This recipe was shared by Lorenza Pintar and Yael Stucchi. Read more about their family in the Jewish Food Sicoety archive, here.
Ingredients
½ cup red raisins
¼ cup milk
¼ cup lukewarm water
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
¼ cup plus 1 teaspoon of sugar
3 ¼ cups of flour
¾ ounces grappa or cognac
Zest from ½ a lemon
½ teaspoon salt
1 ¼ cups of milk
1 ¼ cups of warm water
Sunflower seed oil or any neutral oil for frying
FOR DUSTING
½ cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cinnamon
Preparation
- Soak the raisins in ¼ cup of warm milk and set aside for 15 minutes.
- Place ¼ cup of lukewarm water into a small bowl, add the yeast and 1 teaspoon of sugar. Mix well and set aside for 10 minutes or until foamy. Drain the raisins from the milk, reserving the milk.
- Meanwhile in a large mixing bowl combine the flour, ¼ cup of sugar, the grappa or cognac, lemon zest, salt, and mix well. Add the yeast mixture and mix well.
- Add the raisins and the soaking milk into the bowl. Add the remaining 1 ¼ cups of milk, 1 ¼ cups of water and mix well until the mixture forms a smooth and loose batter. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise at room temperature for at least 4 hours. Mix the batter after 1 hour and after 3 hours during the leavening.
- Add enough oil to fill up a medium pot halfway with oil and heat over medium high heat (you can also use a deep fryer). Once the oil reaches 350 degrees, take 1 heaping tablespoon of the batter and drop it into the oil. Fry the frittoles until they puff up and are golden on both sides, about 3 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper towel lined tray and continue cooking the frittoles in batches of 4 at a time.
- Place ½ cup granulated sugar and 3 tablespoons of cinnamon into a bowl and mix to combine. Dip and roll the frittoles in the granulated sugar and cinnamon mixture until coated well before serving. Serve immediately.
