As I may have mentioned in earlier posts, my husband is Sardinian. Although his mother is from Pisa, she learned to prepare many Sardinian specialities when she married a good looking young Sardinian at the young age of 22. These fritters are an example of local, rustic type sweets that are made in Sardinia, usually in winter and especially for carnevale. We rarely go to Sardinia at that time of year so I was lucky to get a lesson from my mother in law and a few of my husband's aunties while we were on our annual summer holiday in August. My husband's family thought it was strange eating frittelle in summer but no-one complained. Fritters are great any time of the year..
500g durum wheat flour
2 eggs
250ml tepid milk
250ml tepid water
25g fresh yeast
75g sugar
50 ml filu e ferru* ( a sardinian grappa)
pinch ground anice
1 grated lemon zest
In a large bowl mix the flour and the sugar and form a well in the centre of the flour.
Mix the yeast with the tepid milk.
Pour the milk and yeast, filu e ferru, grated zest and anice into the well and start mixing the ingredients using your hand.
Work the mixture well to develop the structure of the dough. This takes about 10 minutes.
Gradually add the water and continue mixing with your hands until the mixture becomes runny.
Allow to rest for an hour. My husband's aunts use a woollen cloth to cover the bowl while allowing the mixture to rise. I just use a tea towel and leave the bowl in a warm place. Mix again then rest for a further 30 minutes while you prepare the oil and a piping bag.
You will need at least 1.5 litres of frying oil..The aunts use olive oil because they have plenty of it but sunflower oil or similar is fine too. I use my wok because it's the only pot I have which is large enough..
They also use a strange contraption which I have only ever seen in Sardinia; it looks like a metal funnel stuck on the end of a stick, which is exactly what it is. It looks a bit homemade but thay are sold in shops in Sardinia. I've never found them here in the North and I've looked everywhere..
Anyway this funnel is used for pouring the batter into the hot oil and forming the characteristic spiral shape. I didn't have one when I made these so I used a piping bag. Some people use a soft drink bottle cut in half.
When the oil is hot, drop a spoonful of batter in the oil to check if it's hot enough. If the batter sinks to the bottom before bubbling up to the top, wait another minute. The temperature should be about 180°c but if you don't have a thermometer ( most Sardinians don't need one) you just have to keep an eye on the fritters. If the oil is too cold they absorb too much oil and become heavy, too hot they burn..
Fill the piping bag, bottle or funnel with the batter using a finger to plug the hole until you hold it over the oil. Take away your finger and allow the batter to stream into the oil and form spiral by moving the funnel etc in circles starting from the centre and working your way outwards..If the batter doesn't run freely into the oil it could be too thick so try adding a bit more water. Turn them once with a long fork or wooden spoon. When they are cooked lift them out and drain on paper then sprinke with sugar, but not caster sugar as it's too fine. Sometimes these fritters are glazed with hot honey. Either way they really are fantastic especially on a cold day!
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