Canoli, of course. And my favorite,pignolatti. These are pastry kernels, deep-fried and allowed to cool, then stuck together with caramelized sugar in the shape of pinecones, supposedly the toys of the young Jesus. Each pastry, every dish is prepared with a devotion befitting great religious art. Throughout the night before the feast, the families prepare the cooked food.
Artichokes are stuffed, and artichoke stems, carduni, are dipped in a flour paste and fried.
Finnocchi and cauliflower are breaded and fried. Because St. Joseph's Day falls during Lent, there is never any meat on the altar, but seafood is very important. Always there is a dish of 12 fried trout on the altar signifying the apostles, some say, or the multiplication of the fish by Jesus, as others believe. The pasta is sprinkled with bread crumbs browned in olive oil to more closely represent the sawdust of St. Joseph the carpenter. Frittata, the closest thing in Italian cuisine to an omelet, and lentil soup are also important courses in the meal, which will end with sphinges, a cousin of the beignet, and convetti, which are sugared almonds.