The "chiacchiere" is the sweet prince of the carnival; it is a dessert made with simple ingredients such as flour, eggs and sugar and then flavored with lemon peel and liqueur. The dough is then spread in a thin sheet and cut into small rectangular strips. A delight that is impossible to resist !!!
Ingredients
500 g of 00 flour
60 g of sugar
60 g of butter at room temperature
175 g of eggs at room temperature (about 4 eggs)
50 g of Marsala (me Florio winery)
1 lemon or orange (untreated skin) (grated rind)
1 vanilla pod (I extract vanilla)
vegetable oil for frying (I peanut oil)
powdered vanilla sugar (to serve)
Preparation
The dough
Pour the flour, sugar and lemon zest into the bowl of the planetary. Rub the sugar well with the peel with the help of your fingertips (all the essential oils will be released)
Make a recess in the middle and add the chopped butter. Break the eggs in a bowl, beat them lightly with the salt and the vanilla extract, then pour into the planetary over the butter.
Finally add the marsala. Knead at low speed until you have obtained an elastic, homogeneous, glossy and smooth dough. It will take about 10-15 minutes.
Transfer to the work surface, cover the dough with the film and leave it to rest for about 1 hour. Do not prepare the dough in advance because the result in cooking will be a low crust and without bubbles.
The processing
After this time, divide the dough into four parts and begin to roll out the first quarter, leaving the rest always wrapped in the film. Help lightly with flour to sprinkle, but not too much, otherwise the balance of the ingredients will be affected.
Roll out the dough, initially adjusting the dough sheeter to low values and then gradually proceed towards the highest levels. I spread it more or less 1 time to 1, 2 times to 3, then step to 6 and finally gradually spread it to the maximum level (9), ie the thinnest possible.
Cut rectangles of the desired size and make an incision in the center so that they do not form a single bubble during cooking.
Fry
Bring the oil to 175 ° C and fry a few pieces at a time. I do not go beyond the three pieces. In this way, you can control the degree of cooking well. Dip the handkerchiefs in the oil, let fry on one side for about 40 seconds (maximum), then turn them over, taking care not to puncture the bubbles and let fry the other side for the same time.
Drain as soon as they are golden, but preferably strain to light color. They will darken once cooled. Fry all the first part of pasta, then turn off the oil and dedicate yourself to the second part of the dough. Fry and repeat the sequence. Do not stretch the dough right away, because it will dry up, but if you have someone to help you fry, you are on horseback!
Sprinkle with vanilla icing sugar before serving.