Sasanello gravinese

The sasanello gravinese is a typical dessert of the Apulian tradition, in particular of Gravina in Puglia. It is made with simple ingredients: flour, sugar, fig vincotto and chocolate which give it its particular dark colour. The pleasant scent is instead given by the orange peel and cinnamon. This dessert, with its unmistakable flavour, cheers up not only the Christmas holidays but any other period of the year, given that it is no longer enjoyed only at Christmas but every occasion is a good one to appreciate it, also because it is very easy to prepare in home.

In fact, even if it can be purchased in the bakeries or pastry shops of Gravina in Puglia and many other Apulian towns in the Murgia, the Gravina sasanello can be made in a short time at home.

The recipe

Ingredients

• 250 g of 00 flour
• 250 g of durum wheat semolina
• 150 g of sugar
• 100 ml of milk
• 50 g of bitter cocoa
• 300 g of fig vincotto
• 150 g of dark chocolate chopped into coarse pieces
• 50 g of extra virgin olive oil
• 10 g of ammonia for desserts
• zest of half an untreated lemon
• zest of half an orange
• a pinch of cinnamon

Method

1. Combine the two flours in a bowl and, after making a well in the centre, add the sugar, lemon and orange zest, cinnamon, cocoa and oil.
2. Separately, in a saucepan, heat a little milk to which add the ammonia for desserts so that it dissolves.
3. Add the milk to the other ingredients and mix with a spoon, then add the vincotto and knead with your hands.
4. Pour in the rest of the milk until the mixture is smooth and soft.
5. Add the chopped dark chocolate and continue kneading the mixture.
6. Form the sasanelli with the help of a spoon greased with oil: simply take a little dough and place it on a baking tray covered with baking paper and give it the typical rounded shape.
7. Bake the sasanelli in a hot oven at 180° for 10-15 minutes after sprinkling a little granulated sugar on their surface.

The spicy aroma and extraordinary flavor of this soft sweet make it perfect to accompany a coffee or herbal tea during snacks.

Curiosities about Sasanello gravinese

Originally, Sasanello gravinese was prepared during weddings or parties in middle-lower class families. Today it is prepared mainly for Christmas but it is possible to enjoy it throughout the year and, although it is typical of the Apulian Murgia, it is also prepared with small variations in other regions of the South, where it is also known by the name of “mustazzolo” .