The sweet bread fritters with orange and cinnamon are a great treat. I prepared them according to the recipe by Giuliana Lomazzi, author of a nice little book entitled Recycling in the Kitchen – The Art of Using Leftovers with Taste. Indeed, Giuliana is right: it truly is an art, one that many of us are experts at. With a stale roll, an egg, and little else, I made some amazing Carnival fritters.
This waste-free recipe was already present in my old Ligurian recipe book, made of clippings from Il Secolo XIX, the historical Genoese newspaper (the recipe book is called The Code of Ligurian Cuisine, and it is now impossible to find). In the Ligurian version, the sweet bread fritters are enriched with raisins and apple cubes and are certainly delicious. Today, however, I made them simple, with cinnamon and orange zest, but I served them with a reduction of Passito di Pantelleria: I just had a little bit left in the bottle and it couldn’t have ended better.
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Very affordable
- Rest time: 20 Minutes
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Frying, Air Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Carnival
- Energy 226.64 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 36.30 (g) of which sugars 11.91 (g)
- Proteins 6.72 (g)
- Fat 3.69 (g) of which saturated 1.41 (g)of which unsaturated 1.83 (g)
- Fibers 2.67 (g)
- Sodium 192.92 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 50 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 sweet bread fritters
I will not include the oil for frying in the ingredients. I use seed oil with a high smoke point. I fry in an iron pan because the deep fryer forces me to use a lot of oil, and we all know, used oil is very harmful to the environment. It should never be poured down the drain but disposed of in the appropriate containers. Grandma’s iron pan is perfect for frying. It heats up quickly, is small and deep, and I really recommend it.
- 1 hard wheat roll (or whatever you have at home, crust removed)
- cup milk (I used almond rice milk)
- 1 tbsp unrefined cane sugar (also muscovado)
- 1 egg (organic)
- 2 tbsps flour
- 1.76 oz breadcrumbs (as needed for breading)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- orange zest (grated)
- 6.76 oz Passito di Pantelleria
- 2 tbsps unrefined cane sugar
Tools
For this recipe I used simple tools. A small glass bowl, my hands, a spoon, and a plate for coating. A small saucepan to heat the milk and for the wine reduction. Finally, I fried in the iron pan that I have preserved with care for many years.
How to make sweet bread fritters
Let’s start by removing the crust from our roll: do not discard it; once dry, it will be perfect for making great breadcrumbs. Cut it into slices and put it in a fairly large bowl (in Genoa: the grilletto). Soak the bread with warm milk and let it soften well. Then, if necessary, squeeze it: I didn’t need to. Add sugar, cinnamon, orange zest, and mix carefully. Then combine the egg and the flour needed to obtain a homogeneous mixture from which we will make many small balls.
In a small saucepan, pour a good glass of wine. I chose Passito di Pantelleria, but a good red wine will work as well. Add two generous tablespoons of sugar and heat on a small burner. The wine must reduce, and the sugar dissolve until you get a syrup with which we will soak the bread fritters.
Meanwhile, coat the fritters and dip them in hot oil, a few at a time, as they will be ready and crispy in no time.I didn’t add powdered sugar and served them hot with the wine reduction: a delight.
Notes and Tips from the Cook
These fritters are also delicious with apples and raisins, and the wine is also very good spiced.
It seems incredible, but the sweet bread fritters are also good cold.
Do you love Carnival sweets? Also read the Sweet Potato Fritters – Vegan Carnival Recipe and the Ligurian Gobeletti – Coffee Version with Strawberry Jam and Amaretti Crumble.
Return to HOME to get to know me better by reading About Me, discover the Vegetarian Dishes, the Ligurian Recipes, and all the good things the Queen in the Kitchen prepares.
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