Cartellate are typical sweets of the gastronomic tradition pugliese, inevitable on the tables at Christmas. These are thin sheets of pasta that are worked into the shape of roses. According to Christian tradition, their shape represents the halo of Baby Jesus or the bands that wrapped him in the cradle or, again, the crown of thorns that surrounded his head during the crucifixion. Crumbly and crunchy, they have characteristic bubbles on the surface, which form during frying. Their name would allude to crumpled papers.
Their origin is very ancient and can be traced back to Egypt, where they were prepared to delight the palates of the pharaohs. With the advent of Christianity, the folders were brought as gifts to the Madonna to ask for good harvests. The term “cartellate” is cited in a text from 1517, drawn up for the wedding banquet of the daughter of Isabella of Aragon.
The ingredients
Cartellate, which can be garnished with honey or must, are made with the following ingredients: 500 g of 00 flour, 160 ml of white wine, 100 ml of extra virgin olive oil, 1 mandarin or clementine peel, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of sugar, peanut oil to taste, 1 pinch of ground cinnamon, honey or vincotto, colored devils.
The procedure
To prepare the cartate, first, heat the extra virgin olive oil in a pan and fry the zest of a mandarin in it, just long enough to flavor it. Pour the 00 flour into a well on a pastry board and add the salt and sugar. After mixing them, slowly pour in the hot oil, then the heated white wine. Mix the whole mixture well and knead vigorously. Once a loaf has been formed, it is left to rest for about half an hour covered with a bowl.
After this time, the dough is divided into pieces to be worked in the pasta machine to make them even smoother, until very thin sheets are formed. On the floured work surface, use a serrated wheel to cut strips 5 centimeters wide and approximately 30 cm long. Each strip should be folded slightly on itself and pinched every 4 cm to join the edges. In this way the pasta is sealed to prevent the folders from opening during cooking. Subsequently, the dough must be rolled into a spiral to obtain the shape of a rose.
Once made, the folders are left to dry overnight on the work surface. The next day they are fried in plenty of frying oil until they are evenly fried. After draining them on absorbent paper, heat the honey or vincotto in which to then immerse the roses. The folders can finally be arranged on a serving plate and decorated, as desired, with colored devils, chopped walnuts or candied fruit. Unseasoned ones should be stored in an airtight container.
(Photo: The house of bread, Residenza Santa Chiara, Facebook pages)
