Pettole (Lucanian Recipe) are said to have been born by chance, and often it is exactly in this way that the best recipes come to life. My mother-in-law usually prepared them during the Christmas period, when the whole family gathered and cooked together. They can be eaten either sweet or savory, and can be prepared in a ball shape or with a hole, but in any case, they will always be exquisite.

Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Economical
Rest time: 2 Hours
Preparation time: 20 Minutes
Portions: about 20 pettole
Cooking methods: Oven
Cuisine: Italian Regional

Ingredients

4 cups semola rimacinata di grano duro
1.7 cups water
1/2 tablespoon fine salt
0.44 oz fresh yeast
2 teaspoons sugar
2.1 cups seed oil (for frying)

Steps

Activate the fresh yeast in a glass of water (taken from the total) with a tablespoon of flour (also taken from the total) and two teaspoons of sugar for about five minutes.
Place the flour in a bowl, add the activated yeast, the water, knead and add the salt. If the dough is too compact, wet your hands several times and knead until you get a smooth, soft, and slightly sticky dough. Flour the bottom of the bowl and the surface of the dough, cover with cling film, a dish towel, a blanket, and let it rise for one or two hours.
The dough should at least double in size.
Wet your fingers with seed oil, otherwise the dough will stick to your fingers. Take balls weighing about 1.75 oz each, make a hole in the center. You’ll get about twenty of them.
Fry the pettole in a pan with plenty of seed oil, open the hole with a chopstick (the kind you get at a Chinese restaurant), cook for about two or three minutes per side. They should be nicely golden.
Place them on a tray covered with absorbent paper or paper towels to absorb excess oil. Serve with assorted cold cuts and cheeses.