Crostelli

Elda is from Brazil and is part of the marvellous group who meets for the Monday Women Together cooking sessions in Mirrabooka, in Perth. These are of Italian origin and are eaten usually at Lent. They are known in Italy as Crostoli or Frappe or Chiacchiere… the name for the recipe varies from region to region.

• serves

  20

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  30 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 2 cups plain flour
• ½ cup self raising flour
• 1 egg
• ½ cup white vermouth
• ½ cup finely grated lemon rind
• 1 tsp aniseed
• oil for frying
• icing sugar, for dusting

Instructions

Sift the flours into a bowl.

Beat the egg and with the vermouth, lemon rind and aniseed, add to the flour.

Mix until well combined, and then knead for 5 minutes.

Roll out the dough as thinly as possible, or use a pasta machine to achieve a perfect result.

Using a fluted cutter, cut into strips around 4 cm wide and 10 cm long, and twist.

Heat the oil and carefully place the pastries into the pan, cooking batches until they start to turn golden, turning as required.

Remove and place on kitchen paper to drain.

Dust with icing sugar to serve.

Keep in a sealed container – they will last for up to 1 week if properly sealed.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.