Make Patsy’s Struffoli This Christmas

Patsy’s is serving its traditional Feast of the Seven Fishes this holiday season. It consists of calamari or baccala salad, linguine with frutti di mare sauce, and a choice of shrimp scampi, stuffed calamari, shrimp fra diavolo, or tilapia livornese.

For dessert, as usual, there’s Patsy’s homemade struffoli. Head chef and co-owner Sal Scognamillo shares the recipe for these honeyed dough balls for you to try at home.

“Preparing struffoli during the holiday season has been a family tradition for years,” he says. “Not only do we really enjoy making it, we love serving it to our loyal customers.”

Patsy’s Struffoli

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 egg yolks (large)
1/3 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup honey
1 1/2 cups olive oil for frying
1/4 cup candied fruit (finely chopped)
1/4 cup multicolored sprinkles
12 maraschino cherries (cut in half)

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour and salt. Push the flour to the sides of the bowl, creating a well. Place the egg yolks in the well. With a fork, slowly beat the flour into the eggs to form the dough. Place the dough on a lightly floured board and knead. Add just enough flour so that it doesn’t stick.

Cut the dough into 1/2-inch pieces, and roll them onto the board into 1/4-inch ropes. Then, cut the ropes into 1/4-inch pieces.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan to about 350 degrees. Fry the dough pieces for about 3-4 minutes or until they double in size and are nicely browned. Drain the oil and place the fried dough on a paper towel to absorb excess oil. Heat the honey in a pot until just warm. In a large mixing bowl, toss the struffoli with the honey, and add the sprinkles and candied fruit, mixing well.

Pour the struffoli onto a dinner plate and form them into the shape of a wreath. Moisten your hands to help mold the wreath. Let the dish stand until it reaches room temperature. Finally, garnish with cherries.

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