For Dough
6 cups all purpose flour
6 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons rum
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons lemon peel, finely grated

Vegetable oil for deep frying

For Dusting
1/2 cup icing sugar

o Combine sugar, eggs, salt, butter, vanilla extract, lemon peel and rum. Mix well.

o Add flour to form a stiff dough.

o Cut dough into small pieces.

o Using pasta machine put one piece through at a time to make small thin stripes.

o Cut strips into 3 X 1 1/2 inch pieces using a pastry cutter.

o Make a small cut in the middle of each piece.

o Place on a tablecloth and cover.

o Heat up oil and fry until golden brown.

o Cool.

o Sprinkle with icing sugar.

Lina Pietrantonio recalls that her father who was born in Northern Italy (though not in Venice) told her that this style of fritter was served for Carnival..... P.S. In some areas of Northern Italy the recipe, crostoli, does not refer to fried strips of dough but rather to fried balls of dough. For this style of fritter see the corresponding recipe in this category. Photo and notes: Mary Melfi

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