| Carnival time was traditionally the last chance to have meat before Lent. Indeed, the very word carnevale comes from a Latin expression carne levare, loosely meaning to "say goodbye to meat". And martedì grasso or Fat Tuesday is still celebrated with a large meal featuring meat-laden dishes like the Neapolitan lasagne di Carnevale.
And yet, perhaps the most iconic Italian dishes for Carnival actually come at the end of the meal, in the form of dolci fritti, or fried sweets. In past years we've looked at a few of these, like the iconic fried ribbons of dough called (among many other names) chiacchiere, as well as the raisin-studded fritters from Venice called fritole and the apple fritters called frittelle di mele from Alto Adige.
This year I want to share with you the recipe for yet another lovely dolce fritto called castagnole. They're little balls of dough enriched with eggs and butter, perfumed with liqueur and lemon zest, then deep fried and encrusted in sugar. They're sweet without being cloying and, when properly made, crisp on the outside but light and airy on the inside.
Castagnole are delicious on their own, served as a snack with coffee or as a toothsome dessert. But I think they really come into their own dipped in chocolate. No matter how you choose to enjoy them, castagnole are so good you might not want to limit them to just Carnival time.
For the recipe, click on the image above or the "Read More" button below. And don't forget to leave a like or a comment. We love hearing from you!
Happy cooking!
Frank | |  | Lasagne di Carnevale For many, especially among Italian-Americans, this is the Italian lasagna, practically synonymous with Sunday dinners. But as the name implies, lasagne di Carnevale was traditionally eaten around Carnevale aka Mardi Gras time, as part of a last meat splurge before the privations of Lent.
For the recipe, just click on the image above. | |  | Chiacchiere I didn't have much of a sweet tooth, even as a kid, but these little sugar-dusted ribbons of fried dough—variously known as chiacchiere, nastrini, stracci, cenci, frappe and a myriad of other names—were my one weakness in the sweets department. Angelina made them every year as a special treat for Carnival.
For the recipe, just click on the image above. | |  | Fritole In Venice and nearby Trieste, at Carnival time they make fritole—lovely roundish fritters made with a soft, batter-like dough perfumed with liqueur and dotted with softened raisins and served with a generous dusting of powdered sugar. They may not replace chiacchiere in my affections, but they're very good indeed.
For the recipe, just click on the image above.
| |  | Frittelle di mele These fritters are originally from the Südtirol aka Alto Adige region, where most of Italy's apples are grown, but they are now popular everywhere. A traditional Carnival treat, they're too good to save just for that holiday. And they're not just for dessert: an unsweetened apple fritter sometimes make their way into a platter of mixed fried foods, or fritto misto.
For the recipe, just click on the image above.
| |  | Migliaccio Not all Carnival treats are fried. This Neapolitan cake is made from a rich batter of semolina simmered in milk, then mixed with ricotta, eggs, sugar and flavorings. If you're feeling extravagant, it can be fancied up with candied fruits, raisins or chocolate bits.If you're feeling extravagant, it can be fancied up with candied fruits, raisins or chocolate bits.
For the recipe, just click on the image above. | | | | |
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