Sicilian rice fritters, a Sicilian dessert for Father’s Day or Carnival. I really can’t resist fried sweets, especially if they are soft and fragrant like these delicious Sicilian rice fritters, orange desserts that always win everyone over. These Sicilian sweets were a recent discovery for me that immediately captured my heart! Soft and creamy rice turns into fragrant sticks that orange-flavored honey makes absolutely special. The recipe is typical of Sicilian tradition, and is prepared for Father’s Day on St. Joseph’s Day on March 19, but for goodness like this, you certainly don’t have to wait just one day a year! In the Syracuse area, they are prepared on November 11 for the Feast of St. Martin. It seems that this dessert was first made by the Benedictine nuns of the Monastery of Catania in the 16th century, so much so that they were called “Benedictines.” I liked it very much, and I think I will make it again soon. Let’s head to the kitchen and prepare some delicious Sicilian rice fritters together, and don’t forget to let me know if they captured your heart.
AND DON’T MISS THESE RECIPES TOO:
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 2 Hours
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: For 8 people
- Cooking methods: Stove, Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Energy 347.46 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 69.12 (g) of which sugars 18.42 (g)
- Proteins 5.95 (g)
- Fat 6.09 (g) of which saturated 1.05 (g)of which unsaturated 4.81 (g)
- Fibers 4.45 (g)
- Sodium 53.04 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 100 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for Rice and Orange Fritters
- 1 1/3 cups Arborio rice
- 2 1/2 cups milk
- 2 cups flour
- 1/4 oz fresh yeast
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 orange zest (untreated)
- 1 1/2 cups seed oil
- 2 oranges
- 7 oz honey
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
How to prepare Sicilian rice fritters
Pour the milk into a saucepan with a pinch of salt and bring it to a boil. Drop in the rice and cook it over medium heat, stirring often with a wooden spoon. At the end of cooking, the milk should be completely absorbed.
Let the rice cool in a bowl, then add the fresh yeast dissolved in a little water, the grated zest of one orange, the sugar, and, little by little, the flour. Form a fairly soft dough, cover the bowl with a cloth, and let the dough rise for about two hours or more.
Take the dough again and, with floured hands, form small cylinders about 1 1/2 to 2 inches long. Now all you have to do is fry the Sicilian rice fritters in hot seed oil. Then let them drain on kitchen paper sheets.
In the meantime, prepare the flavored honey to dress them: squeeze the two oranges and strain the juice obtained. Mix the orange juice with the honey and stir in half a teaspoon of ground cinnamon. Dress the Sicilian rice fritters with the orange honey.
See you tomorrow with a new recipe, a hug, Loredana
Loredana’s Tips
For a quicker preparation, replace the fresh yeast with half a packet of baking powder; you won’t need to wait for the dough to rise, and they will be just as delicious
If there are any leftover fritters, you can store them in a container for one day
Also, read the recipe for my Ricotta and Orange Doughnuts
