Pitta 'mpigliata - Pitta 'nchiusa - Italian Holiday Cake

Pittanchiusa or Pitta ‘mpigliata  is a typical Holiday pastry from Calabria, the southernmost part of the country. Strips of an olive oil and white wine pastry are filled with walnuts, raisins, orange zest, clove, cinnamon and syrupy vincotto, rolled into coils (or rosette, as we say in Italian, meaning “Little Roses” – much more poetic), doused with honey and baked into a glistening, caramelized, bronze-colored “flower”. Pitta 'nchiusa is crisp and deliciously gooey at the same time, sweet, spicy, and citrusy, the muted bitterness of the walnuts counterbalancing the overall sweetness. It would be a pity to limit this lovely pastry to Christmas only.