GLUTEN-FREE SWEET RAVIOLI RECIPE
The gluten-free sweet ravioli are a variant of the STUFFED SWEET RAVIOLI, a typical Carnival dessert ideal for those with gluten intolerance.
These sweets found throughout Italy take on slightly different names and characteristics as you go up and down the ‘boot’. In Piedmont, they call them bugie, in Liguria chiacchiere, but they can also be found as cenci or frappole.
They are nothing but thin pasta sheets, filled or not, which once fried are sprinkled with plenty of powdered sugar.
The recipe we will prepare today is for FRIED SWEET RAVIOLI, so called because once closed they resemble classic egg pasta ravioli, but we will prepare them gluten-free.
Making these delicious Carnival sweets is not at all difficult and with the mix of flours, all gluten-free, that I have tested, you will get a soft, elastic, and easy-to-work dough.
The trick is to add a natural thickener to the mixture, guar gum, which is tasteless but compensates for the lack of gluten and therefore the formation of the gluten network that makes the dough elastic. You just need to pay attention to the dough which, being more delicate than gluten-containing chiacchiere, must always remain covered while rolling out the sheets.
Then to get crispy and perfect gluten-free stuffed sweet ravioli, you just need to fry them a few at a time in plenty of seed oil to prevent the oil temperature from dropping.
You’ll see how these gluten-free stuffed sweet ravioli have a crispy shell and with their soft and delicious filling (of jam, marmalade, or hazelnut cream) will drive everyone crazy and they will disappear in no time!
If you are looking for other gluten-free sweets also check
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 40 Minutes
- Portions: 6 people
- Cooking methods: Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Carnival
- Energy 186.33 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 27.91 (g) of which sugars 7.06 (g)
- Proteins 2.84 (g)
- Fat 7.31 (g) of which saturated 3.50 (g)of which unsaturated 3.13 (g)
- Fibers 1.17 (g)
- Sodium 95.08 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 30 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
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE GLUTEN-FREE SWEET RAVIOLI
NOTE: Those who are used to working with gluten-free doughs know that the biggest obstacle is the lack of elasticity due to the absence of gluten network formation. For this reason, I added a few grams of Guar Gum to the dough, which can help achieve a more elastic and malleable dough. You can find this product in specialized stores or online. You can use Xanthan Gum instead.
- 3/4 cup corn flour
- 6 tbsp potato starch
- 3/4 cup tapioca flour
- 6 tbsp gluten-free powdered sugar
- 2 eggs (large)
- 3 1/2 tbsp butter
- 3 1/2 tbsp milk
- 1 tbsp guar gum (or Xanthan Gum)
- 2 tsp Strega liqueur
- 1 pinch fine salt
- hazelnut cream (gluten-free)
- jam (fruit)
- 4 cups peanut oil
- as needed gluten-free powdered sugar
Tools
- Bowl
- Kitchen Scale
- Plastic Wrap
- Pasta Machine
- Pastry Wheel
- Frying Pan
- Slotted Spoon
GLUTEN-FREE SWEET RAVIOLI RECIPE
Put both flours (tapioca and corn), potato starch, a pinch of salt, and guar gum in a bowl and mix with a fork. Add the liquid ingredients: milk, eggs, Strega liqueur, and finally the butter in pieces. Knead with your hands until you get a compact but soft dough. Wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for about 1 hour.
After the resting time, take the dough and divide it into 4 pieces. Starting from the first one, roll it out with the pasta machine starting from the largest setting. Pass the sheet several times folding it over itself and dusting it lightly with potato starch. You should get a thickness of about 0.02 inches. Then cut rectangles of about 4 x 5 inches.
Place the pasta rectangles on a work surface and with a teaspoon put a little gluten-free hazelnut cream or jam on each one. Brush the edges with water, which will act as a glue, then fold the sheet to cover the filling. With a serrated wheel, cut out a square or rectangle. Trim the edges to seal them better. Continue this way for all the sheets.
In a large deep pan, heat plenty of seed oil. It should reach a temperature of about 330°F-340°F. Fry 2 or 3 sweet ravioli at a time, turning them often until they are golden brown. Once cooked, remove them with a slotted spoon and place them on a plate with absorbent paper to dry the excess oil.
Now that the gluten-free sweet ravioli are ready, let them cool slightly, then dust them with plenty of gluten-free powdered sugar. Place them on a platter or serving plate. Happy Carnival!
TIPS AND VARIATIONS
CORN AND TAPIOCA FLOUR: After several attempts, I found that the mix of these flours with added potato starch and guar gum allows for a dough that is quite easy to work with and very similar to that of the classic Carnival sweet ravioli.
GUAR GUM: This natural thickener is necessary to compensate for the lack of gluten and make the dough elastic. You can use xanthan gum instead.
FILLING: Decide according to your taste what to fill the gluten-free SWEET RAVIOLI with, both marmalade and jam or hazelnut cream are great, the important thing is that they are gluten-free products.
STORAGE
Like all fried foods, sweet filled ravioli should be eaten as soon as they are made to retain their crispiness. If you have leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
