Three Sweet Ricotta Ravioli
From
Cosa Bolle in Pentola, the
Newsletter:
Joe instead writes"I am looking for a fried doughnut that has ricotta, flour,
eggs, and sugar is rolled into a long rope then cut into small pieces and fried
in hot oil. They are then cooled and dusted with 10 x sugar. My mother was
raised in Marano Equo and this was one of her recipes. I have lost the recipe
and wonder if you know of such a treat." I don't, nor does Livio Jannattoni
mention anything quite like it in his la Cucina romana e del Lazio. The closest
I came in Lazio is Bocconotti con la Ricotta:
Bocconotti
Bocconotti with ricotta are pasta frolla pastries filled with ricotta. Here are the proportions: 500 g (1 pound 2 ounces) ricotta, 150 g (1 1/2 cups) powdered sugar, 2-3 whole eggs, 1 teaspoon powdered cinnamon and a couple of tablespoons finely diced candied citron or orange peel. Combine everything in a bowl and mix well.
Then prepare the pasta frolla with 300 g (2 1/2 cups) flour and 150 g (1 1/2 cups) powdered sugar, 75 g each unsalted butter and rendered lard (1/2 cup less 2 tablespoons for the butter and I would guess about the same for the lard), a pinch powdered cinnamon, 3 egg yolks, a pinch of salt and a tablespoon of water. Cut the shortening into the other ingredients with a pastry blender, shape the dough into a ball, handling it as little as possible, and let it rest in a cool place for a half hour.
Divide the dough into two parts and roll one out fairly thin, 2-3 mm (1/8 inch). Lay down blebs of filling in lines, moisten the dough between them with a little beaten egg, roll out the second sheet, lay it over the first, and press down gently between the blebs of filling to make sure the sheets stick. Separate the bocconotti with a knife or pastry wheel, line them up on a lightly greased cookie sheet, and bake them in a moderate oven (180 C; 360 F) for a half hour. Eat them cold.
I have also found this Calabrian recipe that looks good:
Panzerotti di Ricotta
- For the dough
- 4 1/5 cups (500 g) flour
- 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon (60 g) sugar
- 4 eggs
- Olive oil
- For the filling
- 12 ounces (300 g) fresh ricotta, put through a strainer
- 1 1/2 cups (150 g) powdered sugar
- Powdered cinnamon
- For cooking
- An egg
- A little milk
- Fat for frying
- Powdered sugar
Begin by combining the ricotta and powdered sugar, and flavoring the mixture to taste with cinnamon (a teaspoon should be fine).
On your work surface, make a mound of the flour, then add the other ingredients and work the dough, adding a few drops of oil at a time, until you obtain a smooth soft dough. Roll it out into a thin sheet and use a doughnut cutter to cut out 2 1/2-inch diameter disks. Put a little filling in the middle of each, fold them over, using a little egg and milk to help them seal if need be, and fry them in abundant hot oil. As soon as they're golden drain them over absorbent paper, dust them with powdered sugar, and serve them.
And this, from Lazio:
Ravioli di Ricotta
- For the dough
- 2 cups and 1 tablespoon (250 g) flour
- An egg
- 5 tablespoons (60 g) softened unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons white wine
- The grated zest of a half a lemon
- A small pinch of salt
- For the filling:
- 12 ounces (300 g) fresh ricotta, put through a strainer
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- An egg yolk
- A few drops of rum
- A hint of powdered cinnamon
- For the cooking:
- Olive oil for frying
- Powdered sugar
Make a mound of the flour on your work surface, with a well in the middle, and work into it the wine, softened butter, salt and lemon zest. Knead as normal, until it is smooth and elastic, cover it, and set it aside.
While it's resting combine the ingredients of the filling in a bowl and mix well.
Roll out the dough quite thin, and dot half the sheet with dots of filling. Fold over the second half of the sheet, tamp the dough down between the mounds of filling, and cut the ravioli free with a serrated pastry wheel, tamping down the edges to make sure they're well stuck. Fry the ravioli until golden in hot oil, drain well on absorbent paper, and serve hot, dusted with powdered sugar.
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