Cooking Nice

Clara’s Holiday Special! Cucidati Fig Cookies Part I Recipe: Cucidati Cookies (Sicilian Cookies by Clara) FILLING Boil 2 cups of water and add 1/2 cups sugar. Let cook. 3/4 cups shelled hazel nuts 1/2 cups shelled almonds 1/2 cups shelled walnuts 1/2 cups shelled pecans Toast all nuts on cookie sheet separately (different nuts take different times to toast). Grind together with nuts: 1/2 lb. diced candied fruit 1/4 lb. dark raisins 1/4 lb. light raisins 1/4 lb. dates (pitted) 1 orange with rind 1 dried tangerine with rind 2 lbs. figs or (2 packages or atleast 14 oz. apiece) Mix well all the ground ingredients. Add 1/2 or 3/4 of the cooled sugar water to make a nice soft mixture (be careful not to make it too soft). Save the rest of the sugar water mixture. Add 1/2 cup whiskey to ground ingredients. Mix well and let stand overnight. Keep in a fridge or cool place. You may need to add the sugar-water the next day. DOUGH 10 cups flour 1 lb lard 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 cup cold milk 2 heaping table spoons baking powder 1 table spoon vanilla 12 eggs Work flour and lard like you would pie crust. Melt sugar in milk. Beat egg and add vanilla. When flour and lard are mixed well, add baking powder, then add the other ingredients and mix until you have a nice liable dough. Let stand at least one hour, or this can be made the day before. Cover with a clean dish towel and put in the fridge or a cool place. Roll dough. Fill with filling (you can use a pastry bag). Cut and bake on ungreased …