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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