It's that time of year again!

Once the fuss of Christmas is over and done with, every Friday in January finds me at the counter of our local bar demanding of the owner “are they in yet?”  He knows what I mean.   Every time Vito mentions he is going to the bar at the weekend, I ask him to ask the same thing and warn him not to dare return home without any if they are there.  Vito always laughs at me, and sometimes pretends he forgot or didn’t buy any just to tease.  What are “they”?  They are these, “Bignè di San Giuseppe” as they are known in Rome.

Are they in yet?

In other parts of Italy they are called differently.  These cakes are made in two ways.  They are either baked in the oven, or there is a much greasier, richer, fatter and in no-way-low-on-calories fried version, which of course make the latter without a doubt the tastier option!  Believe me, to die for, and in my humble opinion, worth dying for!  Traditionally made to celebrate the feast of St. Joseph (he of carpenter fame), which falls on March 19^th, these cakes are not made at any other time of the year.  Thankfully celebrations seem to start earlier each year and certainly local bars and patisseries begin to stock their bignè by the end of January.  Our local bar sells them at the weekends, and this is what keeps me going during the flat stint after Christmas until spring arrives.  They are our weekend treat. 

They are our weekend treat

The bar owner orders the cakes from a baker in Albano, which has a well-deserved reputation for his wares.  Some places serve them with fillings that are too dense, or too rich or sweet, or the cakes themselves too greasy or even too dry.  However to quote Goldilocks, these “are just right”, (and believe me I’ve tried plenty).  The fact they cannot be bought after the festival ends does a lot to assuage the guilt of overdoing the calories.  I mean you can’t get them after 19^th March, so might as well have one (or maybe two) now.  Can’t have them later can you?  Not as if you are eating them all year round is it? (In which case I’d probably be all round too). 

Can't have them all year round

Oh and one other use I found for them the other day apart from eating them which ended up with us laughing hysterically in the street outside the patisserie in Rome where we bought them while waiting for my dentist appointment.  Vito had been teasing me mercilessly while he happened to be eating a bignè.  I don’t know what made me do it, but my hand moved upwards.  Folks they also make wonderful custard pies!  Smash one in someone’s face and they find they are covered in thick yellow custard. 

They make wonderful custard pies too!!

 Vito will, I’m sure, back me up on this as he was the one who got covered (yessssssss!!!!!!!)  Except of course now he’s threatening revenge L