Castagnole alla ricotta are sweets made with a dough of fresh ricotta cheese, fried in oil and decorated with caster sugar.
These delicious sweets have a very delicate flavor and a soft consistency that remains so even after a few days from frying.
They are prepared to celebrate Carnival, they are delicious served in buffets or in masquerade parties, children love them and they are so good that they are addictive!
Preparing castagnole with ricotta cheese is very easy and does not require an electric whisk, everything is mixed in a single bowl and no resting time is needed before frying.
Makes: about 20 castagnole
INGREDIENTS:
- 1½ cups + 1 tbsp of 00 flour
- 1 cup of ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup of granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp of vanilla extract
- 1 tsp of baking powder
- zest of 1 lemon
- zest of 1 orange
- a pinch of fine salt
- 1 litre of peanut oil
Notes: The ricotta cheese can be cow, sheep or mixed milk, drain it before adding it to the other ingredients. – If you like you can add very little rum.
The best oil for frying is peanut oil as it has a higher smoke point than other oils: however you can also use other seed oils (corn, soybean, sunflower..), in which case take double care of the frying temperature.
DIRECTIONS:
Shell the eggs in a bowl, add the drained ricotta, lemon and orange zest, salt, sugar and vanilla.
Mix well until smooth and homogeneous, then add the flour and sifted baking powder.
Mix the mixture well until you get a soft dough.
Pour the peanut oil into a saucepan and heat over high heat.
To understand when the oil is at the right temperature (338 F) you can use a kitchen thermometer or dip a toothpick: when it begins to bubble is almost at temperature.
Using 2 spoons, form small balls with the mixture and drop them into the hot oil.
Cook the castagnole dipped in oil, turning often until lightly browned on the outside.
Drain the castagnole on paper towels and dip them in granulated sugar.
