Orange and Ricotta Castagnole are a sweet typically prepared during Carnival. This is a quick recipe flavored with orange: soft and delicious. These tasty bites come from Romagna; the original recipe traditionally uses anise, but today I offer a version that remains fragrant thanks to the addition of orange and ricotta, which makes the dough even more tender!
Although they originate from Romagna, they are prepared at Carnival all over Italy and are often fried first and then filled with pastry cream or hazelnut cream.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Budget-friendly
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 6
- Cooking methods: Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Carnival
- Energy 719.32 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 72.01 (g) of which sugars 41.42 (g)
- Proteins 9.42 (g)
- Fat 46.16 (g) of which saturated 8.23 (g)of which unsaturated 36.11 (g)
- Fibers 0.92 (g)
- Sodium 43.85 (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 — Orange and Ricotta Castagnole
- 2 cups 00 flour (or all-purpose flour)
- 1 egg
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 orange (juice and zest)
- 1/2 packet baking powder (about 2 tsp)
- 1 packet vanillin (vanilla powder)
- as needed granulated sugar (for dusting)
- as needed vegetable oil (for frying)
Tools
- Frying pan
- Stand mixer
Steps — Orange and Ricotta Castagnole
In a large bowl or in a stand mixer, heap the flour and make a well in the center.
Add the ricotta and the sugar and begin to mix.
Add the grated zest of one organic, untreated orange, the juice, and the whole egg.
Add the packet of baking powder and knead the mixture until you obtain a smooth, homogeneous dough.
Heat the vegetable oil for frying in a deep pan.
With wet hands, form medium-sized balls and fry them on all sides until golden brown.
Remove them from the oil and place them on paper towels.
Then roll each castagnola in granulated sugar.
Serve the Orange and Ricotta Castagnole and…
Enjoy, Maky!
You can enrich the dough with a liqueur like Strega or anise to make them even more aromatic.
Castagnole are best eaten fresh. If you must store them, I recommend wrapping them in plastic wrap until the next day.
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