February is here and so is Carnival, so it’s time to indulge in one of our favourite festive treats; the deliciously light and delicately sweet Castagnole.
INGREDIENTS:
350g of ‘00’ flour
2 eggs
80g of caster sugar
75g of sunflower oil
6 gr baking powder
Anise liqueur (or rum) *optional, but recommended
And plenty of oil for frying
Also; One electric mixer, and some absorbent paper or kitchen towel.
Method:
Put the eggs, sugar, sunflower oil and liqueur into an electric mixer and blend together.
In a separate bowl mix the flour and baking powder, then add it to the mixer a little bit at a time.
Mix for about 5 minutes, until the dough is combined and a springy, elastic consistency, free of lumps.
Take the dough out of the mixer and place onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough by hand for around two minutes and then break it into smaller portions, about the size of an apple. Roll these into long strips, about 2-3cm in diameter, and then cut into little chestnuts of dough. (see video)
Pour a hearty few glugs of oil into the frying pan and get it nice and hot, ready for frying.
When the oil has reached the ideal temperature (trick: you’ll know if it’s ready by dropping a crumb of bread in to see if it floats. If it does, it's ready. If it sinks, it isn’t.) then you are ready to fry your castagnole.
Place the balls carefully into the hot oil and turn after a minute or two so that they are fully cooked on all sides. .
When the dumplings are golden brown, lift them out of the oil and lay them onto absorbent paper or kitchen towel.
Once they have cooled, lightly dust with caster sugar and lay out ready to enjoy with a morning espresso or evening glass of dessert wine.