November 1, All Saints’ Day, that’s celebrated as a holiday. And, since celebrating All Saints’ Day really means spending the day at a graveside, it doesn’t have the same kind of resonance in the imagination. Halloween in Spain , they eat pannelets, chestnuts, drink sweet wine …
On the upside, there are treats. These are known as panellets: tiny cookies of varying shapes and flavours, traditionally accompanied by sweet wine and eaten on November 1, and really, throughout the fall. The basic recipe for panellets requires the preparation of a paste of ground almonds, sugar and mashed potato. The paste is subsequently flavoured with more almond, coconut, chocolate, coffee, pinenuts, orange or whatever else leaps to mind or hand and baked into tiny (usually circular) shapes.
The provenance of panellets is somewhat obscure. Some say that the cookies have origins in Spain’s Moorish past because of the use of almonds. Others relate them to ancient funereal or religious rites celebrated during this time of year. Luckily, no one’s going to test you on the subject before allowing you to eat them.
In winter time you can see small shops on street corners selling charcoal cooked sweet potatoes (spanish name is Boniatos) and chestnuts …
Taste those potatoes … it is very good.
You can buy those Panellets in many bakeries from mid October ( Saint Pilar ) to end of December.
Also in Pastelerias like the one near the Picasso Museum in the Born Area. Price +/- 1 €/for one Pannelets
Brunells Pasteleria
carrer Princesa 22 i Montcada 7
Ph : 93 319 68 25
I got the recipee from my neighbour Carmen ..
Ingredients:
- 1 small (4 to 5 ounces) sweet potato (Boniato in Spanish, you can buy it on the street in winter time in Barcelona), peeled and smashed
- 1 pound blanched or slivered almonds
- 1/2 lemon (grated zest only)
- 2 cups sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon of cinamon
Put all the ingredients together and let it stay one night in the fridge
- 1 large egg white, lightly beaten
- 1 to 1 1/2 cup pine nuts
Roll small balls of the dough with the egg and then with the pine nuts.
You can also add nuts, dried raisins, coconut, powder chocolate …
Cook 5 minutes in the oven.
Delicious recipee and easy to make ….
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