Cookbook Friday: Zeppole

Another photo from my grandmother’s wedding in 1940.  From left to right, we have Eddie Apuzzo (friend of the groom), George Barbaresi (father of the bride), Dava Barbaresi (sister of the bride), Dora Barbaresi, Freddie Donroe, Albert Donroe (brother of the groom), and Lou Donroe (brother of the groom). 

Nonni’s maid of honor was her younger sister, Dava.  Eddie Apuzzo was Freddie’s best friend.  Dava and Eddie had taken a liking to each other and got married, themselves, not too long afterwards. 

The following recipe is Dava's.  Zeppole, much like the fried dough we know, is very popular with kids, and is best eaten when just cool enough to handle.  Adults might want to test out five or six before letting the kids dig in, you know, just to be sure it's safe.

Zeppole

Dava often made these around the holidays.  It makes about 2 dozen, but you can easily halve the recipe using 1 teaspoon of yeast.

1 pkg. dry yeast
1½ cups warm water
4 cups flour
¼ tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. salt
2 eggs
Canola oil, for deep-frying
Honey, for drizzling

Mix dry yeast with warm water in a small bowl.  In a large bowl, add flour, cinnamon, and salt.  Make a well in the flour with a wooden spoon, and add the eggs, water, and yeast.  Mix dry ingredients into well, little by little, until it reaches bread dough consistency (if the dough still sticks to the bowl, add more flour).  Cover and let rise until double in bulk.

In a deep pot, pour oil to a depth of 2 inches and heat to 375°F.  Fry dough by the tablespoonful in hot oil (dip spoon in flour, if necessary, to keep dough from sticking).  Drain on paper towels.  Place zeppole in large bowl and pour honey over them.

Dava [Barbaresi] Catone
Hamden, Connecticut
1921-1998

Zeppole drizzled with local honey.

Next recipe: Fried Artichokes

     (Previous Recipe: Eggplant Parmesan)
 

Comments

[Sally]

Look at that beautiful wedding gown your grandmother had! And Dava's bridesmaid gown is gorgeous too. And the men are in tails!! OMG! Your grandmother has some fine taste. Very elegant. I love this photograph.

[Lisa]

Okay first off.. those Donroe boys were hotties!

Now that I've said that..

I MISS THESE SOOOOO MUCH!! My dad would make these for my sisters and I every freakin' Sunday morning.. and I never ever got tired of them. Why the hell haven't I made any for myself?? Now I will.. thanks for bringing back the best memories. :D

[Tammy]

Lisa, does your dad make these the same way? I've heard of people putting ricotta in them, which sounds awesome, too.

Regarding Donroe hotness, my dad will be very glad to hear this, as he bears quite the family resemblance.

Sally, they clean up nice, don't they!

[Sister]

Can I just say how odd I feel hearing someone say that my grandfather is a hottie...

Tammy, we will likely NEVER hear the end of this from Dad...

[Disinterested observer]

It is abundantly clear that the women who read this blog are eminently intelligent and discerning. I would like to commend them on their incredibly good taste.

[Lisa]

Nope, he made them pretty much the same way.. although instead of honey, he'd dip them in granulated sugar.

Sorry to your sister! It'd kinda squick me out too if someone said my grandfather was hot.

As for the "disinterested observer" *cough*nice try Tammy's dad*cough* - why thank you, I agree! heee!

[Fer]

What a great idea for a post!

[Tammy]

Thanks, Fer! Having a crazy family is good for writer's block.

Lisa: Why, you ARE intelligent and discerning, aren't you.

Disinterested Observer: There's something familiar about you. Can't put my finger on it.

Sister: Just when we thought he was on the road to humility.

[Sister]

Okay... little help from those of you who know how to cook.

I made these, and they came out weird. Very dense. And I didn't have any honey so I sprinkled them with cinnamon and sugar. They kind of sucked.

Questions:
1. How long is the dough supposed to rise for? And what do you cover it with... a towel, or like, saran wrap?
2. Why is it that I can screw up even the easiest of recipes? This seems rather pathetic.

Let me know.
Thanks

[Tammy]

Sis, a couple of things could have happened:

- Yeast was old and the dough didn't rise enough. Check expiration date. Yeast should be stored in the fridge.

- Yeast was fine, but not enough rising time. You really want the dough to be double the size it started. It takes 2 hours or so in my kitchen, maybe less in your warmer climate. I cover the bowl with plastic wrap.

- Not enough flour. Humidity may dictate more flour in your case. Was it a wet dough that stuck to everything. If so, add more flour next time.

- This is the most likely problem if everything else seemed to go fine. Once the dough has risen and you're spooning it out into the oil, be careful not to compress all of the air out of it. Easier said than done. But, if you spoon it carefully and keep the air trapped inside, the finished product will be light, like a yeast-raised doughnut, instead of dense, like bread.

- Also, they become leaden when they sit around at room temperature. Eat them while they're hot. You can also reheat them in a toaster oven and they'll reclaim a bit of their original glory.

Rolling them in cinnamon and sugar is a great idea. I hope you'll try them again and have better luck!

[Sister]

I only let it rise for like an hour... I also rolled them in my palms before I put them in the oil so that they would be nice and round. Der!

[Bea Patterson]

Iso enoyed your wands story. My grandmother (Ma) and all of her sisters made these. There never was a recipe and I didn't think to ask her to write it out. I've asked so many people for this recipe and no one knew what I was talking about.

We called the Wundies (maybe they were saying wandies) and it sure looks like the same recipe. They were rolled out, cut in strips and loosely knotted. I still have the cutter that was used! It's over fifty years old, probably seventy five. Ma fried them really dark, her sisters all fried them light, which makes an absolutely different taskting cookies. My family liked Ma's better. And they were topped with granulated sugar, not confectioners.

Thanks for the recipe, I am going to make them tomorrow, jus tin time for Easter!