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On a cold February day, why not try your hand at preparing a donut ... with honey produced by Pontelandolfesi beehives ?!

The recipe that we propose, suggested by a reader, uses honey instead of sugar, offering a healthy and tasty alternative to traditional donut. The honey used is wildflower honey but you can safely use your favorite: acacia, orange, lavender or even chestnut, which is not recommended for its bitter aftertaste. Imagining that you have fun preparing this donut, we are waiting for your recipes, perhaps those typical of Pontelandolfo, which can be published in a specific section on our website.

SEND THE RECIPES TO: info@visitpontelandolfo.it and we will publish them, send us also the photo of your realization !!!!

Ingredients for an excellent Donut with Pontelandolfese Honey 180 gr of honey 300 gr of flour 150 g of butter 4 eggs 1 sachet of baking powder Half a glass of milk Chopped lemon zest Method: Work the eggs with honey and soft butter. Add the flour, lemon zest and milk mixed with yeast. Pour the mixture into a donut mold. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 for about 30 minutes.

Among the typical Carnival recipes we have the Pontelandolfese variant of the “Chiacchiere”. It seems that this dessert has very ancient origins, even dating back to Roman times. Initially, they cooked cakes made from eggs and flour fried in pork fat, to be distributed in large quantities during the Sarurnali festivals, which coincided with today’s Carnival.
Widespread in the various regions of Italy, in Pontelandolfo (as in many places in Molise and Campania), they take the name of Scorpelle and are served seasoned with honey from the local hills. It was not easy to find a unique recipe because the opinions of the chefs of Pontelandolfo are conflicting. So much so that, in all likelihood, it will be possible to taste different versions of the scorpelle depending on the houses you will be able to visit. A demonstration of the fact that, although it is a very simple dessert, it lends itself to the most diverse gastronomic interpretations. Below we offer a version that seems to agree a little all, reminding you that the beauty of the kitchen is experimentation. Exactly like a melody that, although equal in its general lines, varies according to the musician who plays it.
Have fun and happy Carnival everyone!

Recipe:

• 1 kg of flour
• 6 eggs
• a couple of spoons of lard or 50 ml of olive oil
• a glass of white wine or half a glass of Chromel (aromatic liqueur produced in Pontelandolfo)
• Olive oil for frying
• local honey
• orange peel
• a pinch of salt
Method:
Pour the flour onto a pastry board. In the center, put the eggs, lard, wine (or liqueur), orange zest and a pinch of salt. Work until a homogeneous mixture is obtained. Roll out the dough to obtain a very thin sheet. Use a cake wheel and cut the dough into strips about 2 cm wide and about 25 cm long.
The strips thus obtained will be used to make the individual scorpellas. At intervals, join the edges of the strip with your fingers to make them stick, then rolling it on itself, joining the wider points until you create a kind of rose. Boil the oil and fry the Scorpelle with the notched strip down until golden brown.
Place on paper to absorb excess oil.
Before serving add the honey heated in a bain marie.

Between mid-October and the end of November, the harvest of olives and the subsequent extraction of extra virgin olive oil takes place in Pontelandolfo. The presence of olive groves distinguishes the entire landscape of Pontelandolfo, characterized by the delicate shades of olive green. In fact, olive growing has always been one of the main agricultural resources of the area.

Here the Cultivar Ortice, which represents the main variety, is mainly cultivated. From the pressing of the olives the extra virgin olive oil is obtained which is the basis of all the typical recipes of Pontelandolfo as well as being the fundamental food of the Mediterranean diet. The quality and authenticity of the oil produced in the area is now widely recognized …

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Welcome to our new column! It is dedicated to traditional Pontelandolfesi recipes.
Many Pontelandolfesi delight in scouring the Sannio Hills for Porcini Mushrooms. It is a pleasant way to spend an afternoon in the woods and bring home something scrumptious. The people who forage for mushrooms have been trained by those who searched before them and know the appropriate times to safely harvest Porcini.
This peculiar activity yields a typical recipe. Delicious, homemade pasta with Porcini mushrooms.

Tagliatelle with Porcini mushrooms

Four Servings

Prepare the pasta: Put the flour on a big board or in a large bowl.  Make a well in the center and add the eggs.  Mix with your hands and knead until smooth.  If it is too dry add a bit of water.  Let the dough rest for a while.

Roll the dough into a thin sheet.  Then cut the dough into long, wide strips.  Put it aside.

Cook the pasta in boiling water.

Prepare the sauce:  Add olive oil to a pan.  When the oil is hot, add some wedges of garlic and the peeled tomatoes.  Let that cook for a few minutes.  Add fresh mushrooms.  (If you are using sun dried mushrooms, reconstitute them first with water.)   Add a bit of salt.  When the mushrooms are almost cooked, add finely chopped fresh parsley. Toss the pasta with the sauce.

Serve with Falanghina or Aglianico del Sannio wine.

(traditional from the Archive of Antimo Albini)