Italian Cookie/Pastry - Wine Syrup Cookies

Welcome to the forum, Mary.  What region did your grandmother come from?  I'm sure i've seen these around here in specialized places, either a sardinian restaurant or sicilian, or maybe somewhere else, i'm not sure, and after a search on italian websites, with the terms "biscotti" "mosto OR saba" "rotolare OR rotoli"  i found this.  I can translate it eventually, but don't have time now.  Check if this is what they look like.  the picture of the finished product is at the end. 

http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:xcHtg6rW6fkJ:www.lacucinadimarble.it/rec.php%3Fid%3D537+biscotti+mosto+OR+saba+rotolare+OR+rotoli+OR+arrotolare&cd=10&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=it

It requires mosto or saba, which is syrup from half-fermented grapes which i think it's possible to make at home, but maybe not finding it in the states, your grandmother may have made by boiling wine and sugar or something.  In places where wine was made (everywhere, practically) mosto was a very easily found substance when your grandmother must have been in italy. 

OK, here's a quick translation. You'll have to look up weight to volume measures for each ingredient (they;re all different) and refer to the illustrations in the link for the method. 

Cartellate
Name derived from paper or packages, because of the thinness and crispiness of the dough, or perhaps from late latin meaning basket. 

Typical very old Pugliese sweet. 

Dialect names for it are: cartellete, carteddete, carteddate, scartegghiate, frinzele, crustoli

Ingredients

1 kg cake flour

200 gm olive oil (extra virgin)

Dry white wine, room temp or barely warm, as much as needed to be absorbed by the flour

200 gm sugar

A pinch salt

Make a pile opf flour on the table, add sugar and salt and mix everything together, then make a hole in the middle so it’s like the crater of a volcano. 

In the center add the oil and mix it in gradually, breaking down some of the “walls” of the volcano (they call it a “fountain” – Fontana.

Begin adding wine and mixing it together until you’ve incorporated all the flour. 

Knead it till elastic and smooth.

Shape it like a long loaf and cut it in large slices. 

Form these into small “rolls” like dinner rolls, and then roll out each one very thin and large.  You can use a pasta maker (the thing with the rollers that you pass the dough through)

Cut with a wheel with the zigzag edge into strips 3 or 4 cm wide, as long as you like.  Fold each in half lenghthwise, squeezing it together every once in a while along the way to keep it together.  These areas between where you pinch it will be like containers for the syrup. Roll up the pasta, like a rose, and squash the ends at the end of the strip to close the circle.  
Let them rest overnight, then fry them in very hot sunflower oil so they’re golden brown and crispy.
Heat the wine syrup (vincotto) and make it boil.  Drop in the fried cartelle, to cover the base of the pot in one layer.  Bring to boil again and collect them with a fork and put them in a wide large glass or plastic pan.  Let them cool to room temp.

I hope it brings back old christmasses with your nonna!  all the best to you too.

siduri

Carteddete

2 lb sifted flour

4 oz warm olive oil

4 oz honey

pinch of salt

1/2 c water or wine

1/2 cup water for honey mixture

sprinkles

sugar

In mixing bowl sift flour make well in middle, add salt then warm olive oil, mix, slowly add water or wine, mix 1 minute then start to knead either in mixer or by hand 3 minutes in mixer 5 to 8 minutes by hand.

Roll in ball cover with towel put in warm place 30 minutes to 1 hr.

Roll out on floured board to 1/4" thick, with pastry cutter cut strips 3/4" wide

pinch and turn dough strips to create a pinwheel, Fry in canola oil until lightly golden brown. Drain cool.

Heat honey and water, dip pinwheels in honey let sit in honey for 10 seconds,

plate sprinkle with sprinkles and sugar then dust with confectionary sugar. If any honey is left over drizzle over carteddet. You can also top with toasted almonds, pure cane sugar works nice. Enjoy!