Little frittelle (fritters) to eat in a single bite. This recipe is a true symbol of Italian cibo povero cuisine!
If you pass through Naples, you can’t miss a stop at a friggitoria for pasta cresciuta, which literally translates to ‘grown dough’ in English, referring to the dough’s increase in volume upon frying. These delicious frittelline are also known by the name of zeppole in Italian, but pasta cresciuta is not to be confused with other recipes for zeppole – that’s why we’re using the traditional name from Campania. The recipe is very simple and you can enrich it in many ways to serve a delicious appetizer that no one will be able to resist. Pasta cresciuta is a guaranteed success every time!
Pasta cresciuta: the classic recipe
Pasta cresciuta is very similar to pizza dough, but with a more liquid consistency. The ingredients are water, flour and brewer's yeast. Mix 10 g fresh brewer's yeast (about half a compressed brick) with 200 ml water. Then add 250 gr type “00” flour. We suggest adding very little salt to the dough because then you can enrich it later with other ingredients. Let the dough rise covered with plastic wrap for a few hours in the oven (turned off). You can also leave it in the fridge for a longer leavening time. Once the dough is ready, take a spoonful of dough at a time and transfer it into the boiling seed oil, using another spoon to get the dough into the oil. Fry a few of the frittelle at a time to avoid lowering the temperature of the oil too much. Drain the pasta once golden-brown. Add a pinch of salt just before serving. Serve the pasta cresciuta on a charcuterie board with sliced meats and cheeses or on their own, straight out of the frying pan! As long as they’re hot and crunchy, pasta cresciuta fritters are always delicious.
With sardines, according to Neopolitan tradition
In the traditional Neapolitan recipe, pasta cresciuta is filled with sardines (in oil or in salt) and then fried. For this reason, we suggest you don’t add too much salt to the basic dough recipe. Be careful to mix the sardines well with the dough to prevent them from separating and burning while frying, which would ruin the oil.
Recipe variants
It’s not easy to fill pasta cresciuta fritters – because as we said, the dough is watery, but you can still add ingredients to enrich it: Examples? A cube of prosciutto cotto, cheese or even vegetables! Always remember to mix well to combine the ingredients, though. And speaking of vegetables: If desired, you can use the basic recipe with the addition of quickly steamed zucchini or carrots to the batter. This makes for a delightful veggie fritters that your guests will love!