"Turdilli" Calabresi
The oldest and best Calabrian Christmas sweets of all time are the "TURDILLI", or cannariculi, or crustoli (from the sweet Latin) in the shape of large striped gnocchi, prepared with simple ingredients by mixing the flour with a mixture of oil and wine, fried and dipped in fig, bee, chestnut honey or cooked must.
Ingredients Traditional recipe
- 1kg of 00 flour
- 2 glasses of oil
- 2 glasses of red wine
- 1 glass of water
- The grated zest of an orange
- 1 level teaspoon of cinnamon
- A pinch of salt
- 5 tablespoons of sugar
- Fry oil
- Bee honey and fig honey to cover
- Little devils to decorate
Put the liquids in a saucepan and bring them to the boil for a few minutes then let them cool and gently pour the mixture onto the flour made into a well on a wooden pastry board with the cinnamon, sugar, grated orange peel and a pinch of salt.
Mix with your hands until you get a smooth, soft but not sticky dough.
Let the dough rest for about half an hour so that it takes on all the essence of the aromas
At this point, form some strings of dough and cut them into small pieces slightly larger than the gnocchi.
Rotate the dough cylinder on the prongs of a fork to give the shape of a dumpling or help yourself with the "crivu". lined wood)
Continue until the end of the dough by placing the gnocchetti on a lightly floured surface.
Fry the turdilli in abundant seed oil until they have a nice golden color then drain them on absorbent paper.
For a minute, put them in a pan (a few at a time) with the honey mixed with a little water.
You can use the honey you prefer, I use 1 tablespoon of bee honey and 2 of fig honey
Pour the turdilli into a serving dish and decorate them as you like with the colored devils.
Good taste to all. photo by: Bella Crotone