Main Ingredients:

See below ingredients and instructions of the recipe

Cooking Preparation of the Recipe:

----------------------------------FILLING----------------------------------
2 c Dried figs - chopped
1/4 c Yellow raisins 1/3 c Apricot preserves
1/4 c Currants or dark raisins 1/4 c Dark rum
1/4 c Candied orange peel 1 ts Instant espresso coffee
1/4 c Toasted, sliced almonds 1/2 ts Cinnamon
1/4 c Toasted pine nuts 1/4 ts Ground cloves
2 oz Bittersweet chocolate

-----------------------------------DOUGH-----------------------------------
3 1/3 c Flour 12 tb Lard or butter
1 c Sugar 2 Eggs
1 ts Baking powder 1/3 c Milk

--------------------------EGG WASH FOR ASSEMBLING--------------------------
1 Egg Confectioners' sugar
1 pn Salt

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

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

FOR THE DOUGH: Combine the flour, sugar and baking powder in a bowl and
stir to mix. Rub in the lard or butter finely, leaving the mixture powdery.
Beat the eggs and milk to combine in a small bowl and stir into the flour
mixture to form a dough. Turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface
and knead lightly a few times. Wrap the dough in plastic and chill. Divide
the dough into 12 pieces and roll each into a cylinder about 12 inches
long. Flour the surface and the dough lightly and roll it into a rectangle
about 14 inches long and 3 inches wide. Place a line of the filling down
the center of each rectangle, using 1/12 of the filling for each piece of
dough. Bring up the dough around 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 3 1/2- to 4-inch lengths. Using a sharp paring knife or single-edge
razor blade, make a series of diagonal slashes in the top of each little
sausage. Pull and twist gently, holding the sausage at each end to open the
slashes. Transfer the Cucidati as they are formed to paper- lined cookie
sheets, curving them into wide horseshoe shapes. Make an egg wash by
beating the egg and salt together with a fork until it is loose. Paint each
shape with the egg wash. Bake the Cucidati in a preheated 350F oven about
20 minutes, or until they are a light golden color. Cool, dust with
confectioners' sugar and store the Cucidati in tins, between layers of wax
paper.

NICK MALGIERI - PRODIGY GUEST CHEFS COOKBOOK

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