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cicerchiata carnival dessert THE BEST CICERCHIATA RECIPE ONLINE. LOOK NO FURTHER.
Cicerchiata is a wreath of little fried balls of sweet dough, stuck together with an addicting honey syrup. It is a traditional dessert found in almost every home around Abruzzo in February, the time of Carnival or Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras). The name of this dessert derives from the fact that the little fried balls resemble a small bean called Cicerchia, which is similar to a "CECI" (Garbanzo bean/chickpea) but tastes more like a sweet split pea. This bean is cultivated primarily in the Abruzzo region, and has become a specialty in recent times because ceci are so much easier to grow than cicerchia.

Some recipes contain candied fruit, some contain liqueur, some contain sugar in the syrup, some contain coloured sprinkles on top or chocolate. Other varieties are sure to be found. This particular recipe is our favourite, and comes from a Nonna in the town of Vasto on the Adriatic Sea. I think you’ll agree that it is the best variety of this unique dessert!

Notes from the experts before you get started:
  • Making cicerchiata is much more fun and much faster if you have a buddy to work with.
  • It will be easier to make this recipe if you have a deep fryer. If you don’t, just make sure you have a deep pot to fry in, and plenty of oil. Olive oil is the healthiest to fry with, but it is quite expensive. Any good vegetable oil for frying will do.
  • Make sure that you have some paper towels on hand for laying fried dough balls on.
  • Make sure you have a large pot to melt the honey in. You will need space in the pot to stir in the fried dough balls.
  • For making the dough, a food processor is a marvel. Otherwise, use a wooden board or a clean countertop, with plenty of flour.
  • Have a few trays or flat pans to hold your cut up dough pieces so they are handy to dump into the fryer bit by bit.
  • Prepare yourself a flat working space BEFORE you start melting the honey, preferably of marble, but in the absence of marble, use a hard, non-porous countertop (not wood). Clean and rinse it well and spread some cold water around the working space. This keeps the honey from sticking to your counter badly.
  • Prepare yourself a bowl of very cold water for your hands, or work next to the sink and keep the cold water running while you are moulding the wreath.
  • Decide ahead of time what shapes you want to make. The mixture can be moulded into a wreath, long "snakes", or just dropped into cupcake papers in spoonfuls.

RECIPE
For the "ceci":
500 grams flour (cake flour or all-purpose flour)
5 eggs (Each egg should weigh about 60 grams. If your eggs are large, you will need to add more flour)
5 Tablespoons sugar
5 Tablespoons olive oil (or vegetable oil)

For the syrup:
250 grams honey (wildflower honey works best)
100 grams almonds (chop them up into chunks and set aside)
1 Tablespoon lemon rind, grated
1 tsp. ground cinnamon (or, even better, a crushed cinnamon stick)

cicerchiata_tagliare.jpg1. Put flour on your working surface (or into a large bowl) and make a well in the center. Add eggs and mix with a fork until a dough forms. Knead the rest of the flour in by hand. Knead until dough is elastic (about 5 minutes). Alternatively, mix dough in food processor. Set dough aside (covered) for at least 30 minutes (1 hour is even better).
2. Divide dough into 5 parts. Cover the pieces you aren't working with. Take each piece and roll it out slightly. Cut it into strips about 1 inch wide. Roll each strip between your hands and the board to form a long thin "snake" about 1 centimeter in diameter (remember when you were a child and did this with Play-dough). Then cut each long snake into 1 centimeter pieces (some people prefer larger pieces that puff up more - this is a personal choice). Slide these pieces off your cutting board and onto a tray. Sprinkle them with a tiny bit of flour if they seem to be sticking together. Cut all the dough up in this way and spread all your tiny bits out onto trays so they are ready for frying.
cicerchiata_fried.jpg 3. Set up some paper towels in strainers or bowls. In a deep fryer (or pot with hot oil -test to check it is hot enough), fry dough pieces bit by bit until golden. As they are done frying, fish them out (use a wire mesh tool) and place them on paper towels.
4. Chop your almonds, prepare your lemon rind and cinnamon. (The almonds don't need toasting).
5. Prepare a clean (not wood) working surface by brushing water over it with your hands. Prepare a bowl of COLD water for your hands.



6. Bring honey to a boil in a very large pot and simmer for about 5 minutes.cicerchiata_honey.jpg Take care not to overcook the honey - you don't want it to have a burnt taste. Remove from heat and add almonds and lemon rind. Immediately stir in the fried dough balls and turn the mixture out onto the table with water on it. Divide it in half, or three parts (depending how many "forms" you want to make) and, dipping your hands often into cold water, pat it into its shape. Careful not to burn your hands on the hot honey. Alternatively, drop spoonfuls of the mixture into cupcake papers or into a wreath-shaped pan coated with non-stick spray. Press them down a bit with wet hands.

Sprinkle with coloured sprinkles or other decoration if you like.
Once cooled, store on wax paper and cover with cellophane wrap.

Dessert wines to accompany Cicerchiata: Molise Moscato Reale Passito Apianae, Passito, Moscato, Muffato della Sala, Verdicchio, and Falanghina


If you want to learn how to make a cicerchiata or any other Abruzzo recipe, get in touch with www.abruzzocibus.com and book a cooking class when you are next in Abruzzo. It's worth it!
 
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