Ingredients
400g plain flour
4 eggs
200g butter, softened
1 tbsp caster sugar
1 tbsp vodka
Zest of ½ lemon, grated
Zest of ½ orange, grated
Pinch of salt
Vegetable oil, for frying
Coating
200g honey
100g sugar
50g cedro (if unavailable, substitute candied lemon), diced
50g candied orange, diced
50g hundreds and thousands
Instructions
Place the flour on a clean work bench. Make a well in the centre. Crack the eggs into the well. Add the butter, sugar, vodka, lemon and orange zest, and salt. Mix together with a fork, gradually incorporating the flour. Knead well until a dough forms.
Cover with a cloth and leave for 1 hour.
On a floured surface, roll the dough out to 7mm thick. Cut the dough into small pieces. Roll 1 piece in flour and use your palms to form a ball the size of a hazelnut. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Heat the vegetable oil in a wok over high heat. When hot, fry the balls in batches until golden. Drain on paper towel.
In a pot, add the honey, sugar and 50ml of water. Stir to dissolve. Cook for a few minutes until the colour is clear. Remove from heat.
Place the cedro, candied orange, hundreds and thousands, and fried struffoli into the pot. Stir to coat in the honey mixture.
Place the mixture on a plate and mould into a festive shape (do this relatively quickly, before it sets). Common shapes are a horseshoe or cone.
Decorate with ribbon.
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
