Pestiños are fried pastries from Andalusia and other parts of southern Spain. A dough flavored with olive oil, white wine and sesame is rolled thin, cut into squares, folded, fried in olive oil and then glazed with honey or rolled in cinnamon sugar. They are known to date back at least to the 16th century, when they are mentioned in La Lozana Andaluza, a novel published in 1528.
In several towns of Cádiz province, including Medina-Sidonia, Chiclana de la Frontera and Sanlúcar de Barrameda, pestiños are a Christmas sweet, and the shape and flavorings vary from town to town. In other parts of Andalusia they are also made at other times of the year, and they are associated with Holy Week too. In Málaga a related pastry is called borrachuelos.
The dough is infused with orange peel and anise, which gives the pastries their characteristic aroma. For other Spanish holiday sweets, see the Roscos de Vino, Spanish Christmas Wine Ring Cookies (recipe on the site), and the Hojaldrinas de Navidad (recipe on the site); for a Greek honey-glazed cookie, the Melomakarona (recipe on the site).
Pestiños Recipe
Ingredients
- For the dough:
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 strips orange peel (no white pith)
- 1 teaspoon anise seeds
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, lightly toasted
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- For frying and glazing:
- About 3 cups olive oil (a mild olive oil) for frying
- ½ cup honey
- ¼ cup water
- 1 strip orange peel
- Ground cinnamon or sesame seeds, to finish (optional)
Instructions
- Warm the ¼ cup olive oil with the 2 strips orange peel and the anise seeds over low heat for 5 minutes, without letting the peel brown. Cool completely, then strain.
- Stir the flour, sesame seeds and salt together in a bowl. Add the infused oil and white wine and mix until a dough forms, adding 1 to 2 tablespoons water if it is dry. Knead for 3 to 4 minutes until smooth, cover, and rest 30 minutes.
- Roll the dough very thin, about 1/8 inch, on a floured surface. Cut into 3-inch squares. Brush a corner very lightly with water, then fold the four corners into the center and press down firmly to make a pinwheel.
- Heat 2 inches of olive oil in a deep skillet or pot to 350°F. Fry the pestiños in small batches for about 1 minute per side, until light golden and blistered. Drain on paper towels.
- For the glaze, simmer the honey, water and orange peel in a small saucepan for 3 to 4 minutes until slightly syrupy. Remove the peel.
- Dip each warm pestiño in the honey syrup, let the excess drip off, and set on a rack. Sprinkle with cinnamon or sesame seeds if desired and let the glaze set for 15 minutes before serving.
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