If you have a sweet tooth, Friuli Venezia Giulia is the region for you. It may be best known for its wine and its Austrian and Hungarian influenced savoury dishes but its sweets need to be experienced to be fully understood. Strucchi, for example, are a particularly delicious treat: sweet crumbly dough filled with pine nuts, hazelnuts, and grappa-soaked currants and raisins. They are boozy, bite-sized and delicious and can be cooked in a variety of ways. Baked, boiled or fried, they are typically served with powdered sugar or a scoop of gelato and are just the thing to warm you up in the colder weather of this mountainous region. Named for the Slovenian dumplings called štruklji, these small rectangular cookies are a tasty Italian take on the dish. If you want to try them at home while you pack and plan to head off to the perfect holiday rental in Friuli Venezia Giulia, just try out this recipe.
Ingredients
Dough:
770g of all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons of sugar
1 tablespoon of freshly grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon of salt
4 sticks of unsalted butter, cut into cubes
4 eggs
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
Filling:
50g of raisins
125ml of grappa or rum
100g of coarsely chopped walnuts
50g of blanched slivered almonds
75g of finely crushed biscotti or amaretti cookies
50g of diced candied orange peel
25g of pine nuts
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted
3 tablespoons of sugar
1.5 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
1 egg
Vegetable Oil
Sugar
Method
1. Combine the flour, sugar, lemon peel, and salt in a large bowl.
2. Blend in the butter, a little at a time, until crumbly.
3. Add the eggs and vanilla extract; mix until the dough forms a solid mass.
4. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
5. Place the raisins in a large bowl and add the grappa. Leave to soak for 30 minutes.
6. Finely grind the walnuts and almonds in a food processor and add to the bowl of raisins. Stir in the crushed biscotti, candied orange peel, pine nuts, melted butter, sugar, cinnamon, and egg.
7. Working in batches, roll the dough on a sheet of waxed paper to 3mm in thickness. Cut the dough into 2.5cm by 4cm rectangles. Place 1/2 teaspoon filling in the centre of one rectangle; cover with another rectangle, sealing the edges tightly.
8. Pour 4cm of vegetable oil into a large pot and heat to 180°C.
9. Working in batches, carefully place the strucchi in the hot oil; fry until golden brown, about 1–2 minutes. Remove from oil; drain on paper towels.
10. Sprinkle with sugar and serve hot with some ice-cream.
Enjoy and get planning your trip to Friuli Venezia Giulia!
Dough:
770g of all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons of sugar
1 tablespoon of freshly grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon of salt
4 sticks of unsalted butter, cut into cubes
4 eggs
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
Filling:
50g of raisins
125ml of grappa or rum
100g of coarsely chopped walnuts
50g of blanched slivered almonds
75g of finely crushed biscotti or amaretti cookies
50g of diced candied orange peel
25g of pine nuts
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted
3 tablespoons of sugar
1.5 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
1 egg
Vegetable Oil
Sugar
Method
1. Combine the flour, sugar, lemon peel, and salt in a large bowl.
2. Blend in the butter, a little at a time, until crumbly.
3. Add the eggs and vanilla extract; mix until the dough forms a solid mass.
4. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
5. Place the raisins in a large bowl and add the grappa. Leave to soak for 30 minutes.
6. Finely grind the walnuts and almonds in a food processor and add to the bowl of raisins. Stir in the crushed biscotti, candied orange peel, pine nuts, melted butter, sugar, cinnamon, and egg.
7. Working in batches, roll the dough on a sheet of waxed paper to 3mm in thickness. Cut the dough into 2.5cm by 4cm rectangles. Place 1/2 teaspoon filling in the centre of one rectangle; cover with another rectangle, sealing the edges tightly.
8. Pour 4cm of vegetable oil into a large pot and heat to 180°C.
9. Working in batches, carefully place the strucchi in the hot oil; fry until golden brown, about 1–2 minutes. Remove from oil; drain on paper towels.
10. Sprinkle with sugar and serve hot with some ice-cream.
Enjoy and get planning your trip to Friuli Venezia Giulia!