Crispy Italian Carnival Fritters aka Chiacchiere

Disclosure: I have been provided with a complimentary bottle of Chic Choc Spiced Rum from Domaine Pinnacle. I have not received any monetary compensation for this review. Views and opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own.

It’s carnival time! In keeping with my family’s tradition, I love to make these Crispy Italian Carnival Fritters aka Chiacchiere, to celebrate.

Isn’t it amazing how different foods are synonymous with certain traditions? More often than not, these traditions have religious roots.

Take, for example, these fritters. Perhaps you already know that Lent is a solemn period in many Christian denominations that covers a period of roughly six weeks before Easter Sunday. Is it a coincidence that these fritters would be made on the eve of Ash Wednesday, the day before Lent began?

Not at all!

The day before Lent is the last day of “indulgence” before a 40 day fast.  Since all “indulgent” foods are forbidden during the Lenten period, it would make sense to have one rich meal on the eve, and this would definitely include the desserts!

In Italy, as in North America, mardi gras is the last day of carnival festivities. Lots and lots of celebrations, which usually meant lots and lots of food.  Head on over to Gluten Free Farina where Deb talks about Mardi Gras and the infamous King Cake.

As you probably know, mardi gras, when translated into English, means Fat Tuesday.  This day is also referred to as Pancake Tuesday. Yet another reason to celebrate! But if you’re like me, you don’t need an excuse to have pancakes. Just in case you need some pancake inspiration, how about this recipe for some easy lemon ricotta pancakes from scratch?

Also interesting to note is that these sweet fritters are called different names, based on the particular regions of Italy they are from. So whether you are talking about Crostoli  (from the region of Emilglia); Sfrappe (from the region Marche); Frappe (from the region of Rome); Cenci (from the region of Tuscany) or Chiacchiere (from the region of Campania), to name but a few, you are referring to a sweet dough which has been rolled out, cut-up (left as flat strips or twirled) and then fried. Yes, this is one of the exceptions to my no-fry rule… but when you taste them, you will understand. These Crispy Italian Carnival Fritters aka Chiacchiere are then showered with icing sugar. At Christmas, a variation of these fritters would be drenched with honey (the dough would be less crispy).

As in most Italian dishes, this is not a difficult recipe to make, but it does require a little bit of time. Don’t let that discourage you. If you can, enlist the help of your partner 🙂 daughter 🙂 🙂 or best friend 🙂 🙂 🙂 It really does make the whole process more enjoyable, not to mention easier.

I like to knead this recipe by hand as this dough comes together in no time at all. Word of caution: the dough might appear to be a bit on the “dry”side, but don’t be tempted to add liquid. Once it rests for one hour, it becomes the softest dough to work with. Then it’s just matter of passing it through the pasta roller, and quickly frying the cut up pieces of dough.

Origins of the recipe for Crispy Italian Carnival Fritters aka Chiacchiere:

Well, you can probably guess that I grew up with these Crispy Italian Carnival Fritters aka Chiacchiere, which is pronounced key-AH-kyer-ay, and when translated refers to chatter or chit chatting. They were always a big hit whenever my mom would make them and that would usually be a couple of times a year, once at Easter and once at Christmas.

As I was making these fritters, I was transported back to my childhood. That’s the magical ability food… you never know what memories can be unlocked, just by a smell. I remember the frenzy of activity that was my mom and grandmother preparing traditional foods for family and friends. Everyone looked forward to having these carnival fritters. The original recipe would call for 1 dozen eggs! I remember my grandmother and my mom spending hours in the kitchen… rolling out the dough (with a rolling pin!) until it was paper thin. It’s so much easier today with the help of my pasta roller. I have scaled down the recipe… but I remember the effort and the amount of work involved. And yet, not once did I hear any complains. It really was a labor of love.

I will usually cut up my dough into little strips, and I pass them through my pasta roller, until I reach the thinnest setting. You can’t really tell, but they are paper thin in the image above. As far as the shape, I just cut them any which length. This is really a rustic kind of treat, it is carnival food after all! With just a few seconds of frying, these Crispy Italian Carnival Fritters are done.

