Sfratti, honey nut cookies from Italy

Prep: 20 minutes Chill: 2 hours Bake: 20 to 22 minutes Makes: 48 to 60 pieces depending on how they are cut This is a traditional Jewish-Italian cookie from Pitigliano, generally prepared at Rosh Hashana but wonderful at any time of the year. Adapted from a recipe by Paula Barbarito-Levitt on labellasorella.com. 2⁄3 cup dry white wine 1⁄3 cup olive oil 3 cups all-purpose or 00 flour, plus more for rolling pastry 1 cup granulated sugar Large pinch kosher salt Grated zest of 1 lemon 1 cup flavorful honey ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper ½ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg ¼ teaspoon ground cloves Grated zest of 2 oranges 4 cups walnuts, chopped and lightly toasted 1 Combine the wine and olive oil in a pitcher. Place the flour, sugar, salt and lemon zest in a food processor; pulse until mixed thoroughly. With the processor running, pour in the wine and oil mixture; process until a soft dough begins to form, less than 1 minute. Do not over-process. 2 Remove the loosely formed dough to a work surface; knead for a few minutes until the dough comes together and is smooth. Cover in plastic wrap; refrigerate, at least 2 hours. Line two heavy-duty baking sheets with parchment paper. 3 For the filling, add the honey, spices and orange zest to a medium saucepan; heat to a boil over medium heat. Watch the pot carefully: The honey could rise up and boil over. Reduce the flame if necessary. Gently boil, stirring to be sure that the spices and orange zest are well combined, about 3 minutes. 4 Add the nuts and stir to be sure that the nuts are evenly coated with the honey mixture. Continue to stir for an additional 5 minutes over medium heat. Remove from the stove; allow to cool, giving the honey-nut filling a good stir every so often, 5 to 10 minutes; you do not want it to cool down too much and solidify. 5 Divide the pastry into 6 equal pieces; form each into a ball. On a lightly floured surface, hand stretch each ball into a small rectangle, about 2 inches by 4 inches. Using a rolling pin, roll the pieces into a 10-inch-by-4-inch rectangle; keep the finished rectangles on the work surface. 6 Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Using a large spoon, place a row of filling down the center of each of the pieces of rolled pastry, dividing the filling equally among the 6 pieces. (You may have filling leftover for another use.) Roll the pastry dough around the filling, turning the “sticks” so the seam is at the bottom. Pinch together the ends of each of the logs; place 3 on each of the baking sheets. 7 Bake until the pastry is light golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Halfway through the baking, rotate the position (front to back) of each baking sheet and switch them between the 2 shelves. 8 Transfer baking sheets to a rack to cool completely. Cut into straight slices or on the diagonal. The pre-cut “sticks” may also be wrapped in foil for a few days, or frozen. Slice when you are ready to serve. Nutrition information per cookie (for

60 cookies): 115 calories, 6 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 14 g carbohydrates, 8 g sugar, 2 g protein, 3 mg sodium, 1 g fiber