Fried balls of dough are one of those foods that transcend borders. Every culture has its own version, from cinnamon-dusted American doughnuts to honey-dipped Greek loukoumades and syrup-drenched Lebanese awamat.
In Italy, they're called struffoli, or honey balls.
This southern Italian specialty comprises deep-fried, marble-sized balls of sweet dough glazed with honey and sprinkled with hundreds and thousands.
Pastry chef Riccardo Falcone, 34, grew up on the Amalfi Coast and would always eat them at Christmas.
"My aunty was the best struffoli maker. My other aunty was a really good chef. She had a restaurant, but she could never make them as good as the other aunty," he says.
"For some strange reason, even though it's a very simple recipe, everyone makes them in a different way."
The dough is a mix of flour, sugar, lemon zest, orange zest, salt, baking powder, eggs, vanilla and booze. He prefers rum, while others opt for brandy. The glaze is a mix of honey, lemon juice and hundreds and thousands.
His aunt's secret was infusing rosemary in chestnut honey for a fragrant kick.
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"Where I'm from, the chestnut honey is very good, it's honey made by bees that live around the chestnut trees and it's very rich. I introduce a bit of citrus in the mix, a squeeze of lemon juice in the honey to break a little bit of sweetness," he says.
During Christmas, families give them as gifts to other families. "We serve it sprinkled with hundreds and thousands, but other families use orange candy or almonds and we serve it on plastic, see-through trays."
Some families make a big doughnut and slice it into pieces, like a cake. Others like making a pyramid-shape of balls, like a Christmas tree.
"Most of the time we eat it after the meal, with a nice cup of espresso."
I introduce a bit of citrus in the mix, a squeeze of lemon juice in the honey to break a little bit of sweetness.
The origins of struffoli are unclear, but Falcone points out Naples was occupied by various cultures across the ages and they all left a culinary legacy.
"It is a melting pot. The Spanish do a similar dessert, the pinonate, but the balls are more olive-shaped. Where I'm from, we make them like a little ball," he says.
"But whether they're from Naples or Spain, the meaning in Greek is the same – small ball."
Falcone will be using his aunt's struffoli recipe at Mia Dolci Italiani, his new Neapolitan pasticceria (pastry shop) in the Sydney suburb of Alexandria with Orazio D'Elia of Da Orazio.
"I only make struffoli for Christmas, but I haven't made them for 10 years," he says.
Riccardo Falcone (right) and Orazio D'Elia. Source: Mia Dolci Italiani
"I used to work in restaurants (such as Rockpool) and this is my first pastry shop so I can make traditional Neapolitan desserts. No one really celebrates the pastries from Naples in Sydney, most of the influence is from Sicily. I want to cook what makes me happy."
Silvia Colloca also ate these honey balls at Christmas, but in her hometown of Abruzzo, they're called cicerchiata.
"It means little chickpeas, because that's what it looks like when you fry them," Colloca says.
Her nonna used to make cicerchiata at Christmas. It came in almost a ring shape. She'd make the dough, similar to a slightly sweetened pasta dough, shape it into tiny balls, deep fry them and hold them together with a mixture of honey and sugar. She would shape them around an old glass, and they set as the honey hardened.
"Traditionally, you slice it but what tends to happen is family members pick at it like lollies. It was a seasonal, festive dish. It would keep for a few days, so nonna would bring it out on Christmas Eve and we'd pick at it throughout the week."
Colloca has continued the cicerchiata tradition with her family.
Silvia Colloca. Source: Jono Fleming
"One of my children is really fond of it, I probably should be making it with him this year. He's always really excited about it," she says.
"Deep frying in the heat is never a joy, but then in the end it's a cold dessert so if you can get the frying over with in the morning when it's not too hot, it's OK.
She describes the cooking process as festive. "The dough itself is fun to make for kids so they can help with it. When you do the deep frying, the aroma of the lemon and sugar caramelising is beautiful, and the dripping of the honey mixture over teeny tiny balls is fun. It looks glossy and makes a beautiful centrepiece."
The aroma of the lemon and sugar caramelising is beautiful and the dripping of the honey mixture over teeny tiny balls is fun.
Colloca's family recipe calls for lemon zest and marsala, the classic flavours of a southern Italian Christmas.
"You can use a mix of zests. Nonna used a couple of tablespoons of marsala in the dough to bind it and give it a subtle perfume. The alcohol evaporates when you cook it, so it's suitable for children," she says.
"In Naples, they create incredible centrepieces out of it but my nonna was very rustic in her cooking and presentation, so we kept it simple and didn't use sprinkles."
In some bakeries, you can get this sweet in individual portions, set in muffin cases.
"You can really use your imagination however you want to set and serve it. I think I'll always go with nonna's way, as a little nod to tradition."
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