Light Zeppole

Phil Franco's Note:

http://www.theepicentre.com/Recipes/mzeppole.html Zeppole are fried "puffs" that should be so light you might expect them to float away. This particular version comes from Naples, Italy. There are many zeppole recipes – often they are more breadlike.

• Total Time: 1 hrs
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 2 cups water
• 10 ounces sugar
• 3 tablespoons oil
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cups sifted flour
• 2 tablespoons semolina
• 4 egg yolks
• ¼ cup marsala (sweet)
• olive oil
• powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Mix water, sugar, oil and bay leaf in heavy saucepan and bring to a boil.
2. Mix flour and semolina together and dump into boiling water all at once. Remove from heat and begin stirring with wooden spoon until it forms a mass.
3. Return to lowest heat and cook 5 minutes stirring. Remove from heat, discard bay leaf and add yolks one at a time beating vigorously after each addition.
4. Add marsala and beat dough until satiny. You can use a food processor to prepare this dough if you wish.
5. Grease a countertop or board with olive oil and pat down dough into a pancake. Flatten dough and fold sides over on itself so there are 3 layers. Flatten dough again and repeat folding 5 times more.
6. Take about 1/3 of dough and roll out to a thickness of your thumb and make each piece into a ring. Make 3 or 4 at a time and slip them into boiling oil. when you turn them, prick them with a sharp knife or fork in a few places.
7. Drain on paper and serve warm, dusted with confectionery sugar.