Original Italian Text:
500g di farina
3 uova
2 cuccinai zucchero
1 bicchiere di grappa
1 limone
Sale
Olio per friggere

English Translation
500 grams of flour
2 teaspoons of sugar
1 glass of grappa [about 1/2 cup]
1 lemon [zest, finely grated]
Salt

Oil for frying

Marisa's additions:
1 teaspoon Magic baking powder
Icing sugar for decoration

Mix flour with the eggs, salt, sugar, grated lemon zest and grappa.

Work the dough very well, and then let it rest for 15 minutes in the fridge.

Roll out the dough into thin pastry sheets.

Using a serrated pastry cutter cut out rectangular strips of dough about 3 1/2 inches long, 1 1/2 inches wide. And/or make rounds of about 3 inches in circumference.

Fry in hot oil.

Dust with icing sugar.

Marisa Pastore recalls that when she was growing up in Italy these fritters were given by "Le Suore Orsoline" to young school children learning Catholicism. She too had the pleasure of eating them in the 1950s. She loved them so much that when she got older she asked for the recipe. Sister Catherina gave it to her. Marisa noted that these fritters are known as "chiacciere" because they induce people to "chat" (The word Italian "chiacciere" can be translated as chatter). According to folk lore the more "chiacciere" you eat, the more likely it is that you talk, and keep on talking and socializing and so on. Also, the fritters (if well-made) are very crunchy, so that they themselves make noise when they are being eaten, and so they too sound like they are chatting up a storm..... Photo: Mary Melfi.

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