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Golden cartellate Pugliese roses stacked on a wooden board, glazed with dark vincotto and topped with colorful sprinkles

Cartellate Pugliese: Fried Rose Pastries in Vincotto

Wine-dough strips are pinched into ruffled roses, fried until crisp, and soaked in warm vincotto for a traditional Puglia Christmas sweet.
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Italian
Calories: 993

Ingredients
  

Dough
  • 500 g all-purpose flour (or 00 flour)
  • 125 ml dry white wine
  • 60 ml extra virgin olive oil mild, not peppery
  • 1 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp orange zest optional, from 1 orange
For Frying
  • 1 liter neutral oil (sunflower or peanut) enough to fill the pot 5 cm deep
Topping
  • 300 g vincotto (cooked grape must syrup) or dark honey thinned with orange juice
  • 2 tbsp diavolilli sprinkles for garnish

Method
 

Make the Dough
  1. Whisk the flour, sugar, salt, and orange zest together in a large bowl.
  2. Make a well in the center and pour in the white wine and olive oil. Mix with a fork, then your hands, until a shaggy dough forms.
  3. Turn the dough onto a work surface and knead for 8 to 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Wrap in plastic and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Shape the Cartellate
  1. Cut the dough into 4 pieces. Working with one piece at a time, roll it through a pasta machine or with a rolling pin to about 2mm thick.
  2. Cut the sheet into strips 3 cm wide and 25 to 30 cm long. Using a fluted pastry wheel, trim one long edge of each strip into a wavy scalloped pattern.
  3. Fold each strip in half lengthwise with the scalloped edge facing out, and pinch every 2 cm along the folded edge to create ruffles.
  4. Starting from one end, roll the strip loosely into a spiral, pinching the base to hold its shape like a rose with the ruffled edge standing up.
Fry and Finish
  1. Heat the frying oil in a 26 cm / 10-inch deep pot to 170 C / 340 F.
  2. Fry the cartellate in batches of 4 to 5 so the oil temperature doesn't drop, for 2 to 3 minutes, turning once, until golden and crisp.
  3. Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain on a wire rack. Repeat with the remaining dough.
  4. Warm the vincotto in a small saucepan over low heat until it loosens, then dip the top of each cooled cartellata into it or drizzle it over.
  5. Scatter diavolilli sprinkles over the top while the vincotto is still wet. Let set for 30 minutes before serving.

Notes

  • Roll dough to 2mm thickness for ruffles that crisp evenly.
  • Fry in batches of 4-5 so oil temp holds steady.
  • Pinch scalloped edges firmly before rolling into spirals.
  • Warm vincotto before dipping so it coats instead of pooling.
  • Undipped cartellate freeze well for up to 2 months.