Italian Fried Dough With Anchovies Recipes

SFINCI (SICILIAN FRIED DOUGH)

Steps:

• In a small sauce pan, warm until lukewarm. Pour 1/2 cup of the water into a small bowl and stir in sugar. Pour the yeast over the water and let stand 10 minutes.
• Pour the remaining 2 cups water in a large bowl. Stir in the yeast mixture. Add the flour and salt and using your hand, stir the mixture vigorously in a circular motion. Continue stirring this way for about 5 minutes until you have a thick, smooth dough.
• Cover well, using blankets if you wish, and place in a warm, draft free location in your kitchen. Let sit for 4 hours. Your unlit oven with the light on is a good option. The dough is ready when bubbles form on the surface and it has at least doubled in size.
• Fill a heavy bottomed sauce pan half way with vegetable oil. Slowly heat the vegetable oil on medium high heat. In order to test if it is hot enough, take a small piece of the sfinci dough and drop it in the oil. If it immediately begins to sizzle, the oil is ready.
• Use a tablespoon or soup spoon to drop the dough into the hot oil, scraping off the spoon with your finger or another spoon. Do not overcrowd your pan. After about 1 1/2 minutes, carefully turn the sfinci over to brown the opposite side.
• When they are a light golden color, remove the sfinci with a slotted spoon and place on a dish covered with paper towels to absorb the excess oil.
• Serve hot.

CRESPELLE WITH RAISINS

Steps:

• Dissolve 2 tablespoons of sugar into 1 cup of lukewarm water. Add 1 teaspoon of yeast and stir to dissolve. Set aside until yeast mixture starts to foam.
• In a large bowl or container, add the cooled and mashed potatoes, eggs, butter and 1 1/4 tablespoons vegetable oil.
• Add the prepared yeast mixture.
• Add 1 teaspoon salt to the flour and add all of this to the potato mixture.
• Add the raisins if using.
• Mix all the ingredients together to form a dough. While constantly beating the dough with your hands (by grabbing and lifting the dough), add the water a little at a time with your hands to the dough. You want to continue this until you have a very uniform, soft and sticky dough (about 10 minutes) (you may or may not use all of the water to get to this stage).
• Now cover the dough with plastic and let it sit until it has doubled in size.
• Once it has doubled in size, beat it down again then set aside and let it rise to double one more time.
• Measure the oil into a deep frying pan to a depth of about 3 inches. Using a deep fry thermometer, heat the oil to 350 degrees F
• Dip your hands into a separate bowl of room temperature oil before grabbing a small quantity of dough, stretch it out slightly and very carefully place into the hot oil. Turn the crespelle a couple of times and cook until they are deep golden in colour and have puffed up (this will take about 2 minutes). Cook only 3 or 4 at a time depending on the size of the crespelle and the size of the pan.
• Once they are cooked, remove them with a slotted spoon, letting any oil drain back into the pan, then place them onto a paper towel lined pan.
• While still warm, roll them in sugar (to your liking) and place in a platter for serving.

ZEPPOLE WITH ANCHOVY

Steps:

• Mix flour, yeast, salt, and water. Let rest in refrigerator. After dough rests for about 2 hours, divide dough into 16 pieces. Place an anchovy in your palm. Fold dough over and make a ball. In heavy pot, heat oil. Add to hot oil and cook until golden brown.
• Yield: 16 zeppole.
• Prep Time: 2 hours 30 minutes.
• Cooking Time: 20 minutes.

ZEPPOLE WITH ANCHOVY

Steps:

• Mix flour, yeast, salt, and water. Let rest in refrigerator. After dough rests for about 2 hours, divide dough into 16 pieces. Place an anchovy in your palm. Fold dough over and make a ball. In heavy pot, heat oil. Add to hot oil and cook until golden brown.