Asturian-American Migration Forum

Les marañules de Candas (Concejo de Carreño) son uno de los postres asturianos más típicos y sabrosos, son una especie de galletas, bastante gruesas y con formas de lazos. Seguro que esta receta os gustará:

Ingredientes:

6 huevos
1/2 kilo de azúcar
400 grs. de mantequilla cocida (pesada despues de cocida)
1/2 copita de anís
Ralladura de dos o tres limones del país (que son los que tiene la pie las gorda)
Un sobre de levadura en polvo (Royal)
Un kilo y medio de harina (puede ser mas dependiendo del tamaño de los huevos)


Se ponen los huevos en un recipiente (bol grande), se añade el azucar, la mateca y los demás ingredientes menos la harina. Se mezcla todo y se va agregando poco a poco la harina hasta conseguir una masa que no se pegue a las manos. Ha de quedar muy suave. Se pone sobre un plato espolvoreado de harina, se cubre con un paño y se deja reposar durante dos horas a temperatura ambiente.

Poco antes de prepararlas se calienta el horno a 180º. Mientras se calienta se vuelve a amasar y se hacen las marañuelas formando los dibujos que gusten (coletas, círculos, empezando por el centro y enrollando haciendo rosca ,etc...) Se van colocando en una placa de horno espolvoreada de harina y se cuecen durante un cuarto de hora aproximadamente. No conviene tenerlas mucho tiempo para que no endurezcan demasiado. Se conservan bien tapadas durante bastante tiempo.


------

The Marañueles from Candas (County of Carreño) are one of the most typical and tasty Asturian desserts, they are a kind of cookies, quite thick with shape of laces or similar. I'm sure you will love them. Here is the recipe:

6 eggs
1/2 kilos (about 1 lb) of sugar
400 grs of melted butter (weighed after being boilt)
1/2 coup of anisette
2 or 3 grated lemons peel (how do you say ralladura?) (the thick ones, if you are in the US it can be difficult to get Asturian ones as recommended in the original recipe )
A baking powder bag (a small one)
One kilo and a Half (about 3 lb) of flour (it can be more depending on the size of the eggs)



You place the eggs into a a big bowl, you add the sugar, the butter and the remaining ingredients unless the flour. You mix it all together and then you add little by little the flour until the dough doesnt get stuck to your hands. It must be very smooth. You place it on a plate previously dusted with flour, you cover it with a clothe and you leave it for about two hours at ambient temperature.


A little before you prepare them you heat the oven at 180º (Celsius). Meanwhile you knead the dough again and you shape the "marañueles" giving them the shape you like the most (pigtails, lace, beginning from the center and rolling them making a roll). Then you go placing them on an oven tray previously dusted with flour and you bake them for about 15 mins. It's not convenient to keep them too long to avoid they get too hard. They can be kept well for quite long time if you cover them.


I hope you understand something
It's well worth an evening cooking them.

My grandmother made marañuelos either as small rounded buns, or as spiral shaped pastries. The latter involved rolling the dough up like a jellyroll, once it had been rolled out into a rectangle and liberally sprinkled with a mixture of chopped walnuts mixed with brown sugar. She would slice the roll, place the slices on a baking sheet, and brush them with beaten eggs. I made some last night, substituting toasted hazelnuts (ablanas) for the walnuts. If you can only find fresh hazelnuts, you can toast them in an oven or in a toaster oven at 350 for 20 to 30 minutes.

Here's how my grandmother made marañuelas. She was from San Martín de Laspra in Castrillón, and her mother (the likely source of the recipe) was from San Martín de Podes in Gozón.

12 eggs
1 pound butter
12 large tablespoons sugar
2 cakes yeast (or 2 packages dry yeast)
20 drops oil of anise (available at drug stores) or 1 teaspoon or more anise extract
8 cups flour (more or less)


In a large bowl, cut the butter into pieces, and place in a warm oven until partially melted. Beat eggs with a fork or whisk, and dump into the melted butter. Add sugar and oil of anise or anise extract. Suspend yeast in ½ cup very warm water with a little sugar, and add to the mixture. Mix well.

Add flour gradually, mixing well. Put the dough on a table and knead for 15 minutes. A Hobart mixer fitted witha dough hook works fine. Put the dough into a greased bowl, cover with a towel, and let rise until doubled in bulk. This will take from 2 to 3 hours.

Punch the dough down and dump onto the table. Form rolls as big as desired, about 2 inches across is good. Just hack off pieces of dough and round out; don't fold and refold the dough. Put on greased cookie sheet about 3 inches apart (even a little more), and brush the tops of the rolls with beaten egg. Let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

Place in a 350 oven for 20 to 30 minutes, but turn the oven down immediately to 250. Keep watching the rolls. The sugar makes them darken easily. Keep them light. Do not let them brown. Try one to see if they are done. Try two to be certain. Three if you are a true compulsive.

Instead, the dough can be rolled out and filled with a brown sugar chopped walnut mixture, then rolled up like a jelly roll and cut into slices before baking. One half recipe makes about 24 rolls.