Piacentini Turtlitt (fried sweet dumplings) are typical filled sweets from my area, Piacenza.

They are prepared for specific celebrations, usually for Carnival. These ancient sweets date back to the late Middle Ages, evidenced by the filling, which includes fruit mustard and amaretti, and in ancient times, instead of chestnuts, black-eyed peas (cowpeas), less expensive and more widespread in the plains, were used. The addition of bitter cocoa is not a modern innovation but dates back to the Renaissance.

Naturally, there are endless variations of the recipe, but I share mine, handed down from my great-grandmother. Eating these sweets is like taking a dive into the past. Their goodness has traversed the centuries to reach us, naturally with a few small variations, but really very few. Believe me, they are worth trying!

Below are other Piacenza recipes:

Difficulty: Medium
Cost: Moderate
Preparation time: 30 Minutes
Portions: 40 pieces
Cooking methods: Frying
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: Winter, Carnival

230.36 Kcal

calories per serving

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Energy 230.36 (Kcal)
Carbohydrates 42.35 (g) of which sugars 16.55 (g)
Proteins 4.63 (g)
Fat 5.51 (g) of which saturated 2.82 (g)of which unsaturated 2.44 (g)
Fibers 2.01 (g)
Sodium 120.99 (mg)

Indicative values for a portion of 74 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

ingredients for the dough

2.2 lbs all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
5.3 oz butter
2 egg yolks
3 eggs
1 lemon (grated zest)
1 shot rum
as needed milk
1 pinch salt
1/2 packet baking powder
10.6 oz amaretti
3.5 oz bitter cocoa powder
17.6 oz plum jam
7.1 oz Cremona mustard
7.1 oz chestnut jam
1 shot rum

Tools

Stand Mixer Kenwood Prospero Stand Mixer with 26% Discount
Pasta Machine Manual Pasta Machine with Crank, Stainless Steel 430, 7 Adjustment Levels for Tagliatelle/Spaghetti/Lasagna/Ravioli (Silver)
Pasta Cutter Tescoma 630023 Multi-functional Pasta Cutter Roller
Skimmer Stainless Steel Skimmer, Kitchen Mesh Ladle with Handle for Everyday Use, for Frying, Steaming, and Serving. Diameter: 18 cm. Total Length: 44 cm
Absorbent Paper Deli, Greaseproof Paper Sheets, Disposable Sandwich Wrap Paper for Home, Bar, Birthdays, Parties, Weddings, Table Decorations, 25 cm x 25 cm, 50 Pieces

Steps

Let’s prepare the dough, in the mixer bowl, add flour, baking powder, sugar, butter, and eggs. Start mixing with the paddle attachment at moderate speed, add rum, salt, grated lemon, and a little milk to make the dough soft. Mix everything until the dough comes off the sides; it’s ready, remove from the container and form a ball. Let it rest for about 15 minutes
A tip: it would be better to prepare the filling the day before making the dumplings. Start by preparing the mustard cut into small pieces with a mezzaluna, and finely chop the amaretti. Put everything in a bowl where we will add the jams, bitter cocoa, and rum. Mix the ingredients well with a spatula to achieve a rather soft mixture
Take a piece of dough and roll out a fairly thin sheet about 1/8 inch and cut strips about 4 inches wide
Cut rectangles approximately 3 x 5 inches, place some filling in the center
Cover by folding a flap of dough, press the edges with a fork to seal them
Fry in hot oil about 350°F (peanut oil or lard). As soon as they are colored, remove them from the pan with a spatula, place them on an absorbent paper sheet to remove excess oil. Then arrange them in layers on large plates covering them with abundant vanilla sugar