Castagnole

Today is the last day of Carnevale–Martedì Grasso. It’s the last day to indulge in food and sweets before the start of Lent, a season of fasting and abstinence.

The most well-known Carnevale celebration in Italy is the one in Venice:  locals and visitors alike are drawn to the people wandering and posing around the city, dressed in eighteenth century attire and beautiful masks.  I love this spectacle and it’s truly beautiful, but it’s unique to Venice. In other parts of Italy, you’ll see floats and parades where people (especially kids) are dressed up in any kind of costume. It’s basically like Halloween in the US.

I’m a total sucker for dressing up. Any friend of mine will confirm I’m the most excited person they know around this time of the year (and they’re usually perplexed about my uncontrollable enthusiasm). I loved dressing up when I was a kid and I still do as an adult. The most memorable costume I’ve ever made? A cupcake, put together with random materials I found around the house, including a wine demijohn basket. Although there’s a part of me that would love to share a photo of “cupcake Lisa”, I’ll just leave that one private! I’ll share this one, instead:

I was 3 years old. Alas, my love for Carnevale wasn’t particularly showing that day.

Back home, a few weeks before Fat Tuesday, my mom and my aunts get together to make our favorite Carnevale fritters: frittelle, crostoli, and castagnole. As usual, it’s a lot of fun–from the assembly-line action, animated discussion and laughter, and the inevitable critiquing and tough love from helpful spectators.

Of these fritters, I particularly love castagnole. They get their name from their shape, which is similar to a chestnut (castagna, in Italian).  They are small, sweet bites of fried dough, with a hint of rum or grappa–and they are sneakingly addictive. Here is the recipe for you, courtesy of my mom.

CASTAGNOLE
Serves: 4 people | Prep time: 20 min | Cook time: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS
1 egg
30 g (2 Tbsp) sugar (+more for dusting)
zest of 1/2 orange
25 g (2 Tbsp) unsalted butter, melted
6 g (2 tsp) baking powder
a pinch of salt
a dash of grappa or rum
110 g (1 scant cup) all pupose flour
peanut oil

INSTRUCTIONS
1. Combine eggs and sugar in a bowl and mix until creamy. Add melted butter, salt, grappa (or rum), and orange zest. Mix all ingredients with a fork or a whisk. Add some flour & baking powder.  Then gradually add the rest of the flour.
2. Lightly knead the dough on a floured surface until smooth. The dough should be slightly sticky, yet workable. Roll the dough in 3/4 inch-thick logs, cut them in small pieces, and roll each piece in little balls.
3. Heat peanut oil in a saucepan. Fry your castagnole is small batches, turning them with a spoon to ensure even results.  The temperature of the oil shouldn’t be too hot or too low. It’s a good idea to cut one open to check it’s cooked through.
4. Once they have reached a light golden brown color, remove them with a slotted spoon, and place them in a bowl lined with paper towel to absorb the oil in excess. Roll them with sugar when they are still hot.