Dolci di San Martino Molisani — Fried Pastry with Wine Must

Molise — the San Martino pastry tradition of November is pan-Apennine; the Molisani versions of mostaccioli and calzoni dolci are specific to the local sapa and walnut traditions. The preparation reflects the ancient agricultural calendar: November 11 was the date when new wine was traditionally tasted and celebrated.

San Martino (November 11) is the feast day of the new wine — the moment when the fermented grape must of the autumn harvest becomes wine, and the countryside of Molise and the central Apennines celebrates with a series of preparations made from the new must (mosto) or from sapa (the cooked, concentrated grape must). The Molisani San Martino pastries include: mostaccioli (diamond-shaped spiced biscuits made with cooked grape must, flour, and spices); miele di fichi (fig and grape syrup confections); and calzoni dolci (fried pastry half-moons filled with a mixture of grape jam and walnuts). These preparations are made only in November and mark the agricultural year's transition.

Mostaccioli molisani are dense, chewy, and intensely aromatic — the cooked grape must gives a deep, raisin-dark sweetness; the spices (cinnamon, clove, coriander) provide a medieval warmth; the crust is hard but the interior yields slightly. They keep for weeks. With the new Molisani Tintilia del Molise wine they were made to celebrate, they are the taste of November in the Apennine.