Pastissets de moniato are crescent pastries filled with sweet potato, cinnamon and lemon, baked for Christmas in Benidorm and in hill villages such as Guadalest.
The story of Pastissets de moniato
These half-moon pastries are a Christmas sweet along the Mediterranean coast. In Benidorm the tourist office publishes the household recipe: sweet potato cooked down with sugar, cinnamon and lemon zest into a thick jam, wrapped in a dough made with olive oil, lard and aguardiente. In the hills, Guadalest lists its own pastissos de moniato among its village sweets.
How to make Pastissets de moniato
Serves: Makes about 40
Ingredients
- 1kg sweet potatoes, cooked and peeled
- 1kg sugar, plus a glass for the dough
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- Grated zest of 1 lemon
- 1 glass aguardiente (strong grape spirit)
- 1 and a half glasses olive oil
- Half a glass of lard
- About 1kg plain flour
- 1 egg, beaten
Method
- Mash the sweet potato with the sugar, cinnamon and lemon zest and cook slowly, stirring, for about an hour until thick; leave to cool.
- Warm the lard, oil, aguardiente and a glass of sugar together, stirring; before it boils, work in the flour until the dough is easy to handle.
- Roll the dough very thin and cut 6cm rounds.
- Put a teaspoon of filling on each, fold into a half-moon and seal the edges.
- Brush with egg, sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon and bake at 170C for about 30 minutes until golden.
Editor tip. Keep the dough warm while you work; it cracks when it cools.
The editor picks for Pastissets de moniato in Benidorm are still in research. Meanwhile, see the Benidorm signature-dishes index or the Benidorm food guide.