Carnevale!

According to le Monnier's Dictionary of the Italian Language, Carnevale derives from Carne Levare (Remove Meat), the name of the sumptuous dinner people would hold to bid farewell to joy the night before Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent. Over the years Carnevale was gradually extended to cover the entire period from Epiphany to Ash Wednesday, and some enterprising souls even went further, adding a last fling on the Sunday after Ash Wednesday, which they called Carnevalino.

Things were especially intense in Venice, where debauched revels went on for weeks, with the revelers donning masks under the theory that what they did while their faces were covered didn't count. Under the modern revival of Carnvale (Venetians stopped celebrating it after the fall of their Republic) people are responsible for what they do, but that doesn't mean they don't have fun. Nor is Venice the only place Carnevale is celebrated; towns throughout the peninsula organize merriment, and many of those located where there's no mist to ruin the view have parades with spectacular floats -- Viareggio's is the most famous.

Why all this merriment? Well, if you've ever been in Northeastern Italy during the winter you'll understand -- the cold air flows down the slopes of the Alps and Apennines and the mist rises up from the many waterways of the Pianura Padana. There's no sun, little sound, everything's damp, and the thermometer stays pegged just above freezing for weeks on end. People need something to take their mind off of all this, and what could be better than a party, or even a month of parties?

And, of course, people eat. In the Costiera Amalfitana and throughout much of the South there's a migliaccio di polenta made with corn meal, sausages, and grated cheese, cooked over the stove. Naples has the sumptuous Lasagne di Carnevale; in the past poorer families could only afford it once a year, which meant that every family made secret variations to the recipe and there was a great deal of argument over whose was best (some people no doubt greeted Lent with relief). Throughout much of the Peninsula, however, Carnevale is an occasion for simple pastries, fritters of one kind or another that are quick to make, fun to make, and fun to eat -- there are three broad categories made throughout the Peninsula, and though La Cucina Italiana's special Carnevale insert says they evolved independently in the various regions, I wonder. Lombard Chiacchere, Tuscan Cenci and Roman Frappe sound quite different but look and taste alike; considering how fragmented the regional cuisines of Italy are, these closely related recipes may all date to the last time the Peninsula was unified -- under the Romans.

Before the recipes, a couple of words on the oil to be used for the frying. Escoffier suggests lard, which is almost certainly the best -- fritters cooked in it have a special something that other oils just don't impart. Should you object to lard for philosophical, moral or practical reasons, there's oil. The best is olive oil, and in particular vitamin E-rich extra virgin oil, because it tolerates high temperatures without breaking down. Unfortunately, it's expensive. The next best bet is peanut oil. Neither corn nor sunflower seed oil can tolerate frying temperatures, so you shouldn't use them. How much oil? At least a quart, or the foods will chill the oil to the point they absorb it when you put them in the pot. And how to judge the temperature without a thermometer? Toss a square of bread into the pot; if it rises to the surface crackling and frying, the oil's hot enough.

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To begin at the beginning, here are Cenci (the word means rags), whose many aliases include Frappe, Chiacchere (gossips), Lattughe (lettuce leaves) and Nastrini (ribbons); Ada Boni, who borrows Pellegrino Artusi’s recipe, uses the more poetic "Lover’s Knots." They are very pretty when carefully made, so she is probably right. To make a batch you will need:

• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 2 tablespoons sweet butter
• 1/3 cup confectioners sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon brandy
• A pinch of salt
• More confectioner’s sugar for dusting

Make a fairly stiff dough with these ingredients, kneading it thoroughly, and adding more flour if it comes out too soft. Flour it and let it rest, covered, for about an hour. Then roll it out into an eighth-of-an-inch-thick sheet, and use a serrated pastry wheel to cut it into strips as long as your palm and two fingers wide. Make a cut down the middle of each cencio (so as to obtain two strips joined at the ends), twist the side strips without breaking them, fry them in hot oil or lard, and dust them with confectioners sugar when they’re cool. This recipe is sufficient to make a platterful. Should the dough have formed a crust while it sat, knead it again before you roll it out.

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Much more variation to these than there is to Cenci

Here are the traditional Florentine frittelle di riso, which are also made on March 19^th to celebrate San Giovanni, the city's patron saint.

To feed a multitude, you will need:

• 1 3/4 cup rice (cheap rice is best here)
• 1 quart milk
• The zest of one lemon
• 3-4 Tablespoons sugar
• A walnut-sized chunk of sweet butter
• 3 eggs
• 1 jigger of rum or sweet wine (the recipe calls for rum, but my Aunt prefers Vinsanto)
• 1 cup flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• Oil for frying
• Confectioner's sugar

Simmer the rice in the milk until it's quite done, then stir in the sugar, lemon zest, and butter and let the mixture cool.

Separate the eggs and whip the whites to soft peaks. Stir the yolks and the rum or wine into the rice mixture, then fold in the egg whites, flour and baking powder. Drop the batter a teaspoon at a time into hot oil and fry the frittelle until they are a rich golden brown. Drain them on absorbent paper, and when they have cooled dust them with confectioner's sugar.

Frittelle con Uvetta, Fritters with raisins, will require:

• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup less 1 tablespoon raisins
• 3 tablespoons sweet butter
• 3 eggs
• The zest of a lemon
• Sugar
• Oil for frying
• Salt

Bring a half cup of water to boil with the butter and a pinch of salt. Add the flour in one fell swoop and cook the mixture, stirring constantly, for five minutes. Let it cool, then work in the raisins, eggs, and lemon zest. Fry the batter a tablespoon at a time in hot oil. Drain the frittelle on absorbent paper, dust them with sugar, and serve.

Frittelle di Seomolino, Semolina fritters will require:

• 1 quart milk
• 1 3/4 cups + 1 tablespoon semolina
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• The grated zest of an orange
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup raisins
• 1/3 cup slivered almonds
• 1 flavorful apple, peeled, cored and diced
• 5 yolks
• Flour
• Sugar for dusting
• Salt
• Oil for frying

Bring the milk to a boil with the orange zest and the vanilla. Stir in 1/2 cup sugar and the semolina, and cook for 10 minutes over a moderate flame, stirring constantly. Stir in the raisins, almonds and apple, then remove the mixture from the fire and stir in the yolks. Let the batter cool (it will be fairly stiff), form it into 1 1/2 inch by half-inch sausages, roll them in flour, and fry them. Dust them with granulated sugar when they are cool and serve.

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To close, tortelli come in many stripes. According to La Cucina Italiana, this particular variety is a direct descendent of the tortelli the Ancient Romans used to buy from street vendors during the Baccanalia.

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup milk
• A pinch of salt
• 1/3 cup sweet butter
• 1 1/4 cups four
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup raisins, soaked in hot water (or rum, if you like it)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Oil for frying

Combine the water and milk and bring them to a boil with the butter and a pinch of salt. Add the flour in one fell swoop, and cook, stirring, until the mixture begins to pull away from the sides of the pan with a faint ripping sound. Transfer it to a bowl and let it cool, then work in the eggs, one at a time, the raisins, ad the vanilla extract. The batter will be quite sticky; scoop it out of the bowl a spoonful at a time, using a second spoon to scrape the batter off the first and into the oil. Fry to a golden brown, drain, and dust with granulated sugar before serving.

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Want to know more about Carnevale? Check:

Venice's Carnival
Durant Imboden covers all the bases, and tells you everything you need to know.

Good Food & Drink,
Kyle Phillips

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Previous Features
Introductory text, cencio and frittelle di riso recipes & Photos © Kyle Phillips; the other recipes are standard; I translated the versions given in La Cucina Italiana.