Strictly fried Tuscan cenci, crispy and delicious. This version of the original Florentine Carnival cenci recipe slightly differs in the quantity of ingredients, enriched with a citrus touch thanks to lemon and orange zest. Moreover, a very thin dough makes this carnival treat even more brittle and crackling, just like my baked puff pastry and chocolate chiacchiere. Each bite of these cenci is an explosion of sweet crunchiness that melts in your mouth, a real joy for the palate. Once fried, you can enjoy the cenci at their best with a nice dusting of powdered sugar and accompany them with a glass of good Tuscan vin santo.
See you at the next recipe!!!
TRY ALSO:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Very affordable
- Rest time: 20 Minutes
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 8Servings
- Cooking methods: Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Carnival
- Energy 545.49 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 57.04 (g) of which sugars 21.68 (g)
- Proteins 7.31 (g)
- Fat 32.68 (g) of which saturated 6.94 (g)of which unsaturated 24.29 (g)
- Fibers 1.13 (g)
- Sodium 158.85 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 125 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
- 3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour (including for rolling out)
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 egg yolks
- 3 1/2 tbsp butter
- 1/4 cup marsala
- Half lemon zest
- Half orange zest
- 1 package vanillin
- 1 pinch salt
- as needed milk (if necessary)
- 1 cup as needed sunflower oil (for frying)
- vanilla powdered sugar
Tools: crispy fried cenci
You can knead by hand or with a machine and, to roll out the dough, choose whether to use the “Nonna Papera” pasta machine or the classic rolling pin.
- Stand Mixer
- Pastry Board
- Pasta Machine
- Rolling Pin
- Fluted Pastry Wheel
- Frying Pan
Crispy Fried Cenci Recipe
Attention: The indicated weight of the flour is the total needed for the entire recipe. Therefore, remove a small amount of flour before preparing the dough you will use for rolling out.
With the stand mixer: place the flour, powdered sugar, 1 whole egg, 2 egg yolks, marsala, 1 package of vanillin, the grated zest of half a lemon and half an orange, melted butter, and finally a pinch of salt in the mixer bowl. Attach the spiral hook and start the machine, first at low speed then gradually increase until obtaining a homogeneous mixture (if it turns out too hard, add some milk or if too soft, add more flour).
Transfer the mixture to a pastry board and finish kneading by hand until forming a smooth dough.
Kneading by hand: if you decide to knead manually, place the flour in a mound on a pastry board, crack the whole egg and the two yolks in it, lightly beat the eggs with a fork, then add the other ingredients: powdered sugar, marsala, 1 package of vanillin, the grated zest of half a lemon and half an orange, melted butter, and finally a pinch of salt. Knead by hand until obtaining a smooth dough.Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest for 20 minutes at room temperature.
Rolling the dough: use a dough cutter to divide the dough into 4 or 5 pieces, then roll each piece into a very thin sheet with a rolling pin or the “Nonna Papera” machine. If using the latter, pass the dough a couple of times starting from a thicker setting (number 1) then in the middle (number 3) until reaching a finer setting (number 7).
Cutting the cenci: use a fluted pastry wheel to cut strips 1-1.5 inches wide and about 4-5 inches long.
Now you are ready to fry your Carnival cenci.
Pour plenty of sunflower (or peanut) oil into a frying pan and when hot, dip the cenci a few at a time (they should not overlap); let them brown first on one side and then on the other (be careful as they brown quickly).
As soon as they are slightly colored on both sides, drain them with a slotted spoon and place them on a tray covered with paper towels.
Just sprinkle with vanilla powdered sugar and serve.
They are excellent accompanied with some good Tuscan Vinsanto, naturally not for children!
Storage and Tips
Storage: cenci keep in a dry place for several days, better if kept under a glass dome.
Tips: if you prefer them less crunchy, just make the dough thicker.
You can substitute marsala with vin santo, rum, or Strega liqueur.
