Cenci, chiacchiere and frappe
A friend has written to remind me that now is the time for cenci.
In Italian cenci are rags or dusters but at this time of year we are talking about something else entirely.
Now that we are in the upswing to Carnival (Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras) and before the downswing to penitential Lent, the
locals are making cenci, which
resemble rags but taste of the ingredients of the season. They are made
of egg, flour, orange peel, Grand Marnier and baking powder. The resulting dough
is rolled out thin, cut into ragged strips, which are deep-fried in
oil and dusted with icing sugar. The frying is what associates them with Carnival, rather like pancakes for Pancake Tuesday, and is what makes them so delicious. Often a baked version is also available...but less wonderful. In Milan they are called chiacchiere, 'chatter' and in other parts of Italy they are called frappe.
Here is a genuine recipe for 'Rags' from Anna Guarducci, an excellent cook from Panzano. We hope to have a photo of hers soon; in the meantime, here are some (which were - I stress the past tense - truly delicious) from Panzano's pasticceria Sieni:
cenci, chiacchiere or frappe for carnival on typical pasticceria's tray |
Cenci (Rags)
500 g (18 oz., 3 1/2 cups) all
purpose white flour
3 large eggs
3 tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons confectioners'/icing
sugar
1 inner part of a vanilla bean
grated zest and juice of 1 orange
1/8 cup Grand Marnier
100 ml cream
4 tspns baking powder
2 litres (2 US quarts) peanut oil
for deep frying
confectioners'/icing sugar for
dusting
1.
Weigh flour into a large bowl and make a well
2. Dissolve baking powder in cream over low heat and cool
2. Dissolve baking powder in cream over low heat and cool
3.
In the centre of the well, combine the eggs, sugar, confectioners' sugar, inner
part of the vanilla bean, grated zest and juice of an orange, Grand Marnier and
cream with baking powder and cream
4.
Gradually incorporate the ingredients in the well with the flour and knead to
form a smooth, soft dough
5.
Pour the peanut oil into a heavy 3 quart (3 litre) saucepan and heat to 375° F
(190° C).
6.
Break off pieces of dough and roll out one at a time on a lightly floured
surface until 1/8 inch (.3 cm) thick. With fluted pastry wheel, cut the
dough into roughly shaped pieces that look like rags.
7.
Lower the pieces into the oil and fry until golden on both sides. Remove
the cenci with a wire skimmer, drain
and dust with confectioners' sugar.
They
are best when warm, delicious
on the day they are made, but will keep in an airtight container...if you can keep your
hands off them!
With many thanks to a friend for supplying recipe, text and translation...
Thank you for providing a recipe for the cenci! I did not know their Tuscan name. I am a little afraid of the side effects of frying in my small flat, but it is a great temptation to make them. In New Orleans I recently got to taste that city's famous "beignets", which are not that different: also fried and dusted with sugar. The main difference is that they are soft and dough-y, not crisp and crunchy!
ReplyDeleteI guess we have one more week to make these before Ash Wednesday arrives.