Honey Pignolata

Honey Pignolata is a traditional sweet during the Carnival period, especially popular in Sicily. Its preparation involves combining small fried dough balls coated in honey.

Ingredients

• 500 g of flour
• 4 eggs
• 1 pinch of salt
• 2 tablespoons of sugar
• 50 g of butter or lard
• Grated zest of one lemon (optional)
• Oil for frying (as needed)
• 300 g of honey
• Colored sprinkles or sugar granules for decoration (optional)

Preparation

1. In a large bowl, sift the flour and make a well in the center where you add the eggs, sugar, salt, melted butter (or lard), and the grated lemon zest.
2. Knead well until the dough is smooth and uniform. If the mixture is too hard, you can add a spoonful of water to soften it.
3. Divide the dough into several parts and roll each into long snakes about half a centimeter thick. Cut the snakes into small pieces to form uniformly sized balls.
4. Fry the dough balls in hot oil until they become golden brown and puffy. It is important that the oil is not too hot to prevent the balls from burning on the outside without cooking on the inside.
5. Once fried, remove the balls from the oil using a slotted spoon and let them drain on paper towels to remove excess oil.
6. In a large pan, heat the honey until it becomes quite liquid, then add the fried balls and gently stir to evenly coat them with honey.
7. Pour the Pignolata onto a serving plate and, while still hot, shape it as desired, then sprinkle with sprinkles or sugar granules for decoration.
8. Allow to cool completely before serving.

Interesting Facts

Each area of Sicily has its variant of Pignolata. Some versions include the use of two types of honey, clear and dark, for a two-tone composition, or the addition of small pieces of candied fruit. In some other variations, melted dark chocolate is also drizzled over the honey-soaked balls.