Dad's fried Easter pastry with honey (Pignolata al miele di papà)

Serves 6-8

Like gnocchetti fritti, this sweet fried pasta dish is very rich and usually served in small quantities, as with biscuits or petit fours.

500 g (1 lb 2 oz/3⅓ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour
100 g (3½ oz) caster (superfine)
sugar
a pinch of fine sea salt
6 x 55 g (2 oz) free-range or organic eggs
good quality vegetable oil, for frying
250 ml (9 fl oz/1 cup) honey

Method

Combine the flour, sugar and sea salt on a work surface or large wooden board. The four should form a peaked mound. With your hand, make a hole in the top of the mound so that it resembles a volcano. This hole needs to be big enough to be able to 'house the eggs. Break the eggs into the hole. With your hand or with a fork, gently beat the eggs, then slowly incorporate the flour into the egg mixture. I do this by moving my hand in a circular motion, slowly incorporating the flour from the inside wall of the mound. Don't worry if the dough looks like a mess. This is normal. Once fully combined, knead a little more four into the dough if it feels a little wet and sticky. Set the dough aside and clean the work space. Dust some fresh flour onto the work surface and continue kneading the dough for another 5 minutes. Allow the dough to rest.

Roll the dough into a 1.5 cm (5/8 inch) log, then cut it into small pieces. Roll these pieces into balls about the size of small chickpeas. Heat the vegetable oil in a deep frying pan to 180°C (350°F) and shallow-fry the balls in batches for 4 minutes or until golden. Drain on a paper towel. Allow to cool completely.

Gently heat the honey so that it becomes a thin liquid, then fold it through the pastry balls. Allow to cool, letting the honey coat the pastry. It will have a runny, toffee-like consistency.