One of the most famous carnivals in the world is the Venetian Carnival, which I am fortunate to experience. During this event, alongside the inevitable Crostoi (the galani or chiacchere), apple and raisin fritters are served in the various “bacari” in the Venetian alleys, as well as on the mainland. Unlike the classic fritters made with a sort of choux pastry, Venetian fritters are made with brewer’s yeast. Sure, there’s the rising time, which extends the preparation of these divine bites a bit, but it’s absolutely worth it. I made them rather large; the classics are little bites made with a teaspoon, so choose the size you prefer. If you’re looking for more recipes for carnival days, try the grandma’s chiacchere or the carnival fritters. You can try the large fritters to fill or the Nutella ravioli or even the simple castagnole.
Let’s get to work and prepare together the apple and raisin fritters.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Cheap
- Rest time: 2 Hours 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 6 people
- Cooking methods: Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Carnival
Ingredients for making apple and raisin fritters
- 0.25 oz brewer’s yeast
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 medium egg
- 0.85 cup milk
- 1 apple
- 0.7 oz grappa
- 1 oz raisins
- 1 lemon zest
- 0.25 cup sugar
- 1 pinch salt
- 4.2 cups frying oil
Tools
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- Saucepan
Preparation
Dissolve the brewer’s yeast in the lukewarm milk, adding 0.25 cups of flour. Mix well and let it rest for about half an hour until the batter forms fermentation bubbles.
Meanwhile, soak the raisins in grappa or water. Add the remaining sifted flour, sugar, an egg, diced apple after removing the peel and core, grated lemon zest, and drained raisins to the batter (if you like, also add 1 oz of pine nuts).
Let the dough rise until it is well swollen. Heat the frying oil and drop spoonfuls of batter into the hot oil, a few at a time so as not to lower the oil temperature, frying them until they are well golden. Drain them on absorbent paper and roll them in granulated sugar.
Storage
Store under a glass dome for a couple of days, but fried food is best enjoyed fresh.
