| MANGIA BENE PASTA |
| ST. JOSEPH'S DAY |
| MARCH 19 |
| St. Joseph, who is the patron saint of the family, is celebrated at the Spring solstice and his day is a feast of bread. At one time, the Feast of San Giuseppe, as he is called in Italy, was an Italian national holiday. St. Joseph's feast day is still celebrated with families gathering together to create enormous buffets for neighbors and friends. The table is said to overflow with an abundance of food that the Father of the Holy Family provides. The centerpiece of St. Joseph's Day festivities is an alter laid with fine linens and decorated with flowers and decorative breads in the shape of things of nature. In America, the festival is like a giant potluck dinner, but the dishes served are similar to those eaten in Italy - from fried croquettes of fish, sardines, shrimp, and calamari to stuffed artichokes, spring vegetable frittatas and fava bean soup. But in America, as in Italy, a highlight of the meal is the special sweets that are prepared. Although the names and shapes of these hot delicate fritters differ from region to region, they are as much associated with St. Joseph's Day as turkey is to Thanksgiving. They are usually called zeppole or frittelle when unfilled. When the pastries are filled with a sweetened ricotta or custard they may change their name to cassateddi, sfinci, or bigne. In some areas the zeppole are made of rice while in others they are based on flour. We are providing you with a choice of three varieties and hope you will find a favorite among them. |
| ZEPPOLE (Makes 18 - 20 zeppole) |
| 2 cups water |
| 1 cup unsalted butter |
| 1-3/4 cups flour, sifted |
| 10 eggs |
| Vegetable oil for deep frying |
| Confectioners sugar for dusting |
| Bring the water and butter to a boil in a large saucepan over medium heat. |
| Add the flour and mix vigorously with a wooden spoon for about 5 minutes. |
| The mixture should be very dry and come away from the sides of the pan. |
| Remove the saucepan from the heat and set it aside to cool for 5 minutes. |
| Then begin to add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Continue to beat until the dough is very smooth. |
| Heat the oil in a deep fryer or wide, deep saucepan to 350 to 375 degrees F. |
| Drop batter by heaping tablespoons into the oil, a few at a time, without crowding. |
| The zeppole should cook for about 5 minutes getting very brown and crisp. |
| Drain them on paper towels and let them cool a few minutes. |
| Sift confectioners sugar over the top. |
| SFINCI (Makes about 24) |
| 1 cup water |
| 3/4 cup of unsalted butter |
| Pinch of salt |
| 1-3/4 cups flour |
| 6 eggs |
| Vegetable oil for deep frying |
| Filling: |
| 1-1/2 lbs. ricotta cheese |
| 1/2 cup sugar |
| 1 tsp. vanilla extract |
| 5 TB. mini chocolate chips |
| 4 TB. minced candied orange peel (optional) |
| Topping: |
| Minced pistachio nuts |
| Bring the water, butter, and salt to a boil in a large saucepan over medium heat. |
| Add the flour and mix vigorously with a wooden spoon for about 5 minutes. |
| The mixture should be very dry and come away from the sides of the pan. |
| Remove from the heat and set aside to cool for about 5 minutes. |
| Begin adding the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Continue to beat until the dough is very smooth. |
| Heat the oil in a deep fryer or large deep saucepan to 375 degrees F. |
| Drop spoonfuls of the dough into the oil, a few at a time, with crowding. |
| Cook until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Cool. |
| Press the ricotta through a sieve. |
| Combine the ingredients for the filling. |
| Slice the top off the cooled sfinci and fill with the cream. |
| Replace the top and smear with a little of the cream filling. |
| Sprinkle top with pistachio nuts. |
| FRITTELLE (Makes 12 - 14 fritters) |
| 2 cups milk |
| Pinch of salt |
| Strips of zest of 1 lemon |
| 1/2 cup Arborio rice |
| 8 oz. zeppole dough |
| Grated zest of 1 lemon |
| Grated zest of 1 orange |
| Vegetable oil for deep frying |
| Granulated sugar |
| Bring the milk, salt, and lemon strips to a boil in a large saucepan over medium heat. |
| Stir in the rice and reduce the heat to low. |
| Cover and simmer until all liquid is absorbed, 15-20 minutes. |
| Discard the lemon stips. Spread the rice on a plate to cool. |
| When the rice is cool, combine it with the zeppole dough and grated zests. |
| Line baking sheets with parchment paper. |
| Put the dough mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a tip that will pipe out strips of dough. |
| Pipe out 2 inches wide by 4 inches long rectangles onto the parchment paper. |
| Heat the oil to 325 degrees F. |
| Cut each frittella on its own piece of parchment paper and slide into the oil. |
| The paper will come off of each fritter as it is frying and you can remove it. |
| Allow to cook for about 8 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Cool. |
| Sprinkle with a lot of sugar. |
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