Panettone and pandoro are widespread throughout Italy for Christmas, but in reality, there are many Christmas sweets belonging to local traditions, some more than others. It wouldn't take a lifetime to taste them all, but you have to start somewhere. So why not start with Christmas zeppole? (Not to be confused with St. Joseph’s zeppole.)
A few simple ingredients
These zeppole are a very simple recipe with peasant origins – as is often the case for traditional dishes. As if by magic, these sweets are made from water, milk, flour, star anise, lemon peel and colored sugars – called ‘diavulilli’ in dialect – to become a delicious treat, to be eaten freshly drained from boiling oil and covered with honey.
Scauratielli from Sorrento
To make Sorrento-style zeppole (the simplest version of Campanian zeppole), add 5 cups of water to a pot with a splash of milk, a pinch of salt, the rind of one lemon and some star anise. Heat over low heat and before it reaches its boiling point, pour 5 cups of sifted flour into the pot. Mix the flour in using a wooden spoon and continue cooking until the dough comes off the sides of the pot. At this point, pour the mixture onto a lightly greased work surface and start kneading it, until you get a smooth, even dough. (But be careful – the dough will be hot!) Now take small portions of the dough, roll them up in your hands and make small coils (about 15 cm long) to give them an “L” shape. Pierce the zeppole with the tines of a fork and fry them in boiling oil. Drain them once golden-brown and let them dry on paper towels before decorating. To garnish, melt 1 kg honey over low heat with a little star anise and the peel of an orange and a lemon. Dip the zeppole in the flavored honey and sprinkle with the colored sugar. And according to some traditions, add a little fresh rosemary!
Other Christmas zeppole varieties
To make pasta cresciuta zeppole, add the brewer's yeast to the basic ingredients. Then let the dough rest for at least one hour before frying and sprinkling with honey. In this case, the shape is a little different, too. Just take small portions of dough and dip them directly into boiling oil. Then drizzle with the honey. These zeppole are often garnished with superfine caster sugar. Or raisins, candied fruit and pine nuts are often mixed into the dough for more flavor. Another delicious variant is made with boiled and mashed potatoes and eggs. Also in this case, the zeppole dough needs to rise before frying.