Name: Pitta ‘mpigliata
Prep time: 60 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 110 min
Ingredients: 90 gm honey, for brushing; Filling; 360 gm walnuts, roasted, coarsely chopped; 240 gm raisins; 2½ tsp ground cinnamon, plus extra for sprinkling; 1½ tsp ground cloves, plus extra for sprinkling; 375 ml (1½ cups) Italicus Rosolio Di Bergamotto (see note); Pastry; 100 ml dry vermouth; 100 ml extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing; 80 ml (1/3 cup) freshly-squeezed orange juice (about 1); 1 tbsp caster sugar; 565 gm plain flour; 2 eggs, lightly beaten

Pitta ‘mpigliata

Crisp, chewy, sweet and nutty all in one bite, plus pretty as a rose. It’s no wonder these scrolls appear at both Easter and Christmas.

Aerial view of three Calabrian dried fruit and nut pastries on a blue plate. — Photo: Ben Dearnley

Makes 12

Prep

Cook

50M

Total

1H 50M

A traditional festive dessert from Calabria’s province of Consenza, these elaborate rolled pastries are a true showstopper. You don’t have to soak the raisins and walnuts but it’s little effort for maximum return: 1 hour will do the trick but overnight is better. The rose-shaped scrolls are typically baked together as a round on a pastry base to make a large celebration cake for Easter and Christmas, but we’ve left them as individual pastries to be easily shared.

Ingredients

90 gm honey, for brushing

Filling

360 gm walnuts, roasted, coarsely chopped

240 gm raisins

2½ tsp ground cinnamon, plus extra for sprinkling

1½ tsp ground cloves, plus extra for sprinkling

375 ml (1½ cups) Italicus Rosolio Di Bergamotto (see note)

Pastry

100 ml dry vermouth

100 ml extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing

80 ml (1/3 cup) freshly-squeezed orange juice (about 1)

1 tbsp caster sugar

565 gm plain flour

2 eggs, lightly beaten

Method

1.For filling, combine walnuts, raisins, spices and liqueur in a wide container, mix well, cover and leave to soak for 1 hour or overnight.

2.For pastry, stir vermouth, oil, juice and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Cool slightly.

3.Combine flour and 1¼ tsp salt in an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. Gradually add vermouth mixture and egg to flour, mixing on medium speed until a smooth dough forms (4 minutes). Shape into a rectangle, cover and set aside to rest (1 hour).

4.Preheat oven to 170˚C. Working with a 75gm piece of dough at a time and keeping the rest covered, flatten into a rectangle and feed through a pasta machine, starting at widest setting. Fold dough in half lengthways, feed through rollers again and repeat, reducing settings notch by notch, feeding and rolling until dough is 1mm thick.

5.Trim sheet into a 9cm x 60cm strip; discard scraps. Lightly brush with olive oil and sprinkle over extra cinnamon and cloves. Spread 70gm (⅓ cup) filling along top half of strip, using your fingers neaten into a line. Fold up bottom half of strip over filling. Starting at one end, roll up strip to form a rose. Use your fingers to gently prise petal layers open to reveal some of the filling. Place on an oven tray lined with baking paper. Repeat with remaining pastry and filling. Lightly brush with olive oil and bake until golden and cooked through (45-50 minutes). Brush with honey and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Reheat in a 150˚C oven for 5 minutes.