Venezia: Fishermen heading out to the mussel grounds, and Carnival Tortelli

Tortelli come in many stripes; though most are savory some are sweet. According to La Cucina Italiana, this particular variety is a direct descendent of the tortelli the Ancient Romans would 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 cup flour
• 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.

Heat the oil. 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 the tortelli to a golden brown, drain, and dust with granulated sugar before serving.

Carnival Recipes