Spanish cuisine · Desserts & Sweets

Pestiños

Fried pastry parcels from Andalusia with anise and sesame, tossed warm in honey and dusted with cinnamon.

Ingredients · for 8 servings

• 400 g flour
• 150 ml olive oil
• 100 ml white wine
• 1 tbsp anise seeds
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 organic lemon
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 300 g honey
• 500 ml frying oil
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 pinch salt

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a pot, add the lemon zest peeled off in wide strips and the anise seeds, let steep for 2 min and let the oil cool completely.
2. Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan for 2–3 min, stirring, until golden, and set aside.
3. Knead the flour with the salt, the flavoured oil (without the lemon zest), the white wine and the sesame seeds into a smooth dough and let rest covered for 30 min.
4. Roll the dough out 2 mm thin, cut into 8 cm squares, and fold two opposite corners to the centre, pressing them firmly together.
5. Heat the frying oil to 170°C and fry the pestiños in batches for 2–3 min per side until golden, then drain on paper towels.
6. Briefly bring the honey to the boil with 3 tbsp water, dip the still-warm pestiños in it, let drain and serve dusted with cinnamon and sugar.