AUTHENTIC  ITALIAN  RECIPES

 FROM

 RISTORANTE  d'ANNAMARIA

Pasta Cresciuta (Italian fritters):  This is a very common item on the antipasto tray here in Naples.  You can add lots of things to the dough for even greater variety.

Ingredients for 6 - 8 servings

Bread flour :                                   1 ¼  pounds (20 ounces)

Yeast (fresh or granules)                1 cake (about 1 ounce?) or equivalent in  

                                                                         granules.

Salt (fine)                                        1 teaspoon

Salt (coarse)                                    as needed

Water (very warm)                         as needed

Oil for frying                                   as needed

How to do it:

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in about ½ cup of very warm water.

To the dissolved yeast and water add the flour, and fine salt.

Add a little very warm water at a time while mixing with a large sturdy spoon or fork until you have a very very thick batter or a very very soft dough (it depends on your point-of-view). Your dough should be very much like American dumpling dough in consistency.

Add any other ingredinets you might like to add. for example - chopped cooked cauliflower or squash plant blossoms.

Let the dough rest for an hour.

After an hour, put some frying oil (not olive oil) in a pan  deep enough to deep-fry the dough balls.

Using a tablespoon and a teaspoon, scoop a rounded tablespoon of dough out of the bowl and, using the teaspoon as a scraper, drop a dough ball into the pot of very hot oil and deep fry until done and golden brown. 

It may take a little experimentation to get the temperature right on the oil.  Too hot = dark on the outside / raw on the inside.  To  cool = not dark enough on the outside / soggy and full of oil on the inside.

Remove them from the hot oil and place them on some absorbent paper.

Sprinkle lightly with coarse salt.

Eat while still very warm.