THE HISTORY OF THE CARTELLATE The cartellate are delicious desserts of the traditional Apulian cuisine that can be enjoyed at Christmas time and that can be traced back to the sixteenth century. They have the form of crowns with serrated edges of dough, the symbol of the crown of thorns. Each family jealously guards its own recipe and prepares in large quantities this cake, that is also good served cold. The cartellate can be passed in cooked wine, or honey, or simply cooked or eaten with a little salt on the top. Their preparation requires great care.
THE RECIPE OF THE CARTELLATE 1 kg Flour 40 g Yeast dissolved in water 200 ml olive oil 2 Cups white win Salt j. a. Olive oil for frying Cooked wine or honey Cinnamon j. a. Icing sugar j. a.
PREPARATION Mix flour with baking powder, olive oil and white wine, until the dough is elastic like that of pizza (possibly add a little warm water or more wine). Let rise for a couple of hours covered, then knead and divide it into loaves, then roll out into thin discs. With a scalloped cutter wheel, carve strips of about 4 cm wide and 20-30 cm in length. Fold the strips in two full length matching the two longest sides. Squeeze the pulp with the tip at a distance of 3 or 4 cm spiral and roll each strip in order to get some kind of pink. In a large skillet, fry in hot oil cartellate, until they become golden brown. Drain and place on paper towels to drain. In a saucepan, boil the sweet wine or honey, dip a little time the cartellate and let absorb it well. When they return to the surface, drain and arrange on a large serving dish, in layers. Sprinkle each layer with cinnamon and powdered sugar. Serve hot or cold.