Sfinge Recipes

Steps:

• Mix flour, sugar, and baking powder.
• Add eggs, water, and vanilla; mix well.
• Drop batter by tablespoons in hot, deep oil.
• If oil is hot enough, sfingi will cook and turn over without help.
• If not, turn with a large spoon to brown on both sides.
• Add as many sfingi that will fit in skillet or deep-fryer.
• Fry until golden brown.
• Drain on paper towels.
• Combine powdered sugar and cinnamon.
• Sprinkle warm sfingi with powdered sugar and cinnamon mixture.
• Delicious served warm!

Steps:

• In large bowl, combine ricotta, eggs, sugar and vanilla. Mix together baking powder and 1/2 cup flour. Fold into ricotta mixture. Add enough of remaining flour to make a thick batter. Let rest 1 hour.
• Heat oil in large heavy saucepan over high heat until a small amount of batter dropped in oil sizzles and starts to color. Drop batter by teaspoons into hot oil and deep fry until golden. Remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
• Stack sfingi on serving platter in a pyramid. Drizzle stack with honey and dust with confectioner's sugar.

Steps:

• Cut open the vanilla bean lengthwise. Using the back of a knife, scrape along the inside of the vanilla bean to collect the seeds. Scrape vanilla bean seeds into a small bowl. Add the 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon and stir to combine. Set aside.
• In a medium saucepan combine the butter, salt, 3 tablespoons of sugar, and water over medium heat. Bring to a boil. Take pan off the heat and stir in the flour. Return pan to the heat and stir continuously until mixture forms a ball, about 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the flour mixture to a medium bowl. Using an electric hand mixer on low speed, add eggs, 1 at a time, incorporating each egg completely before adding the next. Beat until smooth. If not frying immediately, cover with plastic wrap and reserve in the refrigerator.
• Meanwhile, pour enough oil into a large frying pan to reach a depth of 2 inches. Heat the oil over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 375 degrees F.
• Using a small ice-cream scooper or 2 small spoons, carefully drop about a tablespoon of the dough into the hot olive oil, frying in batches. Turn the zeppole once or twice, cooking until golden and puffed up, about 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Toss with cinnamon-sugar. Arrange on a platter and serve immediately.

Steps:

• Mix ricotta cheese with sugar, vanilla and eggs.
• Mix in Self-Rising flour and beat until smooth.
• Heat oil to 370 degrees.
• Drop mixture by tablespoons a few at a time into oil.
• Remove from oil when they reach a golden brown.
• Drain on absorbent paper.
• Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar, cinnamon sugar or honey.
• Serve Warm.

Steps:

• Mix the yeast into 1/4 cup of warm water and let sit for 10 minutes until foamy. Add the rest of the water and the salt. Mix. Add the flour one cup at a time. You can use your hands or a food processor to mix it, but I prefer my big standing mixer with a dough hook. Mix in the flour until it forms a ball, then knead for 5-10 minutes (3-4 minutes in the mixer). Take balls of dough about the size of a small lemon and flatten them until they're about 3″ in diameter. Place on a floured towel or cookie sheet and cover with another clean towel. Let rise in a warm spot for 30 minutes. Heat vegetable oil in a deep fryer or a large pan until it's about 375 degrees fahrenheit. To test, drop a small piece of dough in. It should puff up and sizzle. While you're waiting, mix together sugar and cinnamon. Put this in a paper bag and mix together. Fry the dough about 3-4 minutes, until lightly browned. Drain on brown bags or paper towels, then shake in the bag with the cinnamon and sugar. Mmmmmm!