Umbrian Strufoli, carnival fritters recipe

Carnival in Umbria is celebrate with deep fried cakes: Frappe, brighelle, strufoli.

 

Widespread throughout Umbria, the carnival fritters take different names depending by the area in which they are prepared.

They have variable size and different toppings: honey, powdered sugar or Alchermes, a red liqueur with spices, anice and rosewater; not traditional but always tasty is the Nutella topping.

 

 

Going around Todi, it won’t be difficult to find in the bars colorful pastries,

in Pianegiani Bar you have to taste the delicious Chantilly cream filled

Brighelle.

 

 

The most typical Carnival pastry in our family are “Strufoli“.

Here is our Strufoli recipe:

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 4 tablespoons of sugar
• Grated rind of one lemon, we mix lemon and orange rind
• 4/6 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 3/4 tablespoons of anisette Mistrà
• 8 tablespoons of flour about 360 gr
• honey or Alchermes liqueur
• 1 tablespoon dried yeast
• Fry Oil

Mix the flour with the eggs, sugar, lemon/orange rind , dried yeast, anisette and oil. Put the dough in a covered bolw for about an hour.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan making sure to keep a very low flame, the secret is to keep the heat low so that the oil is hot but not boiling .

With a spoon take a big spoonful of dough and pour it in the friyng oil.

Move them very carefully, once they assume a golden colour remove them from the oil with a perforated spoon and drain oil on kitchen paper. 

Now put over some Strufoli the honey previously melted bain-marie.

Sprinkle some other Strufoli with Alchermes liqueur and some sugar.

For the more vicious, with a knife, lightly pierce the strufolo and fill the hole with melted Nutella

Bon appetit!!!