Tuscany has been dark and grey, wet and windy this past week. The hills are saturated with water, mudslides blocking the roads near where I live, rivers overflowing near Pisa.
We did receive a small window of sun and a reason to celebrate.
March 17th is St Patrick’s day, but although it is said he was Italian, no one except American college kids celebrate it here. But, March 19th is St Joseph’s day San Giuseppe.
THAT IS HUGE.
It is when Italians celebrate Father’s day and each region has it’s own sweet to celebrate.
I think the most famous sweet are the Zeppole, both fried and baked that are made in Naples and filled with pastry cream or ricotta like for a cannolo.
We make a special rice fritter called Frittelle di Riso. They are made starting for Carnevale and lasting through Father’s day. When I was in Florence, there was a little fry shop around the corner from the Central Market, near where I lived. ( that is dangerous!).
They sold fried snacks; savory snacks were polenta and coccole, fried bread dough balls or the sweet snacks were the rice fritters or apple fritters, batter fried apple slices.
In Siena, they set up a small cabin and make the frittelle as a fundraising event. The tiny village of Montefioralle above Greve in Chianti also sets up a HUGE frypan and makes the frittelle in they tiny parking lot the weekend of Father’s day.
When I make the rice fritters, I usually make a huge batch as they are for a celebration, and I share. This time I made half this recipe and used half for the budini and half for rice fritters.
They also make another rice dessert called Torta di Riso, which is baked like a cake.
Ingredients
- 2-1/2 cups short grain rice
- 6 cups milk
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- Peel of one lemon (wide strips) ( i used orange zest today)
- 1 ounce liqueur (sherry, brandy, or amaretto)
- 1 cup flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- 6 eggs, separated
Instructions
- Bring the rice to a slow boil in the milk with sugar and lemon peel. When the rice is cooked, it will have absorbed all the milk.
- Place the rice in large bowl, add the liqueur, egg yolks, flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Mix well and let cool. DO NOT REFRIGERATE.
- Whip the egg whites still stiff.
- Fold whites into the rice mixture.
- In a heavy pan, heat 3 inches of oil for frying. I prefer olive oil, but any light seed oil is fine.
- Drop the fritters by teaspoons into the hot oil.
- Fry quickly and remove when they are golden.
- Do not let get too brown.
- Drain on paper towels and serve sprinkled with granulated sugar or like we do in Tuscany, put granulated sugar in a paper bag, add the fritters, shake and serve.
They look delicious! I used to go to that friggitoria, if it is the one near il mercato di San Lorenzo. Great frittelle di mele and coccoli
Judy! It’s not even 6:00AM herein California, and look what you’ve done. Fried dough! Budini too! Oh,it sounds so good. It is at times like these I realize I AM my father’s daughter. He loved his fried dough too.
I wish that either that little fry shop or you were around the corner from me. I’d prefer it were you, but I’d settle for the fry shop! Come sempre – grazie!
CIAO,
I have just discovered you from a gal that left a comment on my site!I live outside of San Francisco and lived in SAN DONATO IN COLLINA above BAGNO A RIPOLI in the early 90’s…………..wonderful memories!I have signed up for your posts!
Contessa!
I am looking forward to making both the Frittelli and the Budino but am wondering what the time and temperature for the Budino would be.
I look forward to your posts and always send them on to my husband as a subtle hint as to our returning to Tuscany.
I am looking forward to making both the Frittelli and the Budino but am wondering what the time and temperature for the Budino would be.
I look forward to your posts and always send them on to my husband as a subtle hint as to our returning to Tuscany.
Baking is at 350 and time depends on size, small tarts will cook faster, a large pie may take an hour. Depends in pan size and depth.
In italy, women say, “Cook till done”