Pettole with vin cotto: an Apulian Christmas dessert

Sweet version of the pettole (pittule nel Leccese), the typical leavened batters that characterize the Christmas tables throughout Puglia. In this case, after being fried, they are abundantly sprinkled with cooked wine or sugar or poured honey. Vin cotto is a dark-colored grape must with an intense bitter-sweet taste; the most traditional is that of figs, but today, especially in the new restaurant, cooked musts flavored with orange, lemon and raspberries are also used. A curiosity about the origin of the "pettole". Popular legend has it that they were born from the distraction of a particularly talkative woman, who after having leavened the dough for the bread, stayed for a long time with a neighbor. Between chatter and gossip, time passed and the dough leavened beyond measure. On her return, the woman realized that she could no longer use the pasta to make bread, but since she still had to bring something to the table, she decided not to throw that dough full of bubbles and air away. Instead, she thought of frying it in hot oil and was really happy when she saw that the experiment was successful: those irregular batters had a tantalizing taste and relatives not only appreciated but were enthusiastic about it. And perhaps it is from there that the term "frici pettuli" (friggi pettole) derives from particularly enterprising and talkative women.

Chef: Viviana Lapertosa
Difficulty:
Time: 30 min of preparation, 30 min of cooking
Type of Cooking:
Doses for: 6 People

Ingredients for Pettole with vin cotto: an Apulian Christmas dessert

• 1 kg of flour
• 20 g of brewer's yeast
• salt
• peanut oil for frying
• 300 g of cooked fig must 
• 300 g of honey
• 200 g of icing sugar

Preparation

1. Dissolve the yeast with a little water, add the flour and a pinch of salt and continue mixing by adding just enough warm water to obtain a very fluid batter.
2. Beat for a long time until the mixture detaches from the bottom of the container.
3. Cover with a cloth, then leave to rise for an hour in a warm place.
4. Heat the oil to a temperature of 180 ° C, take the pasta with your left hand, tighten your fist and let out a ball of pasta through your thumb and middle finger.
5. With your right hand wet, grasp the pasta and dip it in the boiling oil.
6. The ball will drop to the bottom before rising to the surface, swollen and with the typical twirls that characterize the brooms.
7. Alternatively, wet two tablespoons in lukewarm water, with one take a little batter and with the other push it letting it slip in the oil.
8. Drain and dry on fried paper and dab gently. Bring the cooked wine to a boil with 4 tablespoons of water, lower the heat and cook over moderate heat for a few minutes.
9. A thick, syrupy liquid should be obtained. Pour it still hot on the brushes arranged in a tray and serve.
10. Alternatively, heat the honey over very low heat or in a water bath, when it will be fluid, pour it on the brushes and serve.
11. Finally, simply sprinkle the still hot brushes with plenty of icing sugar.