Strucchi — Friulian Fried Pastry Rolls

Ingredients

• For the pastry
• 300 g 00 flour
• 1 egg
• 30 g lard
• 60 ml dry white wine
• 1 pinch fine salt
• For the filling
• 200 g walnuts, coarsely chopped; fresh, not stale
• 100 g raisins, plump; patted dry
• 100 g dried figs, finely chopped
• 60 g honey, mountain honey preferred
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground cloves
• To fry and finish
• 500 g lard, for deep frying
• 30 g icing sugar, for dusting

Method

1. 1
   Combine the 00 flour, egg, lard, white wine, and salt, then work the dough until it is smooth and cohesive — it should feel supple and slightly firm, not sticky. Rest it, wrapped, for 30 minutes at room temperature, so the gluten relaxes and the dough rolls out without shrinking back or tearing. It is ready when it yields to the heel of the hand without springing back.
2. 2
   Coarsely chop the walnuts and dried figs, pat the raisins thoroughly dry, then work them together with the honey, cinnamon, and ground cloves into a dense, cohesive paste. Press the mixture firmly to test it — it must hold its shape without weeping moisture, because a wet filling will turn to steam in the oil and burst the pastry open. If the raisins were not sufficiently dried, the filling will not bind and the risk of bursting is real.
3. 3
   Roll the rested dough to an even 2 mm, then lay the filling in a firm, compact line along one edge, leaving a clear border on all sides. Roll tightly and without gaps, pressing out any pockets of air as you go, so the pastry sits flush against the filling and has nothing to collapse into during frying. Seal both ends firmly by pressing the dough closed — this is where the dish lives or dies: a loose roll opens in the oil and the filling is lost, and any end that gives way will cause the strucchi to burst.
4. 4
   Cut the sealed roll into lengths of 6–8 cm with a clean, decisive stroke so the ends stay fully closed and are not dragged or compressed. Check each piece: the cut faces should be sealed, not open, so the filling is fully contained before the strucchi enter the oil.
5. 5
   Heat the lard to 170 °C and fry the strucchi in batches, 3–4 minutes per side, keeping the temperature steady so the pastry cooks through to the centre before the outside takes on too much colour. Do not allow the heat to climb, because at higher temperatures the exterior browns too quickly and the pastry inside remains raw and doughy. The strucchi are ready when they are a uniform deep golden colour on all sides.
6. 6
   Lift the strucchi from the oil and drain on a rack or absorbent paper. Dust generously with icing sugar while still warm, so the sugar clings to the surface rather than sliding off. Serve at room temperature.