Cartellate: These are classic Christmastime pastries from Altamura, a town in northeastern Puglia. Tradition dictates that they be dipped in vincotto, concentrated grape must, when done, but you can also dip them in honey. You'll need:
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- 8 1/3 cups (1 k, 2 1/4 pounds) flour
- 2 egg yolks
- 2/3 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup (100 g) sugar
- White wine (wealthy families used tangerine juice)
- Olive oil for frying
Preparation:
Warm the wine or juice, then combine all the ingredients, adding enough liquid to obtain a smooth, elastic dough. Knead it well, cut it into 4 pieces, and roll the first out into a 16th of an inch thick (2 mm) thick sheet (now many people crank their dough through the rollers of a pasta machine). Cut the sheet in to 1 by 3-inch strips, making a slice down the middle of each strip. Continue rolling out dough and cutting it into strips until you're done.As a variation, you can make "roses" by cutting slightly smaller strips and pinching their long ends together. In either case, fry the cartellate or rose until crisp and golden, drain them well on absorbent paper, and dip them in either honey or vincotto. You could also dust them with confectioner's sugar.
