The Eyes of Saint Lucia are a traditional Apulian recipe made especially for the feast of Saint Lucia on December 13th.
They are taralli made with extra virgin olive oil, white wine, flour, and flavored with cinnamon or anise if you like, and after baking, they are glazed with a glaze made of powdered sugar and water, and finally dried before serving.
A dessert that is typically prepared in Apulia throughout the Christmas period, precisely because the aromas are well-suited to the celebration.
The Eyes of Saint Lucia are a dessert that inaugurates the Christmas festivities and recalls the shortest and darkest day of the year, which is December 13th.
The shape is always that of a tarallo, but the joint is somewhat pointed to mimic the shape of an eye.
Like all traditional recipes, this small tarallo has a story behind it, but I don’t know its origins well, so I will only give you the information I am aware of.
Make them too and let me know if you liked them!
About 100 Kcal for each little tarallo
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: about 20 pieces
- Cooking methods: Electric oven
- Cuisine: Regional Italian
- Region: Apulia
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter, Saint Lucia
Ingredients for about 20 Eyes of Saint Lucia
- 1/4 cup White wine
- 1/4 cup Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Medium egg
- 2 cups All-purpose flour
- Anise seeds or cinnamon powder (optional)
- 1 1/4 cups Powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp Water
Preparation of the Eyes of Saint Lucia
In a bowl, place the flour, then add the white wine, the beaten egg, crushed anise seeds or cinnamon if you like, and the extra virgin olive oil, mix everything well, then transfer the dough to a work surface and continue working it for a few minutes.
Create a thin sausage shape, then cut pieces of dough and stretch them until you create a cord approximately 4 inches long, slightly thicker than a finger, and close into a tarallo shape.
Place the taralli on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake in a preheated oven at 356°F for 20 minutes, checking the cooking.
Once cooked, remove from the oven and let them cool completely.
Prepare the glaze by mixing the powdered sugar with the water.
Take the taralli and dip only the top part in the glaze, then place them to dry on a rack.
Once the glaze is dry, you can serve them.
