Calcioni, the Marche Easter Pastry: What They Are, Recipe and Where to Buy

Calcioni: origin and characteristics of the Marche pastry

The calcione is a large half-moon-shaped filled pastry, savory or sweet. The casing is yellow, glossy and crisp, because before baking the surface is brushed with egg yolk. The fairly thick pastry is scored with a cross on top: in the oven the cut opens and the filling bubbles out, so much so that the calcione's shape is compared to an active volcano with its lava.

The filling is the part that varies most. It can contain ricotta, eggs, sugar, pecorino, or be enriched with cocoa. The most classic version combines eggs, a well-aged pecorino, lemon zest and sugar, sometimes with a little cinnamon. This gives calcioni their distinctive character: they are sweet and savory at the same time, which is why they appear on the table both among starters and among desserts.

The name varies too. Calcioni is the form used around Ancona; around Ascoli people say cacioni or caciù. In the Ascoli Piceno area the name piconi is also common, for a similar pecorino-based preparation typical of Easter. For the sweet ravioli of Amandola and Montemonaco the names cacioni, pecorelle and piconi are used.

There is no single recipe: it changes from village to village and often from one family to another. In the Fermo area ricotta is added to the mixture to make it softer, while in some areas Parmigiano takes the place of pecorino. Some versions include orange zest, ricotta or mistrà, the region's anise liqueur. A common variant replaces the pecorino entirely with ricotta: the filling is sweeter and creamier, and the calcione is often dusted with cocoa. In some parts of the Macerata area the calcione is called caciù and is enriched with chocolate.

At the two extremes are two recipes. The traditional piconi of the Ascoli Piceno area combine fresh and aged pecorino, without sugar, in a pastry of just eggs and flour. In Serra San Quirico, in the province of Ancona, calcioni are instead the sweet version: sugar and grated lemon peel are added to the pecorino filling.

The history of calcioni

Little is known about the origin of calcioni. It is a recipe from pre-unification Italy, found throughout the Marche and especially in Arcevia, Serra San Quirico, Apiro, Cingoli and Treia, as far as Ascoli Piceno. Arcevia and Serra San Quirico, two towns divided by a historic rivalry over this very product, were making calcioni before the Unification of Italy; from there the preparation spread to the Piceno area.

The history of calcioni is tied to Easter. In peasant families of the last century the religious holiday was celebrated by bringing richer and more flavorful dishes than usual to the table, and calcioni were among them. In Ascoli homes every family keeps its own recipe, handed down for generations.

In the Sibillini Mountains the version with cocoa in the filling is not a recent novelty: chocolate cacioni have been made for more than fifty years.

Calcioni recipe

The recipe for savory calcioni starts with the pastry. For about 20 pieces you need 300 g of 00 flour, 3 eggs, a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and a pinch of salt. The filling is made with 200 g of grated Parmesan, 100 g of grated pecorino, 4 eggs and salt; one yolk is used for brushing.

The dough of flour, eggs, oil and salt rests for about twenty minutes, then is divided into 4 portions and rolled out into a layer that is not too thin. For the filling, mix the grated cheeses with the eggs and salt until smooth. Place the filling in small balls on one side of the pastry strips, fold the pastry over and cut out the calcioni with a fluted pastry wheel; then brush them with the yolk. Bake in a preheated conventional oven at 200 °C for the first 5 minutes, then at 180 °C for another 20 minutes. Calcioni are ready when well browned and are served still warm.

A version closer to the area uses Sibillini pecorino cheese: 300 g of cheese, 3 whole eggs, salt, pepper and nutmeg for the filling, 200 g of flour and 2 eggs for the pastry, which is rolled out to about 1 mm thick.

Sweet calcioni are made instead with shortcrust pastry: 350 g of flour, 3 eggs, 100 g of sugar and 50 g of lard (or butter). The filling mixes 250 g of fresh pecorino and 250 g of mild aged pecorino with 150 g of sugar, 3 eggs and the grated zest of one lemon, and rests in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. The pastry is rolled out with a rolling pin to about 3 mm thick and cut into 10 cm disks. Once closed, the calcioni are placed on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, brushed with a beaten yolk and snipped with a cross on top using scissors. They bake in a preheated conventional oven at 180 °C for about 20 minutes.

How to eat calcioni

Calcioni are eaten warm or cold, and need no accompaniment: savory or sweet, they are good on their own. They also go well with cured meats.

In the Marche they are often the starter of Easter lunch, served with a board of cured meats and cheeses, honey and onion compote, together with a good ciauscolo. They are also eaten in the morning, at Easter breakfast, and on Easter Monday (Pasquetta) picnics, paired with salami for the sweet-and-savory effect. In Ascoli Piceno, at Easter, piconi are brought to the table with a hard-boiled egg and a slice of salame lardellato (salami studded with lard).

Thanks to their balance of sweet and savory, calcioni also have a place at the end of the meal: as a dessert, or on the cheese plate, with honey alongside.

Where to buy calcioni

Calcioni can be bought in bakeries across the Marche, especially around Easter, when production peaks. In Serra San Quirico and Arcevia the historic bakeries make large quantities during Holy Week.

In the Sibillini Mountains the villages linked to sweet calcioni are Amandola and Montemonaco. Since this is an Easter preparation, in other months it is wise to ask the bakery before traveling whether calcioni are being made.

Anyone wanting to make them at home can start from local ingredients, beginning with pecorino. The other local products to bring to the table alongside calcioni are collected on the page on Sibillini local food products.