During Carnival in Italy, fried desserts are everywhere—it’s part of the tradition. Occasionally you can find some sweets where you can get away with baking, like these tortellini dolci, yet for other desserts like lattughe, fried crispiness is a crucial factor.
Instead of proposing one of my usual lighten-up recipes, this week I’m spotlighting my mother-in-law’s traditional Carnival recipe. (Thank you Patrizia!) Depending where you are in Italy, you’ll find this dessert also called rosoni, chiacchiere, frappe, sfrappole or crostoli.
Carnival Recipe: Lattughe
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Lattughe are a typical carnival dessert found in Italy. Depending where you are in Italy, you’ll find this dessert called rosoni, chiacchiere, frappe, sfrappole or crostoli.
Serves: 30 lattughe
Ingredients
- For the dough:
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose or pastry flour
- 3 ½ (50g) tablespoons butter
- 1 egg
- 4 tablespoons white wine
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon Sassolino liquer (optional)
- Zest from 1 small lemon
- For frying and finishing touches:
- Sesame or peanut oil, as needed
- Powered sugar
Instructions
- Mix all of the ingredients for the dough together to form a ball. Knead until the dough becomes soft and pliable, added a bit more flour if it’s too damp. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Dust a work surface with flour and roll out the dough until it is thin. Cut the dough into rectangles that are roughly 2 x 4 inches. With a knife, make a small incision in the middle and pull one of the corners through the hole. (You end up with a kind of bow tie looking shape. You can also skip this step and just keep them rectangular.)
- Heat the oil and fry the lattughe in small batches, turning them over at least once. When they begin to turn golden, remove them from the oil and set them on a plate lined with a paper towel.
- Sprinkle with powered sugar. Buon appetito!