The “chiacchiere”, “galani”, “lattughe” or, as we call them in Tuscany, the “cenci” are a sweet fritters usually prepared on Carnival period. They have the same name as the clothes used to clean the floor and they probably have an ancient origin, dating back to the Roman age. If you’re in Florence, you absolutely must try the creations of the “Santo Forno” (Via Santa Monaca, 3r) or the “ Pasticceria Stefania “(Via Guglielmo Marconi, 26), perhaps during a fantastic stay in the city in one of our properties!
Here’s the recipe of this dessert:
INGREDIENTS:
◾ 500 g of white flour
◾ 150 g of powdered sugar
◾ 5 eggs
◾ Olive or Sunflower Oil
◾ Lard
◾ ½ glass of dry white wine
◾ 1 vanilla powder bag
◾ 1 lemon
◾ 1 small glass of rum
1. Pour the flour on the pastry board with 130 g of sugar, the lemon zest, the vanilla powder and a pinch of salt. Blend all the ingredients, make a hole in the center of the dough and add 5 egg yolks (leaving two whites aside), five oil tablespoons, wine, liqueur and the egg whites (beaten until stiff) in it. Knead the dough working it powerfully for some minutes, to make it hard and compact.
2. When you’re finished, work the dough with a rolling pin to obtain a pasta of a 0,5 cm height. Using a cog pasta cutter, cut it creating rectangles of 7x12 cm and then make four parallel cuts inside them, paying attention to not cut until the sides of the shape.
3. When all the dough is cut, put a frying pan on the fire adding a lot of oil or, if possible, lard, submerging it completely. Once the pot is hot, put two or three rectangles in it, let them brown until they get golden and then turn them to the other side. I suggest you to cross the rectangles’ stripes in the pan, so the cenci will get more voluminous!
4. When the cooking is over, drain them and place them on parchment paper to remove the grease in excess. Fry them all, then dust them with the remaining powdered sugar using a sift, settling them in a big plate covered with a napkin, then serve. Buon appetito!
