassatina from its mold, it will tend to solidify in a short time. Because simple cassatas are transformed like magic into mischievous breasts, minne full, decorated these magnificent, white, perfumed roundness with a candied cherry.