Abbruzzese fried sweet ravioli
(Caggionetti al mosto di montepulciano)
Makes 40–50 ravioli
150 g (5½ oz) dried chestnuts
300 ml (10½ fl oz) mosto cotto (vino cotto) from Montepulciano red wine grapes (see Note)
150 g (5½ oz) blanched almonds, toasted and crushed
60 g (2¼ oz) dark bitter chocolate, grated
50 g (1¾ oz) caster (superfine) sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthways and seeds scraped
15 ml (½ fl oz) anisette (aniseed liqueur)
15 ml (½ fl oz) dark rum
300 g (10½ oz/2 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
90 ml (3 fl oz) extra virgin olive oil
90 ml (3 fl oz) Trebbiano white wine or similar (a soft-bodied Pinot Grigio is a suitable replacement)
olive oil, for deep-frying
icing (confectioners’) sugar, for dusting
ground cinnamon, for dusting
Soak the dried chestnuts in water overnight. Strain and place in a saucepan covered with water. Boil until tender. Drain and pass through a strainer or food mill. Weigh out 150 g (5½ oz). Set aside.
Heat the mosto cotto in a saucepan over low heat and stir in the almonds, chocolate, caster sugar, vanilla bean seeds, anisette and rum until the chocolate has melted. Add the chestnut purée and mix until smooth. Refrigerate until cooled.
Make a mound of the flour on your work surface and scoop a hole out of the middle to make a well. Mix in the extra virgin olive oil and wine to obtain a firm, elastic dough. You’re aiming for something that has the consistency of pasta dough, so it’s going to be considerably firmer than bread dough. Knead the dough well and divide it into two parts. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the first portion into a thin sheet about 2 mm (1/16 inch) thick. Use a circular pastry cutter to cut out 5 cm (2 inch) diameter rounds of dough. In the middle of each round, place a hazelnut-sized chunk of filling, then fold the pasta over the filling and tamp it down well to obtain bulging half-moons. Repeat the process with the second piece of dough and the cuttings from the first.
Heat the olive oil in a deep saucepan, no more than half full, to 180°C (350°F) and deep-fry the caggionetti in batches for about 4 minutes. As soon as they’re golden, remove with a slotted spoon and drain them on a paper towel. Dust them with the icing sugar and cinnamon and serve hot.
NOTE: Any vino cotto product will be a good substitute.