Basilicata follows in the footsteps of all the other southern regions which, at Easter, serve up a traditional dessert, usually made from ricotta.
In this case, we are talking about the falaone (loggerhead turtle (as it is known in Italian): a dessert known as “PAT” (Traditional Agri-Food Production) from the north-west.
The cliff
It is nothing more than a sort of small pastry made from ricotta, a staple ingredient on tables across southern Italy (such as the Neapolitan pastiera or the Salento pitta).
Why this particular cheese? There are two theories.
The first concerns a transfiguration of the votive offerings of milk and honey, dating back to ancient Christian ceremonies. The second could be traced back to the sacrifice par excellence: that of the lamb, which, quite literally, takes centre stage in the “savoury” Easter cuisine. And whilst lambs abound on the lavishly laid tables, just as many milk-rich ewes are left without lambs to feed: hence the practice of using their milk, which must not be wasted but always reused to feed the population.
The recipe
In this article, we bring you the traditional recipe for Numistrone (now Muro Lucano)
It is the day when you treat your loved ones to some splendid crescent-shaped pastries, which are yellow-brown on the outside and white on the inside, “tinged” with the green of mint and the ochre of cinnamon. These handy little pastries are easy to take anywhere, whether at Easter or on an Easter Monday picnic, as they keep for up to five days, provided they are stored in a cool place.
Maria, her mother, her grandmother and her great-grandmother… have always made Falaone like this:
Ingredients for 4 people
The pastry
- 1 kg of soft wheat flour
- 1 handful of sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 sachet of yeast
- 1 glass of lard (or extra virgin olive oil)
- white wine, as required (depending on the consistency of the dough)
The filling
- 500 g sheep’s milk ricotta
- 500 g goat’s ricotta
- 250 g of sugar
- chopped mint, to taste
- cinnamon, to taste
- half a glass of sweet liqueur (Strega, maraschino or similar)
Preparation
The pastry
- Pour the flour onto a work surface or a wooden table, forming a small mound with a well in the centre, into which you can pour the eggs, sugar, lard and yeast.
- Knead the dough, adding wine as you go, until it is neither too firm nor too soft.
- Use a rolling pin to “roll out” the pastry, shaping it into a circle.
The filling
- Mix the two types of ricotta, adding the mint, sugar, cinnamon and liqueur.
- Pour the mixture onto one half of the pastry sheet, then fold the other half over it, almost as if to form a parcel (or a sort of ravioli).
- Help yourself by “pinching” the edges to seal them properly, so that the filling doesn’t spill out.
- Prick the surface with the prongs of a fork.
- Brush with the yolk of a beaten egg.
- Finally, bake for about 40 minutes (or until golden brown) at 180°–200° (preferably in a wood-fired oven).
