Alba’s Napolitan Christmas Struffoli

Struffoli

Ingredients for the Dough:                                                                   

4 cups unbleached flour                                                      

4 ounces unsalted butter, softened                                      

3 whole eggs + 1 yolk                                                           
¼ cup sugar
1 ounce Limoncello liqueur
Zest 1 large orange
Pinch salt

Pinch baking soda

1 ounce whole milk or almond milk

For the syrup:

1 ½ cups honey

¼ cup sprinkles

 

Creating the logs

Cutting into small pieces

Directions for the dough:

In a large bowl add and mix the flour, salt and baking soda together. Make a little well in the center of the bowl.  Add remaining ingredients in the center.  Incorporate and mix batter until it is homogenized.  Knead about 5 minute until  the dough is smooth (if the dough is too tough, add a little milk, if it is too soft add a little more flour). Cover with towel in a bowl and allow to rest at least 30 minutes at room temp.

Once rested, divide into 8 smaller pieces; roll  each piece into thin long logs (thin snakes). Cut each log into tiny ¼ inch pieces about the size of chick peas.  Set on a clean towel to get ready to cook.

Prepare a medium size pan half filled with a light vegetable, canola, or safflower oil.  When hot, add a batch of struffoli at a time and cook.  Stir continuously and cook until just golden (not brown). Transfer cooked struffoli to paper towel to drain the excess oil. Continue this process until all the struffoli have been cooked.

Frying the dough

Directions for the syrup:

In a wide pan, heat the honey on medium-low heat about 3 minutes.  Turn off heat; add the cooked struffoli.  Mix well and uniformly.  Transfer the struffoli to a dish and shape like a wreath or small Christmas tree. Decorate lightly with sprinkles. Allow to rest about an hour before serving. 

Struffoli are sweet morsels of delicious tiny dough balls that are first fried and then dipped in warm honey.  It is a traditional  dessert in the Campania region of Italy which is served for Christmas Eve or Christmas day. Struffoli are decorated with colored sprinkles, candied fruit, and even coated almonds. They can be prepared in advance.  I usually prepare them a few days before Christmas. There are a few variations of this recipe depending of where you live.  Even though struffoli are served at Christmas, there is no rule in America, so you could make them for any special occasion and watch them go swiftly!

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Middle Eastern Pastries in Melbourne

 

Kangaroo Chillin

When it comes to an end of 2014 year, I realize that everything has moved so fast that I remember very little of everything that passed. I do remember well the support and love of my family, my doggies, and the people who to this day are still here with me on this journey. 

2015 must begin with new hope for all. Hope of a less hectic year, the re-beginning of taking better care of ourselves, spending more time with people we love, and continue to explore new possibilities to enrich our life’s. 

Good food starts with good basics. This year I will take more time to make my blogs more personal.  Select recipes that are still easy to make, with simple explanations, handy tips, and more photos.  I will show basic techniques to make superlative cuisine.  

My Trip to Melbourne, Australia

I had a magnificent time on our visit to see my in-laws in Melbourne, Australia during 2014 Thanksgiving season. I visited beaches, the animal sanctuary, water falls, vineries, and much more.  I savored incredible new Greek, Lebanese, and Turkish foods. I had delicious and remarkable saganaki, spanakopita, moussaka, and other delicious Greek favorites. The entire trip was magical. I visited lots of grocery stores and markets in search of new spices, salts and new recipes. While having many cappuccinos, I indulged in many pastries which were impossible to resist.  

Here are some photos of pastries I enjoyed during my trip which I would like to share with you.I will write the recipes, probably teach them in my cooking classes this year, and share them on my blog.

Basma Pastry

BASMA: Pronounced [bas-mah], it comes from the Lebanese word for “a smile”. Well, when you take your first bite, it will put a smile on your face.

Basma is made from Knafeh dough, then multiple layers of dough and nuts are stacked and baked. Basma is served as a dessert. It is usually served as part of Baklava assortments. Basma is mostly popular in Lebanon.

 

Namoura Pastry

Namoura is a traditional dessert, easy and yummy. Dense cake with Middle Eastern flavors like rose water and orange blossom water, and soaked with simple syrup. It's sweet, sticky, and delicious. Good for every occasion, great after a meal, or with tea or coffee.

 

Almond Birdnest Pastry

These “ birdnest” are pastry sweets, filled with almonds, usually given on holidays such as Eid and Ramadan and at other celebrations.

These Pyramid pastries can be made with many types of nut fillings. They are all in the baklava family. Each have their individual look and special flavor.  

Hazelnut Pyramid Pastry

 

Walnut Pyramid Pastry

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