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Torcinelli from Abruzzo


Torcinelli from Abruzzo

A leavened and flavored dough gives life to torcinelli, the typical Christmas desserts of Abruzzo. Here is the recipe to prepare them.

The world of typical Abruzzo desserts is vast and often underestimated. Made of simple but authentic preparations, it leaves the greedy traveler astonished. Take for example the torcinelli from Abruzzo, a fried dessert typical of the Christmas period. Li turcinill or li turciiell in local dialect in appearance recall cigars wrapped around themselves but the flavor is a real pleasure.

As often happens with recipes for typical products, even in this case it is difficult to trace the original. Each family flavors the dough as they prefer by choosing between citrus peel, cinnamon, raisins or rum . However, the ingredient that cannot be missing is the potato: boiled and pureed, it gives the mixture a unique consistency. Let's see all the steps to make sweet torcinelli from Abruzzo.

Abruzzo torcinelli dough
Abruzzo torcinelli dough

Ingredients

For the sweet torcinelli

  • Flour 00 – 300 g
  • Potatoes – 400 g
  • Eggs – 1
  • Sugar – 2 tablespoons
  • Milk – 70 g
  • White wine – 50 g
  • Organic Lemon – 1
  • Fresh yeast – 20 g
  • Seed oil for frying – to taste

Preparation

How to prepare the Abruzzo torcinelli recipe

1

First, boil the potatoes in plenty of unsalted water. It would be better to leave the peel on so as to prevent them from absorbing too much water. Once cooked (it will take 30-40 minutes depending on the size), mash them with a potato masher to puree them and let them cool.

2

Now it's time to get your hands dirty. Add the yeast dissolved in milk , the flour , the sugar , the grated lemon zest, the egg to the potatoes and start kneading. Then add the white wine little by little until you obtain a firm but slightly sticky dough. When it begins to take consistency, move to the pastry board and continue kneading.

3

Oil a bowl to perfection and leave the dough to rise until doubled. It will take 2-3 hours.

4

Now heat plenty of seed oil for frying, bringing it to 170°C .

5

Then detach portions of dough about the size of an apricot and pull them out with your hands, twisting them on themselves to recreate the characteristic shape.

6

Dip them in boiling oil, frying them for about 2 minutes on each side . Then drain with a slotted spoon, pat dry with absorbent paper and then dip in sugar . Serve them as soon as possible to appreciate their goodness.

Here is a video that explains well how to obtain the characteristic shape. It's actually very simple, but requires a minimum amount of skill.

Be careful not to confuse this recipe with meat torcinelli , a dish based on offal typical of Molise and Puglia cuisine.

Variants

Torcinelli can be prepared in many ways. One of the most famous variations involves the addition of raisins . 80 grams will be enough, after rehydrating it for an hour in hot water, to add to the dough before leavening. There are those who like to flavor the dough with anise seeds (1 teaspoon) or cinnamon (1 teaspoon).

Go ahead also to add orange zest as well as lemon, to make the mixture even more aromatic. Another widespread variant involves the use of aniseed liqueur or rum instead of white wine. In short, you can really have fun!

Conservation

The torcinelli, thanks to the presence of potatoes in the dough, keep for several days. However, in order to fully appreciate all their goodness, we recommend enjoying them as soon as they are made .

Read also
Parrozzo from Abruzzo: the dome-shaped Christmas dessert

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