Desserts
Fried Rice Dough with Honey and Candied Orange
Sicily goes pretty hard for Carnevale, the period before Lent (think Italian Mardi Gras). While the carnival celebrations in Venice, Viareggio, and Putignano are decidedly secular festivities today, Sicily’s, by contrast, are deeply Catholic, featuring solemn processions with idols, reverent reenactments of the stations of the cross, and even self-flagellation. During Lent, many Sicilians follow a bland and solemn diet, and in anticipation of this period, they binge on fried sweet things like Zeppole made with rice that has been cooked until it breaks down. Zeppole were first made and sold by Benedictine convents around Catania but now turn up in pastry shops everywhere.
Heat the milk (4 cups) and a pinch of salt (1 pinch) in a large pot over high heat.
Just as the milk begins to boil, add the rice (1 ½ cups), bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until it has absorbed all the milk and is totally falling apart, about 20 minutes.
Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, combine the yeast (1 tsp) and warm water (¼ cup) in a small bowl and set aside to bloom for 10 minutes as the rice cooks.
Stir the flour (¼ cup), granulated sugar (2 Tbsp), orange zest (1 orange), cinnamon (½ tsp), and yeast mixture into the cooled rice.
Cover with plastic wrap and for about 2 hours.
Fill a medium frying pan or cast-iron skillet with 1 inch of oil and heat the oil over medium-high heat to 375 °F.
Form the dough into pieces the size and shape of your index finger and fry in batches at 350 °Funtil golden brown.
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