The fried sweet tortelli with cream are typical of my city and are prepared during Carnival. If you take a walk in the city, you can buy them in the bakeries and pastry shops of Bologna. There are two versions: the first is made with a soft and aromatic dough that also contains yeast (over the years I have created my perfect dough for fried pastries), the second is made with the same dough as chiacchiere so it’s crunchier.
They are usually filled with custard or Bolognese mustard but you can fill them to your taste. Making them at home is really simple; today I offer you the soft version, for me the most delicious.
Prepare the custard in advance. When you fill the tortelli, it must be very cold and firm. Place it in the center of a square of dough, close it into a triangle, and then form the tortello. It’s important to close it very well to avoid the filling coming out during frying.
The frying is the most important and delicate step. You can fry the sweet tortelli with cream in lard, olive oil, or peanut oil, but it’s important to cook them on low heat; the oil should not exceed 340°F. This way, the liquids in the dough will evaporate, they will puff up well and remain light and dry.
Try also the other Carnival recipes:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 10People
- Cooking methods: Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Carnival
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp peanut oil (or 2 tbsp melted butter)
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 2 eggs (medium)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp rum (or another liquor of the same alcoholic strength)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp lemon zest (grated, use the zest of half a natural lemon)
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 130 g egg yolks (equivalent to about 7 medium egg yolks)
- 2 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 1/2 tbsp rice starch
- 1 pod vanilla
- 1 tsp lemon zest (grated or another aroma to taste)
- 4 cups peanut oil
- to taste powdered vanilla sugar
Tools
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Rolling pin
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Slotted spoon
- 1 Hand whisk
- 1 Saucepan
- Paper towel
- 1 Pastry cutter
Procedure
I use Montersino’s custard because, in my opinion, it is excellent; if you don’t want to cook it in the microwave, you can cook it in a saucepan or you can use your favorite custard but it must be quite thick.
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In a bowl, mix the egg yolks with the sugar without whisking them.
Add the starches, the pulp of the vanilla pod, and the grated lemon zest. Mix well with the whisk to avoid lumps. Gradually add the cold milk and transfer the bowl to the microwave.
Cook the custard for 2 minutes at full power (my microwave is 1000 watts), take out the bowl, quickly stir the mixture with the whisk, and put it back in the microwave.
Repeat this operation 4 times, stirring the mixture vigorously with the whisk each time. I usually take 7/8 minutes in total, depending on the temperature of the liquids and the microwave’s power.When it has reached the right consistency, cover the custard with plastic wrap touching the surface and let it cool in the refrigerator.
The microwave custard is ready.
Place in a bowl or on the workbench the sifted flour with the baking powder. Make a well in the center and add the sugar, eggs lightly beaten with a fork, oil, lemon zest, vanilla, and rum.
Knead everything with your hands for about ten minutes; you should achieve a soft and smooth dough.
As I have explained before, each flour has its absorption power, so if the dough is sticky, add a tablespoon of flour; if it is dry and hard to knead, add one or two tablespoons of rum or milk.
When the dough is ready, wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes.
After resting, take your dough, lightly flour the cutting board, and roll out a thin sheet, about 1/16 inch (consider that when frying, the thickness of the dough will double).
Cut squares of your preferred size (mine were 3 inches), place a teaspoon of custard in the center, brush the edges of the dough with a little milk or egg white, close them in half forming triangles, then shape the tortelli by joining the two tips at the base, press the dough well so they do not open during cooking.
Proceed in the same way until the dough is used up, laying them on the slightly floured workbench.
Pour the oil into a small saucepan with a thick bottom and heat it to 340°F. Cook the tortelli, a few at a time, until they double in volume and become golden.
Drain them on a plate covered with paper towels to remove excess oil. Dust them generously with powdered sugar.
The fried sweet tortelli with cream are ready to serve.
Advice
Storage
The fried sweet tortelli with cream can be stored for 2/3 days. Since they are filled with custard, it is preferable to store them in the fridge and warm them before serving.
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