Carnival Sanguinaccio and Chiacchiere

In Naples during Carnival you can’t miss the chiacchiere and sanguinaccio, typical Neapolitan Carnival desserts, along with migliaccio.

In this article, you’ll find a double recipe: all the secrets to prepare Neapolitan Carnival chiacchiere that melt in your mouth (crispy, puffy, light, and not oily) and the recipe for Neapolitan sanguinaccio without pig blood, but very similar in taste.

Moreover, I’ll explain the method to obtain delicious flower chiacchiere to fill with jam and/or Nutella and/or sanguinaccio and/or honey and/or custard (white or chocolate).

If you’re looking for other Carnival recipes, click on my: “Carnival Special“.
Valentine’s Day is approaching, also check out my: “Valentine’s Special“

Ingredients for Carnival CHIACCHIERE

4 cups All-purpose Flour (sifted (I used Caputo pastry flour))
2 Eggs (whole)
2 tbsps Sugar
3 tbsps Butter (softened)
4 tbsps Cognac (or other liquor (grappa, vodka, etc.))
4 tbsps White Wine
to taste Salt
to taste Orange or Lemon Zest (grated)
to taste Vanillin
to taste Cinnamon (optional)
1 quart Vegetable Oil (for frying chiacchiere)
to taste Powdered Sugar (or granulated, for garnish)
to taste Custard or Jam (for flower chiacchiere, optional)
to taste Sour Cherries (for garnishing flower chiacchiere, optional)
1 quart Whole Milk
3/4 cup Cornstarch
2 1/2 cups Sugar
2 cups Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (high quality)
2 cups 70% Dark Chocolate
1/2 cup Butter
1 packet Cinnamon Powder
to taste Vanillin
to taste Candied Citron (small pieces, optional)
to taste Chocolate Chips (optional)

Tools

Pasta Roller electric, Marcato
Thermometer food, with probe and timer
Deep Fryer electric with timer and basket

Preparation

Mix in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment (or by hand) eggs, sugar, salt, wine, liquor, and flavors, butter, and finally, the flour. The dough should be soft and not sticky.
Let the dough rest for at least one hour, preferably two to three hours (the longer it rests, the better it is, 1st secret).
After the resting time, the dough should be rolled out very thinly (the thinner it is, the more crispy and puffy it will be, 2nd secret).
The dough should NOT rest at too low temperatures; if it’s cold, cover the dough well, the ideal resting temperature is about 75-77°F (3rd secret).
The dough can be rolled out thinly by hand, BUT if you have a pasta roller used for fresh pasta, it’s ideal.
Start rolling the chiacchiere dough in the pasta roller from notch 0, following through all the notches until you reach the penultimate one (should match the eighth notch) to reduce the thickness. Arrange the chiacchiere on a floured tray.
Chiacchiere can come in various shapes: Diamonds (see top photo); Little knots (cut into strips of about 6 inches and knot them like a ribbon); Rosettes (see bottom photo); Skeins (cut the dough into tagliolini and roll them with a fork like a nest and then fry).
These are flower chiacchiere, with two flower-shaped cookie cutters of different sizes, cut two small flowers and stack them with alternating petals.
Fry the chiacchiere in a pot with high edges, in plenty of vegetable oil at about 340°F, a few at a time (otherwise the temperature drops too much) remove them as soon as they become golden and drain on absorbent paper (4th secret).
The flower chiacchiere are placed on a stick (a wooden spoon handle works too) and the stick is held in the center during frying until they take the shape of a flower, puffing up (you can find many tutorial videos online to understand the frying method of these flower chiacchiere, it’s less difficult than it seems).
The flower chiacchiere are filled with jam, sanguinaccio or custard, this cream is perfect (either white or chocolate) because it’s nice and thick.
You can garnish the flower chiacchiere with sour cherries or berries
Mix in a saucepan cocoa, sugar, cornstarch, vanillin and slowly add milk to avoid lumps.
Place the saucepan on moderate heat, add butter in pieces and dark chocolate, and bring everything to a boil
Remove the sanguinaccio from heat and let it cool.
Add cinnamon powder and citron and/or chocolate chips (both optional).
Serve the chiacchiere with the sanguinaccio.

Notes and Tips

Thanks to CucinAmica for the chiacchiere recipe (the photos of chiacchiere and flower chiacchiere were all taken by me during the cooking class).

Shopping Tips!!!

I prepared these chiacchiere perfectly and in no time, thanks to my Marcato Electric Pasta Machine, Roller (compatible with 12 extra formats).

For a perfect, evenly cooked frying I bought the Cecotec fryer equipped with a timer and a glass lid to avoid splashes, smoke, and bad odors with a removable outer container, which facilitates cleaning.

Otherwise for a great frying this frying pan with basket included is also very practical.

You can purchase all the items I recommend above, on Amazon, at a great price, just click directly on the respective links.

What are Carnival Chiacchiere?

Chiacchiere (or sprelle, crostoli, frappe, bugie or cenci, variations used depending on the different Italian regions) are a traditional sweet and crispy pastry made from a dough that has been shaped into thin twisted ribbons, fried and dusted with powdered sugar, traditionally consumed in the period just before Lent, generally during Carnival.

Delicious Recipes

Carnival Sanguinaccio and Puffy, Crispy Chiacchiere, with All the Secrets. Double Recipe.