Main Ingredients:

See below ingredients and instructions of the recipe

Cooking Preparation of the Recipe:

--------------------------FILLING-------------------------------
2 c Dried figs - chopped
1/4 c Yellow raisins 1/3 c Apricot preserves
1/4 c Currants or dark raisins 1/4 c Dark rum
1/4 c Candied orange peel 1 ts Instant espresso coffee
1/4 c Toasted, sliced almonds 1/2 ts Cinnamon
1/4 c Toasted pine nuts 1/4 ts Ground cloves
2 oz Bittersweet chocolate

---------------------------DOUGH--------------------------------
3 1/3 c Flour 12 tb Lard or butter
1 c Sugar 2 Eggs
1 ts Baking powder 1/3 c Milk

------------------EGG WASH FOR ASSEMBLING-----------------------
1 Egg Confectioners' sugar
1 pn Salt

The name of these filled pastries is Cucidati, which is Sicilian for
Buccellati, or "little bracelets."

FOR THE FILLING: Stem the figs and quarter them. Place in a bowl and
cover with boiling water; steep 10 minutes. Drain and chop coarsely
in the food processor. Combine with remaining ingredients. To prepare
in advance, cover tightly with plastic wrap and keep at a cool room
temperature or in the refrigerator up to 3 days.

FOR THE DOUGH: Combine the flour, sugar and baking powder in a bowl
and stir to mix. Rub in the lard or butter finely, leaving the
mixture powdery. Beat the eggs and milk to combine in a small bowl
and stir into the flour mixture to form a dough. Turn the dough out
on a lightly floured surface and knead lightly a few times. Wrap the
dough in plastic and chill. Divide the dough into 12 pieces and roll
each into a cylinder about 12 inches long. Flour the surface and the
dough lightly and roll it into a rectangle about 14 inches long and 3
inches wide. Place a line of the filling down the center of each
rectangle, using 1/12 of the filling for each piece of dough. Bring
up the dough around the filling and pinch to seal. Turn the filled
sausage of dough over so that the seam is on the bottom and cut it
into 3 1/2- to 4-inch lengths. Using a sharp paring knife or
single-edge razor blade, make a series of diagonal slashes in the top
of each little sausage. Pull and twist gently, holding the sausage at
each end to open the slashes. Transfer the Cucidati as they are
formed to paper- lined cookie sheets, curving them into wide
horseshoe shapes. Make an egg wash by beating the egg and salt
together with a fork until it is loose. Paint each shape with the egg
wash. Bake the Cucidati in a preheated 350F oven about 20 minutes, or
until they are a light golden color. Cool, dust with confectioners'
sugar and store the Cucidati in tins, between layers of wax paper.

NICK MALGIERI - PRODIGY GUEST CHEFS COOKBOOK

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