Cartellate

Name: Cartellate
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 90 min
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 500 g plain flour; 100 ml olive oil; 150 ml dry white wine; 1 pinch salt; 1 l sunflower or peanut oil; 300 ml vincotto (cooked grape must) or runny honey; 1 tsp ground cinnamon; 2 tbsp coloured sprinkles

Fried honey pastry rosettes

Cartellate: Puglia's fried pastry rosettes soaked in vincotto or honey

Features:Vegetarian Dairy free Make ahead

Cuisine:

Italian

In Bari and the towns of Puglia, cartellate are the Christmas sweet that families make together: thin ribbons of dough, pinched every few centimetres and rolled up into a rosette with lots of small pockets, fried, then dipped in warm vincotto, a dark, syrupy reduced grape must, or honey. The pockets fill with syrup, and they are sprinkled with cinnamon and coloured sprinkles. The dough traditionally includes a little white wine; this version gives a water and lemon option for an alcohol-free bake. Chef's tip: pinch the ribbon firmly every 3 cm before rolling; well-sealed pockets hold the syrup instead of flattening in the oil.

Total time: 90 min
Difficulty: hard
Serves: 20

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Ingredients

Serves20

1 ⅛ lb plain flour
½ cup olive oilwarm
¾ cup dry white wineor 140 ml water plus 1 tbsp lemon juice
1 pinch salt
4 ¼ cups sunflower or peanut oilfor frying
1 ¼ cups vincotto (cooked grape must) or runny honey
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp coloured sprinklesopt

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What you'll need

Spices & pantry

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Method

0/6 done

Step 1: Mix 1 ⅛ lb plain flour and 1 pinch salt, add ½ cup olive oil and ¾ cup dry white wine and knead for 10 minutes into a smooth, firm dough. Cover and rest for 30 minutes.
40 min
Step 2: Roll the dough very thinly with a pasta machine or rolling pin, until almost see-through. Cut into strips 4 cm wide and 40 cm long with a fluted wheel.
Step 3: Fold each strip in half lengthways without pressing, then pinch the edges together every 3 cm to form little pockets. Roll the strip around itself loosely into a rosette, pinching the pockets to each other as you go. Leave the rosettes to dry for 2 hours, or overnight.
Step 4: Heat 4 ¼ cups sunflower or peanut oil to 350°F. Fry 2–3 at a time, open side down first, for 2–3 minutes, until golden. Drain upside down. Common mistake: frying them freshly made; they open up. Let them dry first.
15 min
Step 5: Warm 1 ¼ cups vincotto (cooked grape must) or runny honey in a wide pan until just simmering. Dip each rosette for 30 seconds, turning, until soaked.
10 min
Step 6: Arrange on a plate and dust with 1 tsp ground cinnamon and 2 tbsp coloured sprinkles, if using. They keep in a tin for a week. Not for babies under 1 if you use honey.

Nutrition per serving

Calories: 240 kcal
Protein: 3 g
Carbs: 35 g
Fat: 10 g
Fibre: 1 g

Nutrition values are estimates.

Recipe by

KrazyBadal

All recipes by this chef →

Good to know

How long does cartellate take?: About 90 minutes in total: 60 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
How many people does it serve?: 20 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
Is it vegetarian?: Yes. It has no meat or fish.
Can I make it ahead?: Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
What can I use instead of plain flour?: Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
What can I use instead of dry white wine?: Stock with 1 tsp white wine vinegar per 120ml (½ cup).

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