Fried Sweet Dough
Every region of Italy makes some form of these fried dough pastries called zeppole. They can be sweet or savory, with goodies embedded in the dough or stuffed after frying. Zeppole are especially prepared for St. Joseph’s Day (March 19), during Lent, for the Christmas Vigilia (Eve), and on holidays. When sweet, they are usually dusted with powdered sugar and served hot. You can find them in every Little Italy in the United States around the holidays.
Recipe information
Yield
makes about 1¹/¿ dozen
Ingredients
for the filling
for the dough
Preparation
Step 1
Heat the vegetable oil in a wide saucepan to 350 degrees F. (The oil should be an inch or two deep.)
Step 2
For the filling: Whisk together the ricotta, mascarpone, amaretto, and confectioners’ sugar in a bowl until smooth. Stir in the candied peel and chocolate. Refrigerate the filling while you make the zeppole.
Step 3
Combine 1 cup water, the butter, sugar, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring to melt the butter. While stirring, add the flour and zest all at once. Cook, stirring constantly, until the dough dries out and pulls away from the sides of the pan. Remove from heat, and add the eggs one at a time, stirring vigorously to incorporate one before adding the next, until the dough is completely smooth.
Step 4
Drop a batch of zeppole in 2-tablespoon dollops (a small ice-cream scoop is perfect for this) into the oil, making sure you don’t crowd them in the pan, because they will grow in size. Fry the zeppole, turning on all sides, until light and golden brown all over, about 5 minutes per batch. Drain on paper towels, and repeat with the remaining dough.
Step 5
To serve, when cold cut the zeppole in half with a serrated knife and with a pastry bag pipe the filling onto the bottom half. Cover and dust with additional confectioners’ sugar if desired.
