Nucatoli (Christmas dessert)

PASTA
Make a flour fountain on a pastry board, pour all the ingredients in the middle, knead, and add water until dough is soft, but not sticky. It’s preferable to prepare pasta dough at least one hour before, allow it to rest in the fridge.

FILLING "CHINO"
Simmer the honey in a pan, add the almonds, the orange zest, and the cinnamon, mix well. As soon as the mixture begins to detach from the side of the pan, remove from flame, and transfer to another container and wait for it to cool down. 
Take pasta dough out from fridge after refining it, cover with a damp kitchen towel. Little by little form sticks that should be 4-5 cm long and 2 cm in diameter. Flatten the top-end of each stick and place a small amount of filling, close the edge and roll, thinning the two ends, curve into a semicircle, and on the outside, using a small knife, make three small cuts not too far away from each other; within the opening of each slice, to the left cut in half making sure that the two parts don’t split apart. Bake in a preheated oven at 180° for 15/20 minutes.

GLAZE "ALLUSTRATO"
Batter the egg whites in a container, slowly pour the powdered sugar a little at a time and lemon drops. The mixture should be soft and shiny.
Use a brush to colour the top of the “nucatolo”, garnish with either chopped pistachios or cinnamon powder. If desired, it is possible to re-bake in the oven at a very low temperature for a few minutes or wait for the glaze to be completely dry. The nucatoli can be saved in a Tupperware container for one month.