Editor’s note: Anastasia Cannuscio is a member of Team USA with ice dancing partner Colin McManus.
A holiday feast Cannuscio family cherishes preparing special dishes
by ANASTASIA CANNUSCIO I come from a big Italian fam-
ily, so growing up I was always sur- rounded by delicious homemade food. My parents own an Italian restaurant and so do my dad’s par- ents, brothers and cousins. You could say food has always been a big part of our family, and I think that has definitely influenced my passion for baking. Growing up, I always helped my mom with the baking around the holidays. Bella (Isabella) and I would help her make more than 50 different kinds of cookies every year for Christmas. Bella was never eager to help with all of the baking, but was my favorite part of the holidays. Now that we’ve grown up, our traditions have changed a bit but here are some of the things that we do every year: We get a Christmas tree the day after Tanksgiving, after a
Anastasia Cannuscio and Isabella Cannuscio skate on an outdoor rink at Christmastime.
morning of Black Friday Christmas shopping. Te Santa Claus topper is always the last thing on the tree, and we always have Christmas music playing. Te whole family works at our fam- ily restaurant on Christmas Eve, and we always serve a “Seven Fishes” dinner (which is a traditional Italian Christmas Eve feast). Since we work, my mom’s side of the family comes to the
restaurant for dinner. On Christmas morning we exchange gifts, and then it’s time to start baking and cooking for that night. Both sides of the family usually come to our house for Christmas dinner. Not everything we make is always the same, but there are a few dishes that have never changed, and I always make dessert. My Nonna always brings her homemade manicotti. She also always gets mad when she offers you two pieces and you say, “Just one, please.” For dessert, she brings her homemade cannolis and pignolata. Bella and I are lucky that we still live close to our family. We drive home to work at the restaurant almost every weekend, but even though we get to see our family often, nothing compares to being home for the holidays.
(l-r) Isabella Cannuscio, Santa, Anastasia Cannuscio, their mother Kelly Cannuscio and their father Tony Cannuscio celebrate the holidays.
My Nonna’s pignolata recipe: Ingredients:
4 cups flour 1 tablespoon Crisco 3 tablespoons baking powder 4 egg yolks 2 whole eggs
Preparation:
In a medium-sized bowl, combine the flour and baking powder. In another bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, whole eggs and sugar. Add the Crisco to the flour and baking powder. (Mix the Crisco in with your hands to break it up a little bit.)
Add in the 3 tablespoons of white wine and the oil. Continue to mix with your hands until evenly distributed. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the egg mixture. Mix with your hands until the dough comes together. If it’s still too crumbly, add more white wine, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the dough comes together.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. Form the dough into a log, and then slice the dough into tenths. Cover the slices with a towel while you’re working. Take 1 slice and roll it with your hands until you have a long rope about the thickness of your pinky finger. Cut the rope using a floured dough blade or knife into 1/4-inch pieces. Once cut, set the pieces on a lightly floured plate. Be careful not to over- crowd so they don’t stick together.
Fill a wide pot with 3 to 4 inches of canola or vegetable oil. Heat the oil to 400 degrees. Once the oil is heated, drop in the pignolata dough. Stir frequently. The dough will split as it fries. When the pignolata are deep golden in color, remove them from the oil and place them on a towel-lined plate to drain. Allow the dough to cool.
For the glaze: Ingredients:
12 ounces honey 2 tablespoons sugar 2 tablespoons orange zest
Preparation:
In a big nonstick pot over medium heat, mix together the honey and sugar. Add 2 tablespoons of orange zest. Allow the mixture to bubble and the sugar to dissolve. You know it’s ready if the mixture is sticky when pinched between two fingers.
Pour the pignolata into the pot and mix together until all of the honey mixture is absorbed. You can add the toasted almonds now if you choose to use them. Pour onto a platter, and if you’re using the sprinkles, sprinkle them on top. Allow everything to cool and enjoy!
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Toasted almonds (optional) Holiday sprinkles (optional)
4 ounces sugar 2 ounces oil
3 tablespoons white wine — plus more, if needed
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