Apple Offellas (Traditional Italian Cookies)

[Fos87]

I hope to not have made a mess with your measurement unity (and your language), anyway I wrote also the grams.

The offellas are traditional cookies from North Italy. They can be stuffed with apples or almonds.

Ingredients for the pastry:

4 c (460 gr) flour
1 c (202,4 gr) sugar
3/5 c (165,6 gr) butter
2/5 c (64,4 gr) lard
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
Lemon peel

Ingredients for the jam:

9 oz (250 gr) apples (the best are the pippin)
5 tbsp (60/65 gr) sugar
1 lemon (juice)
2/3 c water
Cinnamon

Plus:
2 egg yolks
1 egg white

Procedure:

The best thing is to prepare the pastry and the jam one day before, to let them grow cold.

The pastry:
Mix the flour and the sugar, then add the cold butter and the cold lard, mix the with the fingertips until you have a sandlike mixture.
Add the lemon peel, the eggs and the egg yolk, and mix very quickly to not “burn” the pastry: too much warmth ruins the pastry.
Put the pastry in the fridge for one night: it has to be really cold, because this pastry is very moist and a little hard to spread.

The jam:
Peel the apples, slice them and put them in a pot with the lemon juice (it prevent the apples from becoming black) and some cinnamon. Add the sugar and the water, then cook everything very slowly until the apples melt. If the apples dries before they are ready, add some water.
When the jam is ready let it grow cold.

Spread the pastry with a thickness of 3 mm and cut several circles. They should have a 5 cm diameter. Put some jam on half of the circles, brush a little of egg white on the edges and put the other circles on them.
Punch the offellas on the top with a fork and put them in the fridge for one hour.
Brush a little of egg yolk on the top and bake 20 minutes at 350 F (180 C).

 

[mmyap]

Those look delicious! I'll bet there is no limit to what you can fill them with. Unfortunately I am no longer able to find lard here. I wonder if you could use all butter or perhaps substitute shortening for the lard.

 

[Fos87]

I don't know shortening, but the pastry made only with butter is really good (and simpler to spread). Lard give more flavor to the pastry and make it more friable, but if you don't find it it's useless be wild about it.

 

[Alessandra85]

Italian apple strudel

Hello to all, I'm an italian girl and I'm trying to learn English through some cooking's blog...I have read this recips with the apples and i want to give you my recipe of the italian apple strudel..i't very good trust me

INGREDIENTS TO THE PASTRY ( PASTA FROLLA )
2 eggs
120 gr of sugar
120 gr of butter
400 gr of flour (about )
lemon peel

INGREDIENTS TO THE FILLING
4 apples
cinnamon
lemon juice
2 tablespoon of brown sugar
pine nuts
chopped almonds
raisin

PROCEDURE:
Put in a mixer the eggs with the sugar and beat for one minute, stop the mixer and add the butter and beat again.
Then you must add a lemon peel e all the flour a little at a time.
Remove the pastry from the mixer and work it with the hands very quickly and very littel. Put in refrigerator for one hour.

Meanwhile you can start to prepare the filling of the strudel.
Slice the apples and put in a bowl...then add all the other ingredients: cinnamon
lemon juice
2 tablespoon of brown sugar
pine nuts
chopped almonds
raisin

Stir with a spoon.

Now take the pastry from the refrigerator and start to spread.
You need to give it a rectangular form! Stuffed only the half of the pastry with the filling. Close strudel with the remaining flaps of pastry.
Put it on a pan and bake for 30 minutes to 180°!

I hope I'haven't done many language mistake and I apologize for that and I'hope that you have enjoined of this italian recipe.

 

[Fos87]

Non sarebbe meglio aprire un topic a parte, scusa?