Perhaps the most recognized holiday traditions come from the Feast of the Seven Fishes Christmas Eve dinner. The following recipe was shared at the 2012 Feast of the Fishes Festival cooking school demonstration.
Cucidati: Italian Fig Cookies
Filling:
- 1 pound pitted dates
- 1 pound dried figs
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- Juice and rind on one small orange
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ cup water
Dough:
- 4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks (1 cup) butter, cut into ½ – inch cubes
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup milk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 1 egg white beaten with 1 tablespoon water for egg wash
- Colored sprinkles for decorating
Directions: For the filling, using a food processer, grind dates and figs together. Grind walnuts then a whole orange with its peel and juice. Put the ingredients in a heavy bottomed saucepan, add sugar and water, stir over low heat so that the sugar completely dissolves and mixture is smooth and spreadable, about 15 minutes, cool.
To make the sough, in a large bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and whisk to combine. Add the butter and blend with your fingertips until most of the mixture resembles coarse meal.
In a medium bowl, beat the egg, milk and vanilla together. Add to the dry mixture and stir to make rough dough. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes. Cut the dough into 4 pieces, cover and refrigerate for 45 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375⁰ Lightly grease 2 large baking sheets or use parchment paper lined baking sheets.
On a lightly floured surface, one at a time, roll out each piece of dough into a 12-inch square. Cut the dough into 4 x 3 –inch rectangles. Spook 2 tablespoons of filling down the center o0f each rectangle. Fold the long sides of each rectangle inward to the center to enclose the filling; pinch the edges to seal. Turn the cookies seam-side down and press gently to flatten the seams. With a floured knife, cut the logs crosswise into 1 ½ -inch-wide slices and arrange ½ inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Brush with egg wash and decorate with colored sprinkles. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.
Buon appetito!