(CNN) — A meal wouldn’t be complete for the Tucci family without one particular Italian delicacy. Stanley Tucci says zeppole, a type of deep-fried doughnut, “addictively delectable.”
While shooting “Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy,” he met up with his Italian relatives in Calabria — the southwest “toe” of the Italian peninsula. To get ready for the gathering, they spent days in the kitchen whipping up some of the family’s favourite foods.
The popular zeppole took centre stage.
These delicious morsels, which can be served as a sweet dessert with coffee or as a savoury appetiser similar to beignets but thicker, have always been a popular with families.
“Whenever my mother would begin to fry them, the whole family would unconsciously start edging more and more closely to the stove until we were all huddled around her, practically panting with a hunger we didn’t know we had until she started cooking,” Tucci wrote in his memoir, “Taste.”
He remembered in his book, “As soon as they have cooled enough to handle, they are then consumed by anyone who can get one the quickest.”
The Tucci family likes a salty form of zeppole that includes anchovies in the dough as opposed to the puffy, golden zeppole that Italians typically serve with a liberal dusting of powdered sugar.
These Italian doughnuts have all sorts of variations: You can stuff them with salami and sprinkle with salt, or for a sweet version, fill them with cream, including hazelnut, chocolate or lemon, and cover in honey and chopped pistachios. Tucci has experimented with many toppings, including goat cheese and sautéed peppers, which are accompanied by a green salad and beer.
From recipe to recipe, even the size and shape of this finger snack changes.
They are best when they are freshly fried, according to the internet as a whole. However, as the majority of Italians will attest, you won’t let these Italian doughnuts cool before devouring them.
Zucchini Zeppole
This family recipe calls for frying in vegetable oil, however olive oil can be used for a more conventional dish. In internet bakeries or Italian specialty shops, look for 00 flour, which is finely ground Italian wheat flour.
30 Ingredients, Makes
12 kilogramme | 4 cups flour plus additional for the surface, preferably type B, and 34 kilogramme | 5 14 cups sliced yellow potatoes 00
12 12 grammes | 1 12 tablespoons brewer’s yeast, 15 grammes | 34 tablespoon table salt
60 ml or 1/4 cup of warm water
Anchovies in oil, diced salami, or drained, patted-dry anchovies (optional for savory)
frying with olive oil
honey or granulated sugar (optional for sweet)
Equipment
Use a potato ricer or masher.
the deep-fryer or a big pot
frying thermometer (optional)
Instructions
1. In a big saucepan, boil the potatoes for 10 minutes or until they are tender. While the potatoes are still warm, drain, move to a big bowl, and mash them with a potato masher. (If using a potato ricer, put the potatoes in the canister in batches and extrude them into the bowl.) Add 4 cups (about 1/2 a kilogramme) of flour and salt to the mashed potatoes.
2. Add the yeast to the mixture after dissolving it in warm water to activate it.
3. Combine the ingredients in the bowl and knead until the mixture resembles a dry, smooth dough.
4. Wrapped in a cloth, let the dough rest for about three hours or until it has doubled in size.
5. Flip the dough over onto a floured work surface after it has doubled in volume. Divide the dough into tiny pieces, make 1-inch-thick doughnut-shaped rings with damp palms. Based on your preferences, you can change the size.
If you want a savoury version, you can mould the dough with some diced salami or anchovy fillets.
6. Place a big saucepan over medium heat and add enough oil to fill it to a depth of 5 cm (or 2 inches). Immerse a piece of dough to see if the oil is hot enough; if it sinks to the bottom, the oil isn’t hot enough. The oil is ready if the dough rises to the surface and fries. If the oil turns dark, the temperature is too high; you must lower it by taking the saucepan off the fire. (Or you can heat the oil until a deep-fry thermometer reads 149 degrees Celsius, or 300 degrees Fahrenheit.)
7. Fry the doughnuts in small batches, turning them over halfway through, for a total of 4 to 5 minutes, or until they are puffy and golden brown. Transfer the doughnuts to a dish covered in absorbent paper towels using a slotted spoon to absorb the excess oil for a little while. Halfway through frying, switch out the oil.
8. Present heat. You can choose to eat them simply or with toppings. Add honey or powdered sugar to the warm zeppole for a sweeter variation.
The Ventra family is the source of this recipe (relatives of Tucci).
