This is the time of the year that most brings me back to when I was a child.

And like every Autumn, Pan co 'Santi (All Sanints Bread) brings me back to Via Verdi, where my grandmother used to live and where a real competition took place every year between the three Vanni sisters (this was my grandmother's last name before to get married)...

For the All Saints Holidays (in Italy we celebrate November 1st) at the Chiti's house we always used to have lunch with grandmother Elvira, my the father's mother. The ritual was almost the same: the Ceremony with the whole family and then the lunch at Grandma's with all the cousins.

It was a way of being together that I miss and I know that it will never come bac ...

The adults talked about politics or exchanged opinions on how their working status changed for the better or worse, and the kids played all day. Six cousins ​​in total. I was the oldest along with Andrea, four years later there were my brother Filippo with Feffe and with eight and ten years of difference from me respectively Marta and Ale .... in short, a beautiful crew!

Grandma Elvis's Menu was always the same: a nice pasta with meat sauce or, even better, tortellini with meat sauce, grilled beef and pork with, as she said, a bit of grass (ed), or spinach !!!! ! And finally the Pan co 'Santi !!!! The most crunchy, tasty, and soft at the same time, but above all, richer in saints (nuts) in my opinion was from Ceccherini's, a well-known bakery in Poggibonsi that still produces excellent pastries. But Pan co 'Santi del Ceccherini aside, that my aunt never failed to bring for lunch, our interest was always all about the game that would be triggered shortly afterwards between the three sisters .... Nonna Elvira was from Monteriggioni (just 10 minutes by car from Poggibonsi)and the typical day for All Saints included the tour to visit the sisters.

Elvira, Marina and Lidia challenged each other to slices of the typical Sienese dessert.

The rule of politically correct was always in force, that is none of the three ever really told the truth about what they thought of the others in terms of taste, consistency and quantity of nuts ... the comments (from my grandmother of course) were reserved only for us in private, during the driving by car from a location to another.

And, this was the fun part, we were the ever undecided jury that had to taste and re-taste before to decide the winner for the best Pan co 'Santi. My grandmother, objectively, has always cooked great cakes, especially on the occasion of the birthday parties of us grandchildren, but she has never indulged so much in the realization of the Pan co 'Santi ... she said that she was not very good and sincerely I don't particularly remember the taste from her side. Let's tell the truth, it was always Aunt Lidia who always won!

The comments in the car, however, were fantastic: "... And he had gotten better last year on the way, this year he knew little ... that of Marina had c'aveva peaks nuts .... to me to taste I liked your mother the most, but the consistency was better than that of Aunt Lidia .... I know about that of 'Ceccherini ..... Lidia is beating this year ... the one of Marina is unnatural , it was cooked too little away! "... and down talking! Obviously the comments continued between us even after the visits, during dinner, always at grandma's .... another big dinner with the leftovers, but even with soup entree!

Good memories that tell me about home, simple things, family, traditions, memories and that I cherish with love and that are all inside my Pan co 'Santi.

So I that's why i decided to leave this recipe to you too! Inside there's everything I learned as a member of the judges and official taster of the Chiti family during these tours .... Every year as I prepare it during this time, my grandmother's laughter still resonates in my head.

That's why it's so good!

Irene

AuthorToscane DI GustoCategoryCakes, Desserts, Tuscan Tradition Recipes