Sfratti: Honey and Nut Sticks or Evictions!

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, starts this coming Friday night.  Honey is traditionally eaten on Rosh Hashanah as a symbol for a sweet new year, and  I was looking for something different to make that included it.  According to Eddi Servi Machlin, sfratti are a traditional Rosh Hashanah sweet of Italian Jews.   "Sfratti" means "evictions" in Italian and the long sticks of dough from which sfratti are made are supposed to resemble the sticks with which tenants, or Jews, were forcibly ejected from places they were no longer wanted.  Like the Hamentashen (Haman's Ears) made for Purim, these treats make fun of historical enemies.

 

Regardless of the history, these sfratti are really good.   The dough texture resembles that of Fig Newtons and the filling is reminiscent of a chewy pecan pie.  A photo will be forthcoming.

Sfratti
(adapted from Eddi Servi Machlin’s The Classic Dolci of the Italian Jews)

Dough


3 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour


1 1/4 cups sugar


¼ teaspoon salt

1/3 cup olive oil

2/3 cup chilled, dry white wine



Filling


1 cup honey

15 oz. chopped walnuts
(about 3 ¾ cups)

zest from a medium orange, finely chopped or grated

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon


1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

dash of ground nutmeg


1/4 teaspoon freshly grated black pepper



Make dough first: Mix flour, sugar, and salt together in a large bowl. Stir in the oil and wine and mix with a rubber spatula just until dough holds together. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate while making filling.




Make the filling: In a large skillet over high heat, bring the honey to a boil, then reduce heat to medium high and cook for 3 minutes. If it starts to foam over, lower heat slightly. Add remaining ingredients and cook, stirring constantly for another 5 minutes, reducing heat if mixture threatens to burn (the nuts should brown slightly)

Let the mixture stand, stirring occasionally, for about five minutes, then pour mixture onto a silicone mat or floured surface and let rest until cool enough to handle.  Divide into 6 equal portions, and shape the portions into 14-inch-long sticks.  Set aside to cool completely (refrigerate if your kitchen is warm

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. 
 Divide thoroughly chilled dough into 2 equal pieces and put one back in the refrigerator (it is easier to roll chilled dough; it will soften quickly in a warm kitchen).  On a floured surface, roll a piece of dough into a 14-by-12-inch rectangle, then cut each rectangle lengthwise into three long rectangles. Place one of the strips of filling near a long side of each rectangle, then wrap the dough around the filling, pinching the ends, and making sure the filling is covered completely. Repeat with the second piece of dough.  You will have six long sticks of dough with filling in each.  Place sticks seam side down on the prepared baking sheet, leaving at least 1 inch between the sticks.  Bake sticks until lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Let cool slightly and wrap each stick with aluminum foil while still warm.  They will stay fresh for several weeks.   When ready to serve the sfratti, cut slantwise into about 1 ½”  pieces.  (The sfratti may be sliced ahead, but keep longer whole.)   Makes about 48  pieces. 

Preserving Plums

I picked almost all the remaining plums on my trees this week.   I made more plum butter, plum jam flavored with orange liqueur, and plum pie filling.  The plum pie filling is new to me.  Won't publish a recipe until I make a test pie with a jar sometime this fall.  But I did use some leftover filling in a plum "crumble" and liked the cardamom and almond flavors I used.   Regular cornstarch, tapioca, flour, and other usual thickeners for fruit pies don't stand up to canning.  The USDA recommends a modified cornstarch which home canners can buy online under the brand name "Clear Jel."

"Julie & Julia"

Saw Julie & Julia last week and really enjoyed it, partly for the the nostalgia value.   I literally learned to cook from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, volumes I and II, and remember making many of the recipes "Julie" prepared in the movie.  Some, such as the Boeuf Bourguignon and Coq au Vin have become staples in my repertoire .  The Lobster Thermidor from the recipe in first volume is fantastic and remains one of my all time favorite eating experiences.  And I even learned how to bone a duck from Julia Child, though I made a galantine rather than the pastry-covered duck shown in the movie.   My favorite duck recipe of all time is from a later Julia Child book, The Way to Cook."  Her Designer Duck features duck that is briefly roasted, then carved and cooked three ways:  the rare breast sliced and warmed in Port, the legs and thighs coated in mustardy crumbs and roasted, and the skin turned into cracklings.  Time consuming, but definitely worth it.

Can you tell how "beloved" (aka, tattered and dirty) my volumes are from the photo above?