Frittelle alla Veneziana - Carnival Fritter - Recipe | Mama Isa's Cooking School
How to make the famous Venetian Fritters - Frittelle alla Veneziana
Recipe
Mama Isa's Frittelle alla Veneziana - Mama Isa's Fritters in Venetian style: the traditional Carnival dessert in Venice since the Renaissance, one of the most ancient sweets in Italy. The Frittelle was invented by Bartolomeo Scappi, personal chef of Pope Pius V.
In the Eighteenth Century the "frittelle" was considered the National Dessert of the Venetian Republic. In 1756 the famous librettist and playwright Carlo Goldoni mentioned the frittelle into the comedy "Il Campiello".
MAMA ISA'S FRITTELLE ALLA VENEZIANA - Mama Isa's Fritters in Venetian Style
Ingredients:
Wheat Flour doppio zero 00 500 g, sifted
4 tablespoons of Sugar
2 large organic Eggs
150 g of dried Raisins
60 g of Pinenuts zest one organic Lemon
25 g of Fresh Yeast
1 pinch of Salt 1/4 cup warm Water
1/4 cup Grappa (substitute Rum if necessary)
Peanut Oil for deep frying or Lard
powdered Sugar
Preparation
Soak the raisins in the Grappa (or Rum). Break up the yeast in the 1/4 cup warm water in a small bowl. Add a teaspoon of sugar and set aside. Put the sifted wheat flour and salt in a large bowl and mix in milk. Add the eggs and mix well. While stirring, add the yeast - water mixture and if you see that the dough is to hard, add an additional 2/3 cup milk. Continue stirring until smooth. This should be a very thick, doughy batter. Add the raisins, pine seeds, and remaining grappa and mix well. Cover the bowl with a clean damp cloth and place it in a warm spot. Allow the frittelle batter to rise for about 2 or 3 hours.
Fill a saucepan half full of peanut oil or lard.
Heat the oil. To test the temperature of oil, use a wooden toothpick: when the oil is ready, bubbles will come up from toothpick (remember do not heat oil to the smoke point: this is dangerous, and it will burn the frittelle).
Wet a tablespoon with cold water. Scoop up the batter, and push the batter off the spoon into the hot oil (remember the frittelle should not be too big). Repeat with 4 or 5 more spoonfuls of batter. Cook the frittelle until it has an golden brown color, turning it once or twice during cooking.
Remove the frittelle from the oil and drain on a paper towel. When the frittelle have cooled, sprinkle them with powdered sugar and place on a platter.
Buon Appetito!
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