For the dough
1 kilo of flour
200 grams of sugar
150 grams of vegetable oil

For the filling
1 kilo of dried figs, chopped finely
500 grams of mosto cotto
200 grams of sugar
50 grams of semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
Finely grated zest of 1 orange
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon

For brushing
1 egg yolk

Prepare the filling (The dried figs can be boiled for a few minutes to make them softer).

Make the dough.

Roll out into a thin sheet.

Cut out rounds or circles (about 15 centimeters).

Place a bit of filling on each round or square.

To make crescent-shaped pastries fold the rounds in half, press together the edges. To make ravioli-shaped pastries place two matching squares together, and press the edges together.

Brush the tops of the pastries with beaten egg yolk.

Bake in a moderate oven until golden (for about 20 minutes).

Mrs. Anna-Maria Benvenuto has collected hundreds of recipes from relatives, friends, and neighbors over the years. She recorded the recipes in Italian in numerous notebooks, often naming the recipe after the person who gave it to her. Mrs. Anna-Maria Benvenuto also copied recipes from Italian cookbooks, magazines and newspapers. Being an avid baker Mrs. Benvenuto tried out many of the recipes herself. However, because of her enormous talent and expertise, she did not feel the need to write detailed instructions as she knew how to make the recipes without them. However, when asked by this website's archivist (Mary Melfi) for details, she quickly volunteered the information. Nonetheless, as with most first generation Italian-Canadian handwritten recipes, it is understood that whoever attempts to duplicate them should have some knowledge of what they are doing.... Photo: Mary Melfi

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