L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2020 www.italoamericano.org 26 L'Italo-Americano LA BUONA TAVOLA RECIPES COOKING TIPS SEASONAL DISHES TONI BRANCATISANO T hese pumpkin s f i n c e a r e s o m e t h i n g I e n j o y e d a s a c h i l d . E v e r y time we would have our big Italian family get togethers, each aunty (there were 8 of t h e m ) w o u l d b r i n g a dessert, and the funny thing w a s , t h e y w o u l d a l w a y s bring the same one every time so each of my aunts w e r e k n o w n f o r t h e i r dessert. My mother for example always made a pavlova, or a s t r a w b e r r y f l a n , a n o t h e r would always make a choco- late ripple cake, a vintage recipe from the 70s and the 8 0 s . T h e s e s f i n c i ( p r o - n o u n c e d " s f i n c h i " ) w e r e made by Aunty Lucy, and I remember them fondly sit- ting on a tray with vincotto (cooked wine) drizzled on top. T h i n k o f t h e m a s p u m p k i n d o u g h n u t s . You can cover them in sugar and cinnamon , but another way to eat them, and the way Aunty Lucy would serve them, was by pouring vin- cotto over them. I decided to roll them in the cinna- mon sugar… and then driz- zle the vincotto on top as well. Although we called these sfinci, in Sicily sfinci are usually made with ricotta... Maybe the name sfinci is used more predominantly in Calabria... Of this, I am not sure but you know the way it is: each region of Italy seems to have its own name for the same recipe! Indeed, y o u m a y a l s o f i n d t h i s recipe as fritelle di zucca. But it doesn't matter what you call them though, there i s n o d i s p u t i n g t h e y a r e delicious, light, fluffy…. and very easy to make! You can cook your own pumpkin or do as I did and buy a can of 100% cooked pumpkin ("Libby's" pump- kin will do perfectly). S f i n c i a r e a s s o c i a t e d with festive occasions such as Christmas, Easter or New Year's Eve, but it wouldn't be out of place to see them make an appearance this w e e k f o r C a r n e v a l e – especially because carnival treats are mostly fried and covered in sugar! Sfinci di zucca Ingredients 1 c a n – 4 5 0 g c o o k e d p u m p k i n ( a b o u t 1 k g uncooked) 2 5 0 m l m i l k , l u k e w a r m (tepid) 1 oz fresh brewer's yeast (found in the refrigerated section of supermarket) 3 1/3 cups plain all pur- pose flour pinch salt 2 oz sultanas or currants 1 t a b l e s p o o n f i n e l y chopped fresh rosemary 2 cups sugar 1 teaspoon cinnamon peanut or vegetable oil for frying Method If using fresh pumpkin, peel the pumpkin, remove the seeds and cut into cubes. C o v e r w i t h w a t e r i n a saucepan and bring to the boil. Cook until the pump- kin is soft, drain and blend u s i n g a f o o d p r o c e s s o r . Allow to cool. Dissolve the yeast into milk. Ensure milk is tepid, and not hot. Soak currants in a small glass of port, and then strain before adding to mixture. S i f t f l o u r i n t o a l a r g e g l a s s b o w l , a d d s a l t a n d make a well in the centre. Slowly pour the milk with d i s s o l v e d y e a s t i n t o t h e flour, stirring by hand with a f o r k t o i n c o r p o r a t e t h e flour into the milk. Add the pumpkin, cur- r a n t s a n d r o s e m a r y a n d continue mixing until dough is uniform in consistency and color. Cover bowl with a clean, dry tea-towel and place in a warm corner of the kitchen. Allow to rise for 2 hours (It should double in size). Heat the oil to 180°C ( 3 6 0 F ) i n a d e e p , h e a v y b a s e d s a u c e p a n o r u s e a deep fryer. Use two dessert spoons, one to grab a small amount of dough, the other to push the dough off the spoon and allow it to slide into the oil. Repeat and cook about 5 at a time. Turn them as they fry, and remove once they are a deep golden color. Place on absorbent kitchen t o w e l ( I a l w a y s c o o k o n e first, then break it open to check it is cooked inside, adjusting oil temperature if necessary). Add the cinnamon to the sugar in a bowl, and roll the Delicious sfinci rolled in cinnamon sugar (Photo: Toni Brancatisano) Sfinci di zucca with vincotto Continued to page 28

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