Tortelli di Carnevale
Fried choux puffs
Tortelli di Carnevale: Milan's light fried choux puffs rolled in sugar
In Milan, Carnival lasts a few days longer than everywhere else, following the old Ambrosian calendar, and the bakeries fill with tortelli: little balls of choux pastry fried until they puff up hollow, light and golden, then rolled in sugar. Milanese children eat them warm from paper bags, and bakeries sell them plain or filled with custard, chocolate cream or zabaglione. Chef's tip: drop spoonfuls of dough into oil that is not too hot and let them turn themselves over; when they puff and roll on their own, they are hollow and cooked inside.
- Total time
- 45 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 2 ⅞ oz butter
- ⅔ oz caster sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 5 ½ oz plain flour
- 4 eggs
- 1 lemonzest only
- 3 ¼ cups sunflower or peanut oilfor frying
- 2 ⅞ oz caster sugarfor rolling
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Spices & pantry
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Bring 1 cup water, 2 ⅞ oz butter, ⅔ oz caster sugar and 1 pinch salt to the boil. Tip in 5 ½ oz plain flour all at once and beat with a wooden spoon over a low heat for 2 minutes, until the dough comes away from the pan in a ball.
3 minStep 3: Heat 3 ¼ cups sunflower or peanut oil to 325°F. Drop teaspoons of dough into the oil, 6–8 at a time, and fry for 6–8 minutes, until they swell, turn over by themselves and are deep golden. Common mistake: taking them out too soon; pale tortelli collapse as they cool.
24 minStep 4: Drain on kitchen paper and roll in 2 ⅞ oz caster sugar while still warm.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 250 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 22 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does tortelli di Carnevale take?
- About 45 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of caster sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Boiled pasta
The basic method for any dried pasta, from penne to spaghetti. A large pan of salted boiling water keeps the pasta from sticking, and you cook it only until just done, with a little bite left. Use it in salads, bakes or with any sauce.
Kartoshka cakeCocoa and cake crumb truffles
Soviet cafés and school canteens sold these knobbly brown 'potatoes' for a few kopecks, and they began as a thrifty way to use up sponge and biscuit trimmings at the bakery. Crumbs are bound with butter and sweetened condensed milk, flavoured with cocoa and vanilla, shaped into little potatoes, rolled in cocoa and finished with two dabs of pale butter cream for the sprouts. They are fudgy and dense like a brownie truffle, need no oven, and children love making them. Traditional bakers added a spoonful of rum, an optional extra for adult batches only; this version is alcohol-free with vanilla. The usual slip is coarse crumbs, which make the potatoes crack, so blitz them as fine as sand. Chef's tip: chill the shaped potatoes for at least 20 minutes so they hold their shape and slice cleanly.
Russian
Undu walaluFried urad dal rings in treacle
Walalu means bangles, and these dark, sticky rings of fried urad dal soaked in kithul treacle are a sweet that Sinhala families bring out for Avurudu and for special almsgivings, often made in large batches by an aunt known for her steady hand. A thick, fluffy paste of ground black gram is piped into loops and fried until crisp, then plunged straight into warm treacle, so the rings stay crunchy on the outside while drinking up the syrup. They taste a little like a darker, smokier jalebi, with a toffee finish from the palm treacle. Watery batter is what ruins them; it spreads into flat blobs, so grind the soaked dal with as little water as possible and beat it until light. This recipe uses no asafoetida, so it is naturally gluten free. Chef's tip: pipe the rings onto small squares of baking paper and lower them into the oil paper and all; the paper peels away in seconds.
Sri Lankan