Just recently, I was introduced to a rum called Chic Choc Spiced Rum, which is made in Canada, right here in Quebec 🙂 Curious? I certainly was, and I wanted to see how this rum would taste in some of my favorite desserts. Since I was planning to share this recipe for Chiacchiere with you, I thought it was the perfect opportunity to try a spiced Rum in a dessert 🙂

From the moment I unscrewed the bottle cap, I got a smell of earthiness, comfort and warmth. If you are curious, you can read about this product by following this link. You can find recipes using the rum by following this link. As far as I know, rum plays a major role in creating a dough which is very light and crispy when fried.  Although the alcohol evaporates once it hits the heat, the Chic Choc Spiced Rum leaves behind a really pleasant taste. I definitely tasted vanilla after tones.  I can’t wait to try it out on some chocolate desserts!

Hope this recipe for these Crispy Italian Carnival Fritters aka Chiacchiere, will contribute to your celebrations!

5 from 2 votes

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Crispy Italian Carnival Fritters aka Chiacchiere

It’s carnival time! Time to celebrate! In keeping with my family’s tradition, I love to make these Crispy Italian Carnival Fritters aka Chiacchiere.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Italian

Keyword chiacchiere, frappe, Italian fritters

Prep Time 2 hours

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 3 hours

Servings 36 servings

Calories 56 kcal

Author Maria @ She Loves Biscotti

Ingredients

• 1¾ cups flour all-purpose
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 2 eggs room temperature
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2-3 tablespoons Chic Choc Spiced Rum
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 6 cups vegetable oil for frying
• 1 ½ cups icing sugar for dusting

Instructions

1. Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt directly on a wooden board.
2. Form a well with the dry ingredients.
3. Crack the eggs in the center of the well and briefly whisk together with a fork.
4. Add the olive oil, Chic Choc Spiced Rum and zest. Briefly whisk together.
5. Slowly incorporate the flour. I like to use my dough scraper to facilitate this process.
6. Once the dough is formed, shape into a small log (about 5 inches long), cover with a piece of plastic wrap and let it rest for about 1 hour.
7. Prepare a large tray lined with paper towels.
8. Heat vegetable oil to 375 F.
9. Divide the dough into 2 parts. Work with one half of the dough at a time while keeping the rest covered with plastic wrap.
10. I will cut each half in about 4 pieces (about ½ inch thick). I find it easier to work in small batches.
11. With the help of your pasta roller, pass each small piece of dough (one at a time) at the widest setting. Each piece of dough should only be passed once through the machine. I then place them flat on my wooden board. Once all the 4 pieces have gone through,reduce the thickness.Repeat the same procedure with each piece of dough. Keep going until your desired setting. I like mine to be super thin, so I will try to go to the thinnest setting. (I find this method saves me the most time while I am prepping the dough… otherwise I am continuously turning my stand mixer on and off in order to get the right settings).
12. With a fluted pastry wheel, cut into rectangles (or whatever size you want); make a slit (or two) down the middle.
13. Gently drop each piece of dough in the hot oil. The dough should immediately puff up. Quickly turn them over for a few more seconds and remove with a slotted spoon. Place on a large tray which has been lined with paper towers. This process for each piece of dough should take 5-6 seconds.
14. Repeat until all the dough has been rolled, cut and fried.
15. Dust with icing sugar just before serving.
16. Can be stored in an airtight container for a week or so.

Recipe Notes

Special Equipment needed to make this recipe is a pasta roller.

Please keep in mind that the nutritional information provided below is just a rough estimate and variations can occur depending on the specific ingredients used. 

Nutrition Facts

Crispy Italian Carnival Fritters aka Chiacchiere

Amount Per Serving (1 serving)

Calories 56 Calories from Fat 9

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 1g 2%

Cholesterol 9mg 3%

Sodium 3mg 0%

Potassium 15mg 0%

Total Carbohydrates 10g 3%

Sugars 5g

Vitamin A 0.3%

Calcium 0.5%

Iron 1.8%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Thanks for dropping by,

Ciao for now!

Maria 🙂

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Disclosure: I have been provided with a complimentary bottle of Chic Choc Spiced Rum from Domaine Pinnacle. I have not received any monetary compensation for this review. Views and opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own.