This is a very popular and traditional X-Mas pastry in the Italian Provinces of Basilicata, Puglia and Calabria.
There are dozens of different recipes; this one is from my family, on my mother’s side (Lecce, Puglia).
Ingredients
2.2 lb. (1 kilogram) of white flour
3 tablespoons of sugar
100 milliliters (3.39 US fluid ounces) of Italian extra virgin olive oil
1 grated orange skin
1 grated lemon skin
5 grams of vanilla
4 teaspoons of baking powder
Dry white wine (enough to mix all the ingredients please see the explanation below)
Directions
Put the flour on a wooden table and make a hole in it, in the hole add all the ingredients but the baking powder that you will add at the end.
Use the amount of white wine needed to mix the ingredients.
Add the baking powder. The dough should be hard enough not to stick to the noodle maker (machine) or if you do not have it, to the rolling pin.
Using a noodle maker or a rolling pin, flatten the dough making it thin (around 2mm/ 0.08 inches).
Use a pastry wheel to cut the dough into bands about 5 inches long and 1 inch wide. Roll the dough to form a rose.
Deep fry them into abundant Italian extra virgin olive oil.
Once ready, put some cinnamon powder and honey over them.
If you like, you can also add some small pieces of dark chocolate.
Enjoy them, and Merry Xmas!!!
Emanuela
P.S. I though it would be useful for you to watch this video with all the
direction’s steps.
I hope you could find it helpful too!!!
We had something close to this. We called Italian Ribbons, because my Mom would shape the like a ribbon and we had honey and powdered sugar instead of cinnamon.
We had something like you are mentioning as a kid. We called them sticky cookies. Only had them at Christmas. I belie e my grandma used to make them. They also were shaped like ribbons too.
I remeber, as a child helping my mother make these…. they were great!! Happy times.