Cartellate with Vincotto and Honey are a typical dessert from Basilicata. I first discovered them when I visited my in-laws and immediately fell in love with their unique shape and taste. They’re not the simplest to make, but with a bit of practice and manual skill, you’ll get there. To save preparation time, use the Imperia Pasta Machine with the PastaFacile electric motor. I find it very good, check the link at the bottom of the page!
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Here are links to other recipes from Basilicata:
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 1 Hour
- Portions: About 20 cartellate
- Cooking methods: Frying
- Cuisine: Regional Italian
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 1/3 tbsp olive oil
- 2/5 cup dry white wine
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 packet vanillin (about 0.007 oz)
- 1 pinch ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch fine salt
- 2 1/4 cups vegetable oil (for frying)
- 1 1/2 cups vincotto (grape or fig, about)
- 1 cup wildflower honey (about)
- to taste colored sprinkles
Tools
- 1 Pasta Machine Imperia
Preparation
On a work surface, place the flour in a mound, add the vanillin, pinch of salt, and cinnamon. In a glass, warm the oil with the sugar slightly to dissolve the sugar more easily.
Pour the oil and wine into the mound. You may not need to use all the wine; add it as needed while kneading to obtain a somewhat firm, smooth, homogeneous, and elastic dough. Let it rest covered with plastic wrap for about 30 minutes.
Take about 3.5 oz of dough, flatten it with your hands, and pass it through the pasta machine on the largest setting. Then pass it again on a middle setting and finally on the second to last setting (if you prefer a thinner sheet you can go to the last setting). You should obtain strips about 1/12 inch thick.
If you prefer, you can roll the dough with a rolling pin.
Now cut with a fluted pastry wheel strips about 1 inch wide and about 12 inches long.
Obviously, these dimensions can vary depending on whether you like the cartellate larger or taller.
Pinch the strips along their length, making little cups about 1 inch apart (see photos). You should get about 6 per strip.
Roll the strip on itself, pinching the edges together (as shown in the photo). Seal the final part well, or they will open during cooking.
Place them on a floured tray and let them rest for at least 12 hours. This way they will harden and absorb less oil during cooking.
In a pan, place about 2 1/4 cups of vegetable oil for frying. Heat it well; it will be ready when a small piece of dough rises immediately to the surface.
Fry the cartellate (not too many at a time) in the oil for a few seconds on each side until they are golden.
Place the cartellate upside down on a plate lined with a napkin to absorb the excess oil and let them cool.
In a saucepan, heat the vincotto, dip the cartellate, and turn them over two or three times to coat them completely. Remove from the saucepan and let them cool on a plate.
Do the same with the honey. I made some with honey and some with vincotto to please everyone.
Decorate with colored sprinkles.
If you enjoyed Cartellate with Vincotto and Honey, try other Christmas desserts:
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Tools used: more information
The pasta machine I use is from the brand Imperia, considered among the best available. Since my mother also uses it and finds it a bit tiring to operate the crank by hand, we decided to get the model with the electric motor. It assembles and disassembles in a flash, and you can prepare all the pasta you want with minimal effort.
For more information and if you wish to purchase, click on the following link, which will take you directly to the related Amazon page:
Imperia Electric Pasta Machine with PastaFacile Motor 
With this pasta machine, you can get sheets with 6 different thicknesses and make two types of pasta: tagliatelle 1/12 inch wide and fettuccine 1/4 inch wide. Once mounted on the machine, the PastaFacile motor will allow you to prepare a homogeneous sheet, as the rollers will work at a constant speed.
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