Celebrating with Italian Frappe

It is already Carnevale here in Italy, that festive time of the year that is also known as Mardi Gras in New Orleans. Carnevale in Italy means a lot of things- masks, parades, costumes, burattini- and of course, a traditional food to go with along the occasion. Carnevale is a holiday celebrated with Frappe, also know as Cenci. I just happen to have a mother-in-law who is famous for her Frappe and today we made them together in three versions- with einkorn wheat, gluten free and einkorn vegan. Each batch was different but just right in their own way, meaning crisp and light with a nice contrast of salty and sweet. Beware though, it is hard to stop at just one.

First, a few words about Nonna. My mother-in-law is 79 and a fabulous cook, gardener and pretty much everything you would expect of a real Italian grandmother. She rides her bicycle, rain or shine, a few miles each day from the countryside to a small town to buy her newspaper, bread and groceries. She is a retired teacher turned artist and spends most of her days creating oil paintings of the surrounding farms. World War II was literally fought in her backyard when she was a child, with German and British soldiers occupying her house at different times, her family forced to live in the cellar, as the sides fought for control of the river that bordered her family’s farm. Her cooking is comforting and very, very special to our family. In fact, when my daughter was in third grade, the teacher asked each student to write down their favorite thing on paper. As her classmates listed things like Star Wars, gymnastics and Wii, my daughter wrote about Nonna’s braised guinea fowl over polenta and frappe for dessert!

The dough is a simple mix of flour, softened butter, eggs, a pinch of salt, a spoon of sugar and a bit of Grappa. This is real Italian food, meaning a short list of simple ingredients that is effortlessly transformed into a memorable food by someone who loves you, like Nonna. The dough rests for thirty minutes before being rolled, shaped, fried and topped with powdered sugar.

The dough is moist, yet firm and is rolled out thin, as thin as you can while still being able to work with it easily.

If you are making the gluten free recipe, you will roll the dough between two pieces of parchment paper, lifting the dough from the paper after each pass to prevent tearing. For the gluten free Frappe, we cut long strips with one slit down the center and gently twisted the dough before frying. I have to say they were almost my favorite of the three versions.

For the einkorn recipe, we cut large rectangles with two slits down the center, pulling the edges through the holes. You can also cut simple strips with a pastry wheel. Just don’t worry too much about perfection.

The frying happens very quickly and the dough puffs up nicely in a few seconds. Drop only two in the frying pan so they have room to expand and make sure you flip them quickly to avoid browning. They will crisp up nicely once they have cooled.

GLUTEN FREE FRAPPE

Ingredients

• 2 cups (240g) jovial No. 3 Gluten Free Pastry Flour (now called jovial Multi-Purpose Gluten Free Pastry Flour)
• ¼ tsp. (3g) salt
• 1 tbsp. + 1 tsp. (20g) sugar
• 2 medium eggs
• 1 tbsp. + 1 tsp. (20g) butter, softened
• 1 ½ tsp. (9g)  of Grappa or Brandy
• vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

1. Place the millet in a dry skillet on medium heat and stir for about two minutes until lightly toasted. Grind to flour in a coffee grinder.
2. Mix millet flour, brown rice flour, potato starch, sugar and salt together in a medium mixing bowl.
3. Add eggs, butter and grappa and combine all the ingredients together with a fork until incorporated. Knead on a clean work surface with more flour, if needed, until you have a smooth dough that is firm, but not overly wet.
4. Let rest in a covered bowl for 30 minutes.
5. Divide the dough in 4 pieces. Roll the first piece between 2 sheets of parchment paper, being careful to lift up the dough each time so it does not stick to the paper. Slice in long strips, cut a slit in the center and twist. Continue until you have finished the dough, placing each strip aside on more parchment paper.
6. Heat vegetable oil in a small frying pan. Fry two strips of dough at a time, flipping as soon as the dough expands, but be careful not to brown. The cooking time will vary with the thickness of the dough.
7. Let cool on paper towels, then sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.

TRADITION FRAPPE MADE WITH EINKORN

Ingredients

• 2 cups (240g) jovial All-Purpose Einkorn Flour
• ¼ tsp. (3g) salt
• 1 tbsp. + 1 tsp. (20g) sugar
• 2 medium eggs
• 1 tbsp. + 1 tsp. (20g) butter, softened
• 1 ½ tsp. (9g) of Grappa or Brandy
• 1 tbsp. (14g) of sparkling water, if needed
• vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

1. Combine flour, sugar and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
2. Add eggs, butter and Grappa and combine all the ingredients with a fork until incorporated. Knead on a clean work surface until you have a smooth dough that is firm, but not overly wet.
3. Let rest in a covered bowl for 30 minutes.
4. Roll out all of the dough as thin as you can, then cut in large rectangles with two slits in the center. Pull each corner through the slit.
5. Heat vegetable oil in a small frying pan. Fry two strips of dough at a time, flipping as soon as the dough expands, but be careful not to brown. The cooking time will vary with the thickness of the dough.
6. Let cool on paper towel, then sprinkle with powdered sugar.

VEGAN FRAPPE WITH EINKORN

Ingredients

• 2 cups (240g) jovial All-Purpose Einkorn Flour
• ¼ tsp. (3g) salt
• 1 tbsp. + 1 tsp. (20g) sugar
• 1 tbsp. + 1 tsp. (20g) vegetable spread or coconut oil
• 1 1/2 tsp. (9g) of Grappa or Brandy
• 5 tbsp. (70g) sparkling water
• vegetable oil for frying

Instructions

1. Combine flour, sugar and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
2. Add vegetable spread or coconut oil, grappa and water. Combine all beat the ingredients together with a fork until incorporated. Knead on a clean work surface until you have a smooth dough that is firm, but not overly wet.
3. Let rise in a covered bowl for 30 minutes.
4. Roll out all of the dough as thin as you can, then cut in large rectangles with two slits in the center. Pull each corner through the slits.
5. Heat vegetable oil in a small frying pan. Fry two strips of dough at a time, flipping as soon as the dough expands, but be careful not to brown. The cooking time will vary with the thickness of the dough.
6. Let cool on paper towels, then sprinkle with powdered sugar.