My Bolognese fried cake recipe. It’s not the Romagnolo fried gnocco nor the Piedmontese friciule. Often, even a few kilometers apart, recipes transform, changing their result, shape, and name. What is Italian cuisine without the multiple variants that every housewife experiments with in her kitchen?
Without the variants of housewives, our cuisine would be a static, immutable, maybe even boring list. But instead, recipes speak of the people, the differences between rich and poor, the differences between hills and mountains, woods and vineyards, gardens and cities; Made of passion and feelings, of products of the land that grow in a single area, or wild herbs that follow altitudes like many fruits. These are the essential differences. A cultural biodiversity that knows no borders and unites into a single treasure. The richness of interpretations that refine over time our tradition, which discovers small productions, small mysteries, and cultivations.
A basic dough with flour and water: “Do we add yeast or not?” “And if we add an egg, maybe it will be softer”, “if I make it more liquid maybe I can also create a roll to fill”. These are just assumptions; Each of us experiments in the kitchen, from a recipe passed down, to new additions for passion, for necessity. Each variant brings a breath of freshness and speaks of a constantly changing people following the various roads that all lead to Rome.
Fried cake from Bologna, the version I like, as I know a bit of Emilia Romagna, running here and there throughout the region to reach Lugo, my husband’s hometown, and then to the sea at Casal Borsetti or the Romagna coast to learn a little more. And every time a different conquest, a new recipe in my notebook.
And if you want to learn about other regional specialties, open the suggestions listed below.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Rest time: 2 Hours
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 6 servings
- Cooking methods: Stovetop, Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
Flour, yeast, water, milk, and eggs…
- 7 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cube compressed yeast
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/4 cups milk
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 1/2 tbsp salt
- as needed oil for frying
Tools
Stand mixer or bowl for kneading, work surface for rolling with the rolling pin. You can find some tools I use in my shopping tips.
- Flatbread Griddle
- Tigelliera
- Cast Iron Plate
Steps
In a bowl or mixer, combine the flour, warm milk with dissolved yeast, eggs, and water; finally, add the salt. Knead well until you get a homogeneous dough.
Let it rise until doubled in a warm place. Personally, I use the oven with a pot of boiling water inside. It becomes an excellent proving chamber for the cold season.
After the necessary time, roll out until you get a sheet about 1/5 inch in thickness; cut into diamonds and…
…fry in hot oil.
Serve with a good glass of wine, beer also has its charm, and a good selection of cold cuts and cheeses.
A Few More Tips
The dough should have a firm but elastic consistency. If you notice it is dry, add a little milk or water; on the contrary, add a little flour; because each brand has its own structure and characteristic, the absorbency of liquids may vary. Personally, I also make fried cake with whole wheat flour, to give a more rustic structure, or buckwheat flour.
