Cicerchiata Abruzzese
Crisp fried dough balls bound in warm wildflower honey, named for their resemblance to grass peas (cicerchie) and eaten across Abruzzo at Carnival.
- Prep
- 40 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 60 min
- Servings
- 8
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 360 kcal
Equipment
- •Mixing bowl
- •Deep frying pan
- •Slotted spoon
- •Baking parchment
- •Wide saucepan
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 360 kcal
- fat
- 14 g
- carbs
- 54 g
- fibre
- 2 g
- protein
- 6 g
- calories
- 360 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Mound the flour on a clean work surface and create a wide well in the centre.
- 2
Pour the eggs, olive oil, sugar, anise liqueur, lemon zest, and salt into the well.
- 3
Whisk the inner liquid ingredients with a fork, gradually drawing in surrounding flour until a rough dough forms.
- 4
Knead the dough vigorously for 8 minutes until smooth and elastic, then wrap and rest for 30 minutes.
- 5
Roll portions of the rested dough into thin ropes about 8 mm thick.
- 6
Cut the ropes crosswise into small pellets roughly the size of dried chickpeas.
- 7
Heat the frying oil in a deep pan to 175 degrees C.
- 8
Fry the dough pellets in small batches for 2 to 3 minutes until light golden and crisp, then drain.
- 9
Warm the honey gently in a wide saucepan over low heat until liquefied and barely simmering.
- 10
Tip the fried dough balls and chopped almonds into the warm honey, stirring gently to coat completely.
- 11
Turn the honey-coated mixture onto baking parchment and shape into a ring using damp hands.
- 12
Scatter coloured sprinkles over the top and leave to cool completely before serving.
Chef's tips
Do not cut the dough pieces too large, as they puff considerably during frying. Lightly dampen your hands with cold water when shaping the warm ring so the honey does not stick to your skin.
Ingredient substitutions
- mistrà or dry anise liqueur → sambuca, or dry white wine with a pinch of crushed aniseed
- wildflower honey → mild acacia honey or orange blossom honey
Storage
Store the cooled cicerchiata at room temperature covered with parchment paper or a cake dome for up to 5 days.
Reheating
Do not reheat; cicerchiata should be eaten crisp and set at room temperature.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Overheating the honey until it darkens into brittle caramel, making the finished cicerchiata uncomfortably hard to bite.
- •Overcrowding the frying pan, which drops the oil temperature and leaves the dough balls greasy rather than crisp.
- •Shaping the ring after the honey has cooled, causing the dough balls to crumble apart instead of binding.
Serving suggestions
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