Friday Photo Flashback

With December upon us, I’m thinking about Christmas. Specifically, Christmas Eve. We spent Christmas Eve at my Italian grandma’s every year. She was the one who would make us a huge tin of cookies (chocolate chip, oatmeal raisin, sugar cookies, and more). She also introduced me to Pignolata (sometimes called Struffoli).

Grandma would always have pignolata out in pie tins covered with plastic wrap. Man, did we love this! Most Italian bakeries make it like it pictured above, but grandma didn’t. In all the years she made it for us, it never had the colored sprinkles on it.

Pignolata is a Sicilian treat and there are many different recipes for it online. I believe my brother has my grandma’s recipe somewhere. I’ve never attempted to make it myself, but may decide to do that one day.

Here is one recipe I found online which seems to be close to grandma’s.

Ingredients

• All-purpose flour
• Granulated sugar
• Salt
• Eggs: (large sized eggs)
• Vegetable oil: (olive oil can also be used)
• Milk: (1 tbsp.) for pignolata that is tender on the inside.
• Vegetable oil: (avocado oil can be used) for frying
• Honey
• Colored candy sprinkles

(For grandma’s recipe – you’ll need chocolate chips, chopped walnuts and powdered sugar)

First, you want to place the flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and add eggs; vegetable oil and milk. Use a fork to beat the eggs, oil and milk.

You then want to slowly incorporate the flour into the wet ingredients until a raggedy/rough dough is shaped. Then you want to transfer the dough to your counter and knead until a smooth dough ball is formed. Cover and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.

After the dough has rested, divide it into 4 pieces. Roll into long ropes of about 1 cm thickness. Cut into 1 cm pieces. Leave the pieces as is or, if you prefer, roll into a ball.

Transfer the pieces onto a baking sheet without overlapping to prevent from sticking together.

Heat about 2 inches of vegetable oil on medium-high heat in a heavy bottomed pan or your fryer. (To test if the oil is hot, place a pignolata piece in the oil. If the oil immediately sizzles and bubbles around the pignolata you’re ready to fry!) Fry the pignolata in batches without overcrowding your pan for 1-2 minutes until light golden brown. Then transfer with a slotted spoon to a paper towel covered tray or plate to absorb any excess oil.

As the balls, heat the honey in a small sauce pan until it is runny (this only takes about a minute). Place pignolata balls in a bowl. Add honey and toss to coat all pieces. 

Once coated in the melted honey, place pignolata balls in a mound (Some people will shape them into a wreath) on a serving platter or dish (or pie tin, like my grandma). This is where the recipe says to top with colored candy sprinkles. My grandma used to put chocolate chips or chopped walnuts in (sometimes one or the other, sometimes both) and then sprinkled it with powdered sugar.

I will probably stop by the Italian bakery and grab some before Christmas. If you do make this, please let me know how it turned out and what you think of it.