Recipe: Cucidati -- Cuddureddi -- Buccellati

CUCIDATI - CUDDUREDDI - BUCCELLATI
From: Northend Market Tours
Adapted from source:Great Italian Desserts by Nick Malgieri

These fig filled cookies are made especially at Christmastime throughout Sicily. Village women and their children help each other to bake a sufficient quantity to offer holiday visitors as well as to have enough on hand to last through the winter months. Although the most common shape is a horseshoe, they can also be made into ravioli shapes or more elaborate carved designs.

PASTRY:
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
12 Tbsp. butter (1 1/2 sticks), cold
2 eggs
2 to 3 Tbsp. milk
pinch salt

Combine the flour, sugar, and baking powder in a bowl and stir to mix. Rub in the butter, creating a powdery mixture. In a small bowl, beat the eggs and 2 T. of the milk and stir this into the flour mixture to form a dough. If the dough is too dry add the extra T. of milk. Place the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead lightly a few times. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill while preparing the filling.

FILLING:
1 lb (2 cups) dried figs
1/4 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup currants or dark raisins
1/4 cup candied orange peel, rinsed and diced
1/4 cup almonds, toasted and chopped
1/4 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
2 oz. (1/2 cup) semisweet chocolate, chopped or grated
1/3 cup apricot preserves
1/4 cup dark rum
1 tsp. instant espresso powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves

Stem the figs, place in a bowl, cover with boiling water; steep 10 minutes. Drain and coarsely chop in a food processor or cut into small pieces by hand before steeping in water. Combine with the remaining ingredients.

To prepare in advance, cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Divide the dough into 12 pieces and roll each into a cylinder about 12 inches long. Flour the work surface and the dough lightly. With a rolling pin, roll it into a rectangle about 14x3-inches. Place a line of filling down the center of each rectangle. Lift up the long edges of the dough to enclose the filling and pinch to seal. Turn the filled sausage of dough over so that the seam is on the bottom and cut it into 4-inch lengths.

Using a sharp paring knife, make a series of diagonal slashes in the top of each roll. Slightly twist and curve the roll into wide horseshoe shapes. Transfer the cucidati onto parchment lined cookie sheets.

EGG WASH:
1 egg
pinch salt
optional topping: chopped pistachio nuts
colored sprinkles

Whisk the egg and salt together and paint the cucidate, using a soft brush.

Bake the cucidate in a preheated 350 degree F oven for about 20 minutes, or until they are light golden in color. Cool on racks. Store in tins between layers of wax paper.