Venezia: Ponte dei Sospiri, and Recipes for Frittelle

Here are the traditional Florentine frittelle di riso, Carnival pastries that 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)
• 4/5 cup (100 g) 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.

Carnival Recipes