Cartellate with vincotto and honey are a typical dessert from Basilicata. I first discovered them when visiting my in-laws and immediately loved them for their unique shape and taste. They aren’t the easiest to make, but with some practice and manual skill, I’m sure you’ll make them perfectly.
To reduce preparation time, use the Imperia Pasta Machine with the PastaFacile electric motor. I highly recommend it; check out the link at the bottom of the page!
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Affordable
- 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 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 3.5 oz dry white wine
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 packet vanillin (about 0.2 g)
- 1 pinch ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch fine salt
- 2 cups vegetable oil (for frying)
- 12 oz vincotto (grape or fig, about)
- 8.5 oz wildflower honey (about)
- as needed colored sprinkles
Tools
- 1 Pasta Machine Imperia
Preparation
On a wooden board, form a well with the flour, add the vanillin, a pinch of salt, and cinnamon. In a glass, mix the oil with the sugar and heat them slightly to melt the sugar more easily.
Pour the oil and wine into the well, you might not need all the wine; add it as needed while kneading. The dough should be slightly hard, smooth, homogeneous, and elastic. Let it rest covered with plastic wrap for about 30 minutes.
Take about 100 g of dough, flatten it with your hands, and pass it through the pasta machine on the first notch (the widest one). Then pass it again through a middle setting and finally the penultimate notch (for a thinner sheet, you can go to the last notch). The strips should be about 0.08 inches thick.
You can also roll out the dough with a rolling pin if preferred.
Now cut the strips with a fluted cutter, about 1 inch high and 12 inches long.
These dimensions can vary depending on whether you prefer larger or taller cartellate.
Pinch the strips lengthwise, creating small concave shapes about 1.2 inches apart from each other (see photos). You’ll get about 6.
Roll the strip onto 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 will allow them to harden and absorb less oil during frying.
In a pan, heat about 2 cups of vegetable oil for frying. It will be ready when a small ball of dough rises immediately to the surface.
Fry the cartellate (not too many at once) in the pan with the oil for a few seconds on each side. They should be golden.
Place the cartellate facing down on a plate covered with a towel to absorb excess oil and let them cool.
In a small saucepan, heat the vincotto, immerse the cartellate, and turn them over two or three times to fully coat them. Remove them from the saucepan and let them cool on a plate.
Do the same with the honey. I prepared half with honey and half with vincotto to please everyone.
Decorate with colored sprinkles.
If you enjoyed cartellate with vincotto and honey, try other Christmas desserts:
Tools Used: More Information
The pasta machine I use is from the Imperia brand, considered among the best available. Since my mom also uses it and finds it a bit hard to turn the handle manually, we decided to get the model with the electric motor. It assembles and disassembles in a flash, and you can make all the pasta you want with minimal effort.
For more information and to make a purchase, click the link below to go directly to the related Amazon page:
Imperia Pasta Machine with PastaFacile Electric Motor 
With this pasta machine, you can get sheets with 6 different thicknesses and make two types of pasta: 0.08-inch wide tagliatelle and 0.26-inch wide fettuccine. The PastaFacile motor, once mounted on the machine, will allow you to prepare homogeneous sheets since the rollers will work at a constant speed.
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