Recipe: Cucidati (Italian Filled Pastries)

Cucidati (Italian Filled Pastries)
Source: Donna (in CA)

The name of these filled pastries is Cucidati, which is Sicilian for Buccellati, or "little bracelets."

FILLING:
2 cups dried figs
1/4 cup yellow raisins
1/4 cup currants or dark raisins
1/4 cup candied orange peel
1/4 cup toasted, sliced almonds
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
2 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/3 cup apricot preserves
1/4 cup dark rum
1 tsp instant espresso coffee
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves

DOUGH:
3 1/3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
12 tbsp butter
2 eggs
1/3 cup milk

EGG WASH FOR ASSEMBLING:
1 egg
1 pinch salt
confectioners' sugar

FOR THE FILLING: Stem and quarter figs. Place in a bowl and cover with boiling water; steep 10 minutes. Drain and chop coarsely in food processor. Combine with remaining ingredients. To prepare in advance, cover tightly with plastic wrap and keep at a cool room temperature or in refrigerator up to 3 days.

FOR THE DOUGH: Combine flour, sugar and baking powder in a bowl and stir to mix. Rub in butter finely, leaving the mixture powdery. Beat eggs and milk to combine in a small bowl and stir into flour mixture to form a dough. Turn dough out on a lightly floured surface and knead lightly a few times. Wrap plastic and chill.

Divide dough into 12 pieces and roll each into a cylinder about 12-inches long. Flour surface and dough lightly and roll it into a rectangle about 14x3-inches.

Place a line of filling down center of each rectangle, using 1/12 filling for each piece of dough. Bring dough around the filling and pinch to seal. Turn filled "sausage" of dough over so seam is on the bottom and cut into 4" lengths. Using a sharp paring knife or single-edge razor blade, make a series of diagonal slashes on top of each. Pull and twist gently, holding at each end to open slashes. Transfer the Cucidati as they are formed to paper- lined cookie sheets, curving them into wide horseshoe shapes.

Make egg wash by beating egg and salt together with fork until it is loose. Paint each shape with egg wash.

Bake in a preheated 350F oven about 20 minutes, or until they are a light golden color. Cool, dust with confectioners' sugar and store in tins, between layers of wax paper.