Abruzzese Turcinill with raisins, the Abruzzo Christmas fritters, along with cacionetti made from flour and potatoes, with raisins.
On the blog, as those who follow me already know, there is the classic version. I kept the measurements for this version, to test once again the accuracy of my basic recipe and it worked!
My advice for successfully making this recipe is to use old, well-dried potatoes, so that they do not release too much moisture during dough preparation.
In some versions, the egg is replaced by an equal amount of water, about 60 g.
The wine can be partially or entirely replaced with water or milk. In this case, add it gradually to the dough so you can see if you are working correctly.
At the end of mixing, the dough should be soft but not sticky.
Below I leave you some typical Abruzzese Christmas recipes and the version without raisins of my turcinelli.
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Cheap
- Rest time: 2 Hours
- Preparation time: 40 Minutes
- Portions: about 50 turcinelli
- Cooking methods: Boiling, Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Christmas
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 lb potatoes
- 1 packet dry yeast
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup white wine
- 1/3 cup raisins
- 1 quart peanut oil
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
Tools
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Pot
- 1 Potato Masher
- 1 Frying Pan
- 1 Fork
- 1 Work Surface
- 1 Slotted Spoon
Steps
To make Abruzzese Turcinill with raisins, first wash the potatoes well and cook them in unsalted boiling water for about 45 minutes, from the boil.
The time will vary based on the size of the potatoes.
Check the cooking with the tines of a fork, if they pierce easily, the potato is ready.
Drain and mash them with the skin on with a potato masher, into a bowl.
Let it cool slightly.
Meanwhile, dissolve the yeast in slightly warmed milk, stirring with a fork.
Let it rest for 10 minutes.
Pour the milk with the yeast into the bowl with the potatoes, quickly mix with a fork and add half of the flour.
Again, stir the ingredients for a few moments and add the other half of the flour.
Add half of the wine, the egg, and mix.
Again, add the remaining wine, the raisins, and mix again.
Transfer the dough onto a well-cleaned work surface.
Knead it until you get a smooth, soft ball and put it back in the bowl well covered.
Let it rest for two hours or until the dough doubles in size in a place protected from drafts.
The turned-off oven with the light on will be perfect.
Once the dough is ready, heat the oil to a temperature of 300°F or at least not too high.
To test if it is ready, put a small ball of dough inside, when it rises it’s ready, and we can dip the torcinelli.
I always take a little piece at a time, give it an elongated shape, and dip them into the oil.
Try not to put more than three at a time, so you can manage their browning well.
Prepare the sugar, and once you take the torcinelli from the oil with a slotted spoon, dip them in the sugar and coat them well.
Place the torcinelli on a clean plate and continue cooking them until the dough is finished.
Once ready and cooled, place them in tightly closed containers.
They will stay soft for about 2 days.
