Zippole

Julian Cincotta shares his family recipe for zippole, Calabrian fried doughnuts. Often served at Easter, Christmas or for family gatherings, they can be made sweet or savoury. Julian's aunt prefers a potato-enriched dough (roughly two thirds potato to one third flour), which requires a longer ferment time for the best results.

• makes

  24

• prep

  30 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Series. Cooking. Rated PG.

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Ingredients

• ½ cup Nutella
• Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
• 2 x tins good-quality anchovies, drained
• Sea salt flakes
• Icing sugar, to dust

For the dough

• 1.5 kg Desirée potatoes, roughly chopped
• 1 kg plain flour
• 1 tsp cooking salt

For the yeast mixture

• 18 g dried yeast
• 200-224 g tepid water
• A pinch sugar

Chilled proofing time: 12 hours

Instructions

1. To make the dough, place the potatoes into a large saucepan of water. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are soft enough to mash. Drain, then push the potatoes through a ricer into a large bowl. Allow to cool, then rub the flour and salt through the potatoes.
2. Combine the ingredients for the yeast mixture in a mixing jug, cover and set aside for 5-10 minutes, until the mixture is foamy. Once foamy, add the mixture to the potato mixture and knead until it forms a soft dough. Transfer the dough to a large oiled bowl and cover with baking paper. Soak a thick tea towel with hot water, wring it out, then cover the bowl and stand overnight, or for 12 hours before using.
3. Line a baking tray with baking paper, spoon on 12 individual mounds of Nutella (around 2 tsp each), then freeze for 30 minutes, or until firm. Once ready to cook, heat enough oil in a large saucepan to deep-fry to 175˚C.
4. Take a small ball of dough and flatten in hand. For sweet zippole, insert a portion of frozen Nutella, seal the edges and shape back into a ball. For savoury zippole, place an anchovy in the centre of the dough, then roll into a sausage-like shape. Deep-fry the zippole in batches until golden and crisp. Use tongs to remove to a wire rack placed over a baking tray. Sprinkle the savoury zippole with sea salt flakes and the sweet zippole with icing sugar.

Note

Other savoury fillings could include homemade salami, capsicum, sundried tomatoes, cheese etc.

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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.