Rame di Napoli
in Sicilian:
Rami di Napuli
Rame di Napoli are fragrant, spiced chocolate pastries traditionally found in Sicilian bakeries and pastry shops around All Souls’ Day (November 2nd). Even the aroma of these soft cocoa biscuits, coated in dark chocolate and garnished with pistachios, is enough to captivate you – let alone their delicious taste.
Rame di Napoli, which originate from the city of Catania , are made from a soft chocolate dough and flavored with cinnamon, cloves, and grated orange zest. Here in Germany, this means that Rame di Napoli are strongly reminiscent of the Christmas season, as these are the spices typically associated with this time of year. After baking, the Rame di Napoli are coated with a chocolate glaze. Finally, the ever-present pistachios of Sicily, in this case finely chopped, complete the decoration of these delicious pastries.
As with so many Sicilian dishes, Rame di Napoli also come in a variety of flavors. Before the pastries are coated with the chocolate glaze, you can spread a little orange marmalade over them or, alternatively, some hazelnut chocolate spread. Rame di Napoli have a slightly crisp exterior while remaining wonderfully soft on the inside.
Although the name Rame di Napoli may seem somewhat misleading at first glance, these pastries are in fact traditionally Sicilian and, as mentioned above, originate from the city of Catania. The origin of the name appears to date back to 1816, when the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies was unified. To commemorate this event, a special copper coin was minted. Rame di Napoli are said to have been created as a replica of this copper coin.
Baking soda as a leavening agent
Baking soda (ammonium carbonate is used instead of baking soda in Sicily) plays a key role in this recipe. Although it is a leavening agent, just like yeast, it cannot be replaced by yeast, as the effect on the final result would be completely different. Ammonium carbonate and baking soda work horizontally, whereas yeast works vertically. In addition, ammonium carbonate and baking soda also act as preservatives when making these biscuits. The smell of the baking soda gradually disappears after baking as the biscuits cool. Baking powder can be used as an alternative, but we recommend following the recipe as presented here with baking soda.
Rame di Napoli - eatlovesicily.com
- Prep Time25 min
- Cook Time15 min
- Perform Time30 min
- Total Time1 hr 10 min
- Yield8-10 pieces
- Serving Size4 servings
Ingredients
For the dough
- 500g Tipo 00 flour (alternatively, Type 405 flour)
- 300ml milk
- 200g sugar
- 100g unsweetened cocoa powder
- 150g butter
- 1 heaped tbsp orange marmalade
- 1 tbsp liquid honey (e.g. acacia honey)
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 5g baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- Zest of 1 untreated organic orange
- 1 pinch of salt
For decoration
- 300g dark chocolate
- 70g butter
- Chopped pistachios, to taste
- Orange marmalade, to taste
- Hazelnut chocolate spread, to taste
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Instructions
First, melt the butter in a bain-marie, then add the honey and mix well.
Next, gently heat 50 ml of milk in a small saucepan and dissolve the baking soda in it. Then slowly pour this mixture into the melted butter. Transfer everything to a large bowl and gradually add the remaining milk.
To finish this step, briefly stir the contents of the bowl and add the sugar as well.
Now it is time to add the various dry ingredients. Gradually add the flour to the bowl while gently mixing continuously in a stand mixer. It is important not to add all the flour at once. Once some of the flour has been incorporated, alternate smaller portions of flour with the cinnamon, cocoa powder, cloves, and a pinch of salt. Continue mixing and add the grated zest of the orange to the mixture as well.
Finally, add the orange marmalade to the dough and continue kneading everything in the stand mixer until it reaches a fairly dense and slightly sticky consistency.
Tip: The Italian Tipo 00 flour used in this recipe is roughly equivalent to German Type 405 flour. However, for the best results, we recommend using Tipo 00 flour, which can usually be found in Italian specialty food stores and, increasingly, in some well-stocked local supermarkets.
Next, place the dough in the refrigerator for half an hour. In the meantime, line a baking tray with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 160°C using conventional top and bottom heat.
After 30 minutes, take the dough out of the refrigerator and shape the Rame di Napoli into ovals of your desired size, either by hand or using a tablespoon. Leave about 3–4 cm of space between the individual portions of dough on the baking tray, as they will spread slightly during baking.
Next, bake the Rame di Napoli at 160°C for 15–20 minutes on the middle rack of the oven. As soon as they have a slightly crisp exterior while remaining wonderfully soft inside, they are ready and can be removed from the oven. Then transfer the pastries from the baking tray and leave them to cool. If the smell of the baking soda is bothersome, simply air out the room briefly to get rid of it.
If you were unable to use all of the dough in the first batch, it is important to keep the remaining dough refrigerated until you are ready to use it.
While the Rame di Napoli are cooling, you can start preparing the chocolate glaze for the final step. To do this, melt the chocolate and butter either in a bain-marie or in the microwave.
Once the Rame di Napoli have cooled, dip them one by one, rounded side down, into the chocolate glaze, then place them on a surface lined with parchment paper. Finally, sprinkle some chopped pistachios over the top for decoration.
For the orange marmalade or hazelnut chocolate spread variations mentioned in the introduction, simply use a pastry brush to apply a thin layer of either orange marmalade or hazelnut chocolate spread to the Rame di Napoli before dipping them into the chocolate glaze. Once the chocolate glaze has set, the Rame di Napoli are ready to serve.
Buon appetito!
Tip: If you’re craving chocolate now but don’t have time to bake, take a look at our online shop. There you’ll find Modica chocolate straight from Sicily.
