CARNIVAL DESSERTS
Yesterday I wrote about the carnival mask, and today I'm going to write about carnival desserts. There are two treats that are the symbols of the Carnival of Venice. The recipes are so simple. There aren't any fancy ingredients involved, and yet, they taste so good that it's difficult to eat just one. These are frittelle and galani.
Frittelle are made by preparing a dough with flour, milk, eggs, sugar, a pinch of salt, yeast, raisins, lemon and grated apple. After these ingredients have been mixed to obtain a soft dough, it should rest in a warm place. Once the dough is ready, a pan is filled with oil, little round balls are formed and fried until gold. Dry off the excess oil and throw powdered sugar on the top. In certain locations of the province of Venice you will find these frittelle filled with cream.
Galani, or in certain parts of the province of Venice they are called crostoli, are also made with a simple dough recipe. This dessert is prepared with flour, sugar, butter, a few drops of anise and a pinch of salt. This dough is flattened out on a table, and then let to rest for awhile. Then, it is flattened as thin as possible with a rolling pin. The dough is then cut into rhombus shaped pieces with tiny holes, usually made with a fork, punched into the dough to secure a bubbling effect. Once cooled, these are spinkled with powdered sugar.
I can't wait to eat them!
Grace De Fanti
