Sfratti (Nut Filled Cookies)
"By way of La Cucina Ebraica, these cookies, traditionally served at Rosh Hashanah, (sfratti means evicted) supposedly represent the sticks landlords used to chase non-paying tenants. The pastry, moistened with sweet wine, is made with butter or margarine--depending on whether the meal is dairy or not. Cook time includes two hours for dough to chill."
- Ready In:
- 3hrs 20mins
- Ingredients:
- 14
- Yields:
-
48 cookies
ingredients
-
For the pastry
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
- 1⁄3 cup cold unsalted butter (or 1/3 cup cold margarine)
- 2⁄3 cup sweet wine
-
For the filling
- 2⁄3 cup honey
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1⁄4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 cups walnuts, coarsely chopped
- 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
- 1⁄4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- fine dry breadcrumb (for dusting)
- 1 egg yolk (beaten with 2 tablespoons water, for egg wash)
directions
-
To make the dough:
- In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and salt.
- Cut in the margarine or butter with a pastry blender until the mixture has the consistency of coarse meal.
- Add the wine and stir and toss with a fork until the mixture just holds together. Remove the dough from the bowl and gather it into a ball(The dough can also be made in a food processor, pulsing it to cut in the butter and processing to bring the dough together).
- Divide the dough in half and flatten each half into a disk.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.
-
To make the filling:
- Pour the honey into a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Bring to a boil, add the cinnamon and cloves, and boil until it forms a ribbon when a spoon is lifted, about 10 minutes. Add the nuts, citrus zests, and pepper and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and let cool until you can touch the mixture without burning yourself.
- Dust the counter(or chilled pastry board) with bread crumbs(you can substitute flour). Pour the filling onto the board and, using your hands, roll it into 6 long, thin ropes, each 12 to 14 inches long (work quickly as the mixture sets up fast).
-
To make the cookies:
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Butter 1 or 2 baking sheets or line with parchment paper.
- On a lightly floured board, divide the dough into 6 equal pieces.
- Roll out each piece into a 4-inch-wide strip that is 12 to 14 inches long.
- Place a strip of nut paste on the center of each piece of dough, and roll up the dough, fully enclosing the nut paste.
- Cut into finger-length cookies and place on the prepared baking sheet(s).
- Brush the sticks with the egg wash glaze. Bake until golden, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool.
- These keep well in an air-tight tin.
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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
Chef Kate
Annapolis, 60
<p>I have always loved to cook. When I was little, I cooked with my Grandmother who had endless patience and extraordinary skill as a baker. And I cooked with my Mother, who had a set repertoire, but taught me many basics. Then I spent a summer with a French cousin who opened up a whole new world of cooking. And I grew up in New York City, which meant that I was surrounded by all varieties of wonderful food, from great bagels and white fish to all the wonders of Chinatown and Little Italy, from German to Spanish to Mexican to Puerto Rican to Cuban, not to mention Cuban-Chinese. And my parents loved good food, so I grew up eating things like roasted peppers, anchovies, cheeses, charcuterie, as well as burgers and the like. In my own cooking I try to use organics as much as possible; I never use canned soup or cake mix and, other than a cheese steak if I'm in Philly or pizza by the slice in New York, I don't eat fast food. So, while I think I eat and cook just about everything, I do have friends who think I'm picky--just because the only thing I've ever had from McDonald's is a diet Coke (and maybe a frie or two). I have collected literally hundreds of recipes, clipped from the Times or magazines, copied down from friends, cajoled out of restaurant chefs. Little by little, I am pulling out the ones I've made and loved and posting them here. Maybe someday, every drawer in my apartment won't crammed with recipes. (Of course, I'll always have those shelves crammed with cookbooks.) I'm still amazed and delighted by the friendliness and the incredible knowledge of the people here. 'Zaar has been a wonderful discovery for me.</p>
