Ingredients:
- 2 1/4 pounds marroni
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons whipping cream
- 1/4 pound amaretti, crushed
- 2 ounces raisins
- 3 eggs, separated (save the whites for something else)
- 1/2 teaspoon powdered cinnamon
- Bread crumbs for dredging
- Grated lemon zest
- Olive oil for frying
- 1 egg
- Salt
Preparation:
Boil the chestnuts until tender, then peel them, and press the nut meats through a strainer (you can also use a food mill with a fine- holed disk; were you to use a blender the texture would be different).Combine the mashed chestnuts, cinnamon, butter, a half cup of sugar, cream, amaretti, three yolks, the raisins and a pinch of salt together in a bowl; the mixture will be stiff. Spread it on your work surface to a thickness of about 3/4 of an inch (2 cm) and let it cool.
In the meantime, grate the zest of a lemon and mix it into the remaining sugar. Beat the remaining egg, and heat the oil for frying. Cut the chestnut mixture into inch-by-inch diamonds, roll them in the bread crumbs, dredge them in the egg, roll them again the bread crumbs, and fry them until golden brown. Drain the pastries on absorbent paper and dust them with the sugar and lemon zest mixture.
This might be interesting with a Vino Novello.
