February is a month to delight the five senses and what better way to entertain our palate than with carnival fritters, one of the most typical sweets of this time of the year. When listening to the word ‘carnival’, our mind automatically moves to many of the corners of our geography: Cádiz or Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Canary Islands), recognized as two of the best carnivals in the entire territory. In these festivities full of music and fun, fritters are an essential element, whose recipe has a endless variants depending on the place.
There is no excuse not to put your hands in the dough, since there are flavors for all types of palates. In addition, it is a simple recipe with ingredients that can be easy to find at home such as flour, water, milk, egg and yeast.
This carnival delicacy, also typical of Christmas or November 1, can be stuffed with chocolate and cream with powdered sugar. However, on the other side of the currency there is also a place for those who are more salty than sweet. Here the undisputed protagonists are fish fillings. Who has not ever tried the famous cod fritters?
This sweet ideal for snacks and even a small whim between hours, but in moderation, which is consumed at many times of the year was not always the case. In his origins he used to prepare with honey and were filled with nuts or fruits such as the apple. In addition, it tells a curious legend that a soul will be released if a buñuelo is eaten.
Although there are numerous theories about who were the first to devise this succulent bite, the story suggests that the roots of the fritters were cultivated first by the Greeks. Subsequently, this recipe expanded to many corners of the world until it became part of the tradition of the peoples of the Iberian Peninsula.
According to other hypotheses were the Moriscos, Muslims turned to Christianity, who in the eighteenth and fifteenth centuries made a dough with wheat flour and provided those citrus nuances that remind the Mediterranean region so much with orange and lemon zest.
Buñuelos have not only traveled over the years, but have crossed borders becoming a symbol of holiday and tradition in various cultures. While in France they are called “beignets” and are filled with pastry cream, in Turkey, for example, the “Lokma” bathe in syrup.
If you want to live the carnival in the first person in the comfort of your home holding a cup of your favorite infusion or coffee, these mass balls are one of those desserts that you cannot miss this month.
How to prepare carnival fritters step by step
Today’s recipe takes us to Águilas, a town in Murcia, where some of the most famous carnivals in the region are celebrated, and were declared of national tourist interest. These spongy and irresistible fritters of Levante are very simple to do. Just mix the dough ingredients and take the trick at the oil temperature.
For the dough of the snor Sugar, 1 teaspoon of chemical yeast dessert and 3 g of salt. Later we will need soft or sunflower olive oil in abundance for frying and sugar to batter. However, this last step is always optional if you want to give that healthier touch to your fritters.
First, you have to beat the egg in a bowl with milk and olive oil. Then the sugar, the flour, the chemical yeast and the pinch of salt will be incorporated, and we will beat with energy again until the dough is homogeneous not very thick and without lumps.
Once the dough is ready, you have to put a pot with plenty of olive oil. When the oil is very hot, you have to throw tablespoons of dough to form the fritters in batches. It is preferable not to fill it too much. If you want your fritters to be very rich, an important advice to keep in mind is to take the oil temperature to about 150-160 ° C. You have to be careful because the dough of fritters usually becomes very fast.
Finally, we are going to withdraw the fritters as they are ready with the help of a similar foam or utensil. To remove that excess fat, let them stand on a plate with paper paper and continue with the rest of the dough. When all the amount we have prepared, it will only be looking for the perfect accompaniment.
Do not worry if they don’t go perfect. This mass is slightly more liquid than that of other recipes. Therefore, when introduced into the oil, diverse forms are generated.
Forget about excess fat these carnivals
There are some tricks to get rid of those moments when we cannot follow healthy eating due to excess oil and sugar, but without having to leave behind this delicious bite.
The simplest is simply changing sugar for other sweeteners such as cinnamon powder and even vanilla. Surely they will give a different and unique touch to your fritters. However, there is no doubt that both excess oil can be an inconvenience for both our health and pocket.
Therefore, to avoid that waste of oil we can prepare our dessert in the air fryer if we have it. The appliance at 180 ° C will simply preheat for a few minutes until it is ready to cook the dough. Then you have to place the basket with the fritters and configure the cooking time at 10 or 12 minutes. We will have to make sure to go around half cooking so that they are cooked uniformly.
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