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Xerotigana
Xerotigana: Cretan wedding spirals of paper-thin fried dough, dipped in honey syrup with walnuts and sesame
At a Cretan wedding or baptism, the women of the family spend the day before rolling dough so thin you can read through it, winding the strips into roses in hot oil and stacking the crisp spirals on huge platters. Xerotigana shatter at the first bite and then turn sticky with honey, walnuts, sesame and cinnamon. Many village versions add a little raki to the dough for extra crispness; this one uses orange juice and a splash of lemon instead, so it is alcohol-free. Common mistake: rolling the strips too thick, which gives chewy, greasy spirals instead of glassy ones. Chef's tip: use a pasta machine down to the second-thinnest setting, and keep the strips you are not frying under a damp tea towel.
- Total time
- 100 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
For the dough
For the syrup
For frying and finishing
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What you'll need
Fresh ingredients (2)
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Mix 14 oz plain flour and ¼ tsp salt, add 3 tbsp olive oil, ¾ cup orange juice and 1 tbsp lemon juice and knead into a firm, smooth dough, adding 2 tbsp water only if it will not come together. Knead for 8 minutes, wrap and rest for 30 minutes.
38 minStep 2: Bring 10 ½ oz honey, 3 ½ oz sugar and ¾ cup water to the boil in a wide pan, skim and simmer for 3 minutes. Keep warm over the lowest heat.
5 minStep 3: Cut the dough into 4 pieces. Roll each through a pasta machine, or with a long pin, until almost transparent, then cut into strips 3 cm wide and about 60 cm long.
Step 4: Heat 4 ¼ cups sunflower oil in a deep pan to 350°F, or until a scrap of dough rises and sizzles at once.
Step 5: Pierce one end of a strip with a fork, lower it into the oil and turn the fork steadily so the strip winds round itself into a loose spiral as it sets. Slide it off and fry for 30–40 seconds more, until pale gold and crisp. Drain on kitchen paper.
25 minStep 6: Dip each spiral into the warm syrup for 5 seconds, lift out with a slotted spoon and stack on a platter.
Step 7: Mix 4 oz walnuts, 3 tbsp sesame seeds and 1 tsp ground cinnamon and scatter over each layer. Leave to cool; they stay crisp in a tin for a week.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 52 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does xerotigana take?
- About 100 minutes in total: 60 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of orange juice?
- Mandarin or pineapple juice, same amount.
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