Sfrappole
Carnevale (Carnival, Mardi Gras etc.) is celebrated the week before lent begins, and in Bologna it's the period of time where you'll find mountains of sfrappole everywhere. The word Carnevale comes from two latin words meaning meat and goodbye, so it is quite literally a celebration bidding farewell to excess and plenty, in the foodie kind of way. A super crumbly, crispy treat, the sfrappole's most important attribute is that it is the perfect shaped vehicle to deliver a large amount of powdered sugar into ones mouth. Every region in Italy has a variation of these. While they all are just slightly different in recipe and cooking technique they have bafflingly different names (Chiacchiere, Bugie, Galani, just to name a few...)
Mom says that sfrappole were eaten, without exception, every carnevale season. I remember being very young and mom, who was still getting used to being far from home especially around the holidays, made a huge plate of these one night after work for just the three of us, that we ate standing around the counter in our sweats. They taste good, but the real fun comes in watching everyone try to eat them without getting a face full of powdered sugar. I'm pretty sure it's physically impossible so steer clear if you're trying to impress a friend with your impeccable table manners.
SERVING DETAILS
6 Servings
INGREDIENTS
300 grams all-purpose flour
3 eggs
Peanut or vegetable oil
Lots of powdered sugar & just a little salt
METHOD
Make a mound with the flour on a clean flat surface like countertop. Dig a hole in the center of the mound, pushing the flour to sides, creating a nest with the flour. Crack the eggs into the center of the nest, and add ⅓ cup of water and a pinch salt.
Using a fork, whisk the eggs and water, slowly incorporating the flour, a little at a time.
Mix with the fork until it’s no longer possible, and then start kneading with your hands. Knead in all the flour, which takes a bit of patience. This dough is slightly softer than pasta dough due to the increased ratio of liquid.
Continue kneading, stretching the dough with your palm and pulling back with your fingers, for approximately 20 minutes. The dough should be very smooth, elastic and soft.
Wrap with clingwrap and set aside while you prep the pasta machine, fitted with the flat sheet roller. I use a stand mixer pasta attachment. Set up a station, I use the kitchen counter with a clean tablecloth laid on top, to lay the pasta sheets flat once rolled out.
Using about 75 grams at a time, feed a small piece of dough through the roller, on the first setting. Use the first setting to run the dough a few times, folding as you go, to make a square shape.
Once you have a square shape, move on to the rest of the settings, feeding the dough through each setting twice. The sheet should be very thin, and you should be able to see your hand through the pasta when you hold it up.
Lay the pasta sheet on the drying station and sprinkle both sides generously with flour and allow to dry slightly on the table while you make the rest of the sheets.
Repeat with the rest of the dough, using 75g at a time.
Starting with the driest sheet first, cut each segment into roughly 2 inch wide by 9 inch long strips, but don’t sweat the measurements too much, these can be irregular and a little messy.
Making sure each ribbon is dusted generously with flour, tie a very loose, very messy, single knot with each piece.
In a heavy bottomed pot, pour in the oil so that it’s about 4 - 5 inches deep (quantity will vary based on your pot.) I use a dutch oven for this, it retains the heat of the oil really well. Position a candy thermometer into the pan so that you can keep an eye on the temperature.
Eat the oil up to 340℉ and drop in your first knot. Flip it several times and push it down into the oil until it takes on a very pale golden color, about 40 seconds. Remove and place on a bed of paper towels to dry. Repeat with each of the sfrappole, one at a time, always keeping an eye on your temperature and adjusting the heat setting so that it stays between 340℉ - 350℉.
When dry and mostly cool, stack the sfrappole on top of each other on a large plate or cutting board and cover overly generously with powdered sugar to serve. I like to add a tiny bit of salt, but mom disapproves. These can be made a couple hours beforehand but they are so good when they are still a little warm.
