Sicilian Fig Pastries

To create the pastry, start by combining flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Then, add the butter, eggs, vanilla, and milk to the mixture; blend until a smooth dough forms. Next, take the dough out of the bowl and shape it into a circular form; divide it into 4 equal parts, cover them with plastic wrap, and refrigerate.

For the filling, begin by extracting the zest and juice of an orange into a large bowl. Add figs, raisins, and nuts to the bowl; blend until they are evenly chopped. Transfer the mixture to a food processor, where you can continue blending it until everything is well combined. Then, stir in honey, rum, and cinnamon; set the mixture aside.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C), and make sure it's properly greased with cookie sheets. Remove the dough from the refrigerator, and roll out one piece of it at a time into an 8-inch wide strip that's about 1/4-inch thick. Cut the dough in half lengthwise, creating two long strips that are each about 4 inches wide. Place the dough strips on a work surface, and brush the top inch of each with cold water. About 1/3 of the way up from the bottom of the dough, place 1/4 of the filling in a 1-inch wide strip that runs from end to end. Fold the moistened edge of dough over the filling, pressing it firmly to seal the edges. Cut each strip into 1-inch rectangles and place them on the prepared cookie sheets. Repeat this process with the remaining sections of dough.

Finally, bake the pastry in the preheated oven until the tops are golden brown, which should take about 13 to 16 minutes. Remove it from the oven and let it cool on the cookie sheets for 10 minutes before transferring it to wire racks.