How to make struffoli recipe, Italian Christmas dessert

To prepare struffoli recipe, a traditional Italian Christmas dessert:

1. Mound the flour on the countertop, make a well in the middle and add the egg, butter, sugar, grated rind of half a lemon, a glass of rum and a little salt.

2. Blend and knead until smooth and well-formed, shape into a ball and set aside for half an hour.

3. Knead again briefly before dividing into balls the size of oranges, then roll them out to make strips as thick as your finger.

4. Cut them into pieces like gnocchi and place them on a cloth sprinkled with flour.

5. Place in a sieve just before frying to remove excess flour.

6. Fry a few at a time in plenty of boiling oil; they are done when they swell up and turn golden, but not too dark. Drain on paper towels.

7. Warm the honey in a fairly large saucepan, take it off the heat and add the fried struffoli, stirring gently until they are soaked in honey.

8. Then add about half of the candy sprinkles and chopped candied fruit and stir again.

9. Place an empty glass jar in the middle of a serving dish (to create the hole in the middle) and arrange the struffoli around it in a doughnut shape.

10. Sprinkle the rest of the candy sprinkles and candied fruit over the struffoli to decorate while the honey is still hot.

11. Once the honey has solidified, gently remove the jar from the centre of the plate and serve the struffoli, cutting it in slices.

This is the traditional Italian Christmas recipe, which contains no yeast and yields particularly crunchy struffoli. If you like them to swell up bigger, add a pinch of baking soda or ammonia for baking to the dough and let it rest for a few hours before frying.

Wine pairing: Aleatico di Puglia Passito