Carnival Recipe: Chiacchiere, A Traditional Recipe from Marche, it’s a recipe close to my heart, my grandma’s recipe, a typical carnival recipe, also taken from Grandma Lina’s notebook. I always made them with her when I was little, and I remember helping her, which I enjoyed a lot! Every year I make them again because they are so delicious. In many parts of Italy they are called limoncini or arancini, but in Tolentino, my town, they are called chiacchiere! And now, photo and recipe (a bit laborious but I assure you it’s worth it!) So let’s get frying!
Other carnival recipes:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 2 Hours
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 30
- Cooking methods: Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Carnival
Ingredients for the Carnival Recipe: Chiacchiere, A Traditional Recipe from Marche
- 4 eggs (large size)
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 packets vanillin
- 7 tbsps butter
- 1 cup milk
- 1 packet dry yeast
- 1 vial lemon flavor
- 5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 oranges (grated peel)
- 2 lemons (grated peel)
- as needed vegetable oil
Useful Tools
- 2 Bowls
- Food Scale
- Grater
- Spoon
- Frying Pan
- Skimmer
- Absorbent Paper
- Knife
Preparation of the Carnival Recipe: Chiacchiere, A Traditional Recipe from Marche
In a bowl, mix the flour with the sugar, yeast, and vanillin.
Break the eggs into a bowl and beat them for a few minutes, adding the lemon flavor vial and milk, then combine this liquid mixture with the solid ingredients (i.e., the powders prepared initially).
Roughly chop the butter and add it to the other ingredients. Now you can start kneading with the help of a spoon and then your hands, working in the bowl until you get a fairly compact dough. Then transfer the dough onto a floured work surface.
Work the dough until you see the butter melt and blend with the other ingredients (it will take about 10 minutes). At this point, you will have obtained a very soft, elastic, and non-sticky dough. Form a ball and place it in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise for about 2 hours.
After 2 hours, roll out the dough with the help of flour and a rolling pin to a thickness of about 1/8 inch.
While the rolled-out dough rests a bit, grate the orange and lemon peels and put them in a bowl with the 1 cup of sugar (so that the sugar takes on flavor) and mix well.
Spread the peel and sugar mixture over the rolled-out dough, distributing it evenly.
Carefully start rolling from one side, and when you reach the end, slightly moisten the edge with milk and continue rolling until the roll is completely closed (this prevents them from opening during cooking).
Compact the roll with your hands to facilitate closure and use a sharp knife to cut into slices about 3/5 inch thick. Once you’ve cut them all, let them rest for about 20 minutes.
After 20 minutes, heat the oil for frying. Once hot, start frying the chiacchiere starting with the ones you cut first (and finish with the last ones cut), turning them occasionally during cooking until they have a nice golden color as in the photo. Once cooked, drain them on absorbent paper.
Once drained, let them cool, and once cooled, you can place them wherever you want as they will no longer stick. After a long and laborious process, bring them to the table, serve, and enjoy Grandma Lina’s CHIACCHIERE! Enjoy your meal with the carnival recipe: chiacchiere, a traditional recipe from Marche!
I hope this recipe from my grandmother’s cookbook, even if a bit long and laborious, was to your liking!
TIPS
To avoid the formation of annoying sugar clumps sticking to the chiacchiere, while frying, use two spoons or a skimmer to remove the sugar that floats to the surface, which also helps avoid changing the oil too often.
