Chiacchiere

Chiacchiere is a typical Carnival sweet and it is actually called with different names in the different regions of Italy. The name Chiacchiere is most diffused in Lombardia, Cenci or Donzelle in Toscana, Frappe in Rome, Frappole or Sfrappole in Emilia, Cròstoli in Trentino, Galani in Veneto, Bugie in Piemonte, etc...
Chiacchiere are sweet friable stripes sprinkled with icing sugar or honey. The tradition of this sweet goes probably back to the Frictilia, a kind of sweet fried in pork fat that they used to make in the ancient Rome during Carnival time.




Ingredients:


500g of plain flour
70g sugar
3 eggs
1 egg yolk
a pinch of salt
50g of butter
6g of baking powder
Vanilla
half a glass of grappa

Sift the flour with the baking powder and place it on a pastry board (or in a bowl or in the bowl of a robot) in the classic fountain shape, put the butter cut in pieces, the sugar, the vanilla, the eggs, half a glass of grappa and the pinch of salt. Knead it all until the ingredients form a dough smooth and elastic, give the shape of a ball and leave it rest in a cool place for at least 30 minutes.

Flatten the dough with a rolling pin obtaining rectangular sheets 2mm thick. With a cutting wheel cut strips 5cm wide and 10cm long (or any size you desire), and then cut in the middle of the strip. 

Place the strips thus obtained (2 or 3 at a time) in hot but not boiling canola oil (170-180 degrees maximum), turning on both sides. 

As they become golden, remove and put them in absorbent paper. Once they cool down place them on a serving plate and sprinkle with icing sugar or honey.

 Buon Appetito!