The origin of cicerchiata and struffoli is probably Greek. While the Neapolitan struffoli are very well known, the cicerchiata is less known.
In central Italy, it is called cicerchiata because the balls of fried dough are very similar to “cicerchie,” a legume grown in Umbria and in the Marche.
The mother of my maternal grandfather, Grandmother Anna, prepared the cicerchiata to celebrate the carnival.
Cicerchiata
- Preparation time: 60 minutes
- Ingredients for a 2lb cake
- Difficulty: Easy recipe
- Ingredients
- 500 gr or 1 lb of flour
- 3 medium eggs
- 50 gr or 2 oz of butter
- 1 glass of aniseed liqueurù
- 150 gr or 5 oz of sugar
- 10 gr or ½ oz of bitter cocoa
- Zest of 1 orange
- Juice of 1/2 orange
- 200 gr or 7 oz of honey
- Peanut oil to taste
- Instructions
- Mix the flour with the eggs, butter, and liqueur.
- Roll out the dough with a rolling pin and then cut it into thin strips. Cut the strips to obtain small cubes.
- Fry them in a saucepan full of oil. Drain them on paper towels.
- Meanwhile, put the honey and sugar in a pan to cook over low heat until they are well dissolved. Then add the cocoa, orange zest, and orange juice. Mix well and add the fried balls. Cook for a few minutes until the mixture is well blended and caramelized.
- Pour the mixture onto a lightly greased serving dish, forming a pyramid.
- Decorate with colored sprinkles or silver sprinkles.
Tips to ensure the success of the dish:
- The balls must be small because the predominant flavor should be that of honey and orange.
- It is advisable to fry a few balls at a time so as not to lower the oil temperature too much.
- The amount of honey used to dress these should be abundant, so that it covers all the balls well. It is advised to wait a few minutes before placing it on a serving dish, and above all, use a spoon instead of pouring it to avoid dressing it up much.
Anna with Granny Irene
