P
Italian · Molise
Signorelle — Molise Fried Dough Twists
Signorelle (also called cicerchiata in Molise) are the Carnival and Christmas fried dough preparation: small balls of simple dough (flour, eggs, lard, white wine, sugar, and a pinch of baking soda) fried in lard until golden and puffed, then coated in honey and piled into a mound or formed into a ring — the honey sets as it cools, binding the fried dough balls into a sticky, honeyed mass that is broken apart at the table. The preparation is identical in concept to the Neapolitan struffoli and the Abruzzese cicerchiata, and represents the same ancient tradition of fried dough with honey as the primary winter festival sweet of the Apennine tradition.
I
The Market List
The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.
For the dough
300 g
plain flour
Origin · King Arthur Baking, United StatesNot yet stocked in British Columbia
2
eggs
Your own market
1 tbsp
lard
at room temperature
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1 tbsp
sugar
Your own market
50 ml
dry white wine
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1 pinch
bicarbonate of soda
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
For frying
500 g
lard
sufficient depth for deep-frying
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
For coating and finishing
250 g
2 tbsp
water
Your own market
1 tbsp
coloured sugar confetti
hundreds-and-thousands, for decoration
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.
II
The Method
1
Combine the flour, eggs, lard, sugar, white wine, and bicarbonate of soda in a bowl and work everything to a smooth, firm dough, so the wine and fat are fully absorbed and the dough will fry crisply rather than drink up the oil. The dough is ready when it pulls cleanly from the bowl and holds its shape under the hand.
2
Divide the dough and roll into ropes approximately pencil-thick, then cut the ropes into 1 cm pieces and roll each piece between the palms into a small, uniform ball. Keep the balls to the same size throughout, so the batch fries evenly and no ball is raw at the centre when the others are already golden.
3
Heat the lard in a deep, heavy pan to 170 °C and fry the balls in batches for 2–3 minutes — this is where the dish lives or dies, because oil held too low will let the balls absorb fat and collapse, while oil held at the correct heat causes them to puff immediately on contact and take on an even golden colour. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a rack.
4
In a wide pan, warm the honey with the water over a low heat, stirring gently so the water loosens the honey without driving off its fragrance, until the mixture is fluid and just beginning to move — do not allow it to boil. The honey is ready when it coats the back of a spoon in a thin, mobile film.
5
Add the drained, still-warm fried balls to the honey pan and toss with a spatula until every surface is coated, working quickly so the residual warmth of the balls keeps the honey fluid enough to cling evenly. Cool balls will seize the honey before it spreads, leaving bare patches that will not bind later.
6
Pile the coated balls onto a serving plate in a mound, or form them into a ring around an oiled round cutter or bottle, then scatter the coloured sugar confetti over the surface before the honey sets. Allow to cool at room temperature until the honey solidifies and binds the mass together — the cluster should hold its shape when pressed lightly at the edge.
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — A single-origin, raw mountain honey — chestnut or wildflower from the Apennine interior — gives the coating a pronounced, complex sweetness that supermarket clear honey cannot replicate. Farm lard, rendered at home from a known source, provides a cleaner fat with a faint porkiness that defines the Molisano character.
02
Estate — A good artisan raw honey from a named beekeeper, fluid at room temperature. Commercially rendered lard of good quality, white and odourless. A dry, still white wine from Molise or Campania.
03
Market — Supermarket clear honey and commercially rendered lard. A neutral, inexpensive dry white wine. The result is correct and honest.
04
House — Sunflower oil substituted for lard in both dough and frying, with standard supermarket runny honey. The dough loses its characteristic flavour; the fried balls are lighter but lack the lard-and-wine depth that identifies the Molisano preparation.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Touch. The dough pulls cleanly from the bowl and from the hands — smooth, firm, neither sticky nor cracking at the fold.
◇Sight. The balls puff and turn an even, unbroken golden colour within 2–3 minutes in the fat — rapid, uniform colour indicates correct oil temperature.
◇Sight. The honey, warmed with water, coats the back of a spoon in a thin, mobile film — fluid enough to flow over every ball, not so hot that it sets on contact.
◇Touch. The finished cluster holds its shape and resists gentle pressure at the edge — the honey has cooled and solidified, binding the mass.
◇Where it lives or dies. The frying temperature must be maintained at 170 °C throughout: below it, the balls absorb fat and become dense; at the correct heat, they puff and colour in 2–3 minutes and arrive at the honey in the only condition that makes the dish.
Pillar V
Cross-cuisine parallels are part of membership.
The dishes this one teaches you, across the cuisines — on every recipe.
Enter · from $49 a year
VI
What to Pour
The pairing
Sparkling wine
From British Columbia
2023 seven stars VEGA
Township 7 Vineyards & Winery · Naramata Bench
Township 7 Vineyards & Winery · Penticton →Sparkling wine
Without alcohol
No pour without alcohol holds against this yet.
Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.
Why each one works is part of membership — Enter · from $49 a year →
The whole pairingPillar VII
Origin and lineage are part of membership.
Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
Enter · from $49 a year