Ingredients
For dough [makes about 20 tarallucci]
2 small potatoes, boiled and sieved (Raw potatoes' weight is about 225 g)
2 cups flour *
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (optional)
For dusting
about 1/4 cup icing sugar
Vegetable oil for deep frying**
* Flour measurement is approximate, depends on the size of the eggs and the exact weight of the potatoes
** Prior to World War II olive oil was used for deep frying in Italy, but nowadays most North Americans of Italian origin use all-purpose vegetable oil; however, most cooks, Italian or otherwise, agree that canola oil or peanut oil is best for frying as these oils don't leave an aftertaste
Directions
To make dough
o Boil potatoes, skin them and then pass them through a sieve or mash them up. Cool.
o Mix flour, salt, cinnamon and baking powder together.
o Beat the egg and add vanilla and lemon zest to it (if using the vanilla and lemon zest for extra flavoring).
o Add the milk to the beaten egg.
o Incorporate the liquids with the solids and work into a fine dough -- the texture is similar to that used to make "cavatelli." If the dough is too soft add more flour, if the dough is too hard, add a touch more milk.
o Divide the dough into two parts and shape into balls.
o On a floured wooden board roll out the dough to the thickness of about 1/4 inch.
o Using a donut cutter cut out the dough (If a donut cutter is not available, one can use a 2 inch cookie cutter and then one can cut out an inner circle with a similar instrument.
o Place the donuts on a floured wooden board or floured linen tablecloth.
o Reshape the left-over scraps of dough and roll out and make donuts with them.
o Heat up oil in a deep fryer.
o Fry the circles or tarallucci till they are golden brown.
o Place the fried tarallucci on kitchen paper towels to usurp excess oil.
o Cool.
o Before serving sprinkle icing sugar on them. Like all fritters they are best when they are fresh. They can be kept for a few days in the fridge, but after that they become a bit stale.
o Serve at room temperature.
Notes
Technically this style of "tarallucci di Natale" is more of a fritter than a bite-sized taralli, but there are more references to them as "sweet taralli" than as fritters on the world-wide web. In fact, there are other versions of "tarallucci di Natale" that are not fried, but those, I believe, do not come from the Abruzzo region. Actually, this style of "tarallucci di Natale" looks and tastes like French-style "bigne" pastries. They also taste almost identical to what you can get at Dunkin' Donuts.' And one more thing they are similar to -- Northern Italy's famous Carnival fritters. And the best part of all this is that unlike French bigne pastries, American donuts or Carnival fritters these "tarallucci di Natale" are incredibly easy to do.... Prior to World War II most cooks probably did not add vanilla or lemon zest to the "tarallucci di Natale" as these ingredients would have been considered expensive, especially in the countryside. So if one wants to do "tarallucci di Natale" the traditional way one wouldn't add the extra flavor. However, I believe, the addition of vanilla and lemon zest, do improve this fritter by a long shot. If one is not adverse to fried foods and one is curious about this style of fritter, this is the one to try out as it requires the least amount of effort. N.B. Deep frying does have its hazards, so take precautions. Never place any of the paper towels which will be used to usurp the oil from the fritters near the heating elements. First remove the fritters from the frying pan and place them on a container (e.g. a baking sheet), and then far from the stove, perhaps on the kitchen table place the fritters on the kitchen paper towels. Play it safe, as they say.... Photo: by the contributor. |
