This year our tree was up and adorned in record times, and Christmas songs have been echoing in our home for as long as I can remember. It’s great to have something to be looking forward to, especially during this particularly challenging year.

A few last gifts to be wrapped and our Christmas baking session shall begin.

There are many heirloom recipes in our family, but some of them are simply a must.

One of my favourite ones comes from my mother’s family side. We call them “bustarduzz,” spiced and scented nuggets of fried dough dressed with an impalpable veil of glaze. Their origin is uncertain, but we believe it traces back to the Apulia region, my great grandmother's homeland. We found very similar versions of this dessert in Calabria, Sicily, Greece and Oman too, which I find so fascinating. Food truly is a melting pot of cultures, beliefs, traditions, magically passed on over the history of our existence…

Makes approximately a Kg and a half of bustarduzz’

Ingredients:

(For the dough)

1 kg of all-purpose flour
75 g of caster sugar
100 g of cold pork fat (butter can be used alternatively, but the texture of the dough won’t be as flaky)
60 ml of mild extra virgin olive oil
½ a glass of Anise liqueur
juice of 2 oranges
zest of 1 orange and 1 lemon
8 tsp of ground cinnamon
6 tsp of ground cloves
Lukewarm water if necessary
frying oil of your preference

(For the glaze)

150 g of confectioner’s sugar
1 to 2 tbs of water
Zest of 1 lemon

In a large bowl, sift in the flour, mix in the sugar, ground spices and citruses’ zests. Make a well in the middle and slowly start adding in the liqueur, followed by the olive oil and lastly the pork fat. Help yourself with a fork at first, then quickly work the dough with your fingertips, then with your palms until the dough comes together into a ball. If necessary, add a bit of lukewarm water. The dough should be firm and smooth. Allow it to rest covered in the fridge for 20 minutes or so.

In the meantime, start heating the oil in a large frying pan.

Take the dough and divide it into small pieces, roll them as if you were making small “snakes” and cut them with the help of a knife. Later roll the nuggets on a gnocchi board or onto a grater. The size of a nugget should be approximately 1x2 cm each. Fry the bustarduzz into the heated olive oil until amber in colour. The oil should not be too hot otherwise the nuggets may be raw inside. Place them over some kitchen towel in order to drain the excess oil. Keep going like that until all nuggets have been fried.

Prepare the glaze by placing in a small bowl the sugar, then with the help of a whisk slowly add in the water and lemon zest until you get a good consistency (not too liquid nor thick). Cover the bustarduzz with the glaze. Allow them to rest uncovered on a tray until not sticky anymore, then store them in a large jar.

Enjoy and Happy Holidays! xx

Nonna Lina Christmas "Bustarduzz"