Calcionelli

Add an Abruzzese touch to your dessert spread with these crescent-shaped pockets filled with honey and nuts. When I was growing up, holiday baking started in early December with the shelling of nuts: walnuts, almonds, and hazelnuts. Piles of them. This was a chore for my sister and me and we did it, somewhat grudgingly, as we sat at the kitchen table in our suburban New Jersey home. Our mom, who was born and raised in Chieti, Abruzzo, was convinced that whole nuts were fresher than the pre-shelled ones sold in bags. She toasted and skinned the hazelnuts and used them to make buttery crescents, dipped in confectioners’ sugar. The almonds and walnuts were for her calcionelli—fried pastry pockets. Classic calcionelli have a filling of pureed chickpea, nuts and cocoa, but our mom filled hers with ground nuts, honey and citrus zest. She would fry them early on Christmas morning so we could enjoy them while we opened gifts.