Tag: San

Zeppole di San Giuseppe: the recipe by pastry chef Nicola Di Lena – Italian Cuisine

Zeppole di San Giuseppe d'author: the recipe (gluten-free and lactose-free, delicious) by Nicola Di Lena, Pastry Chef of the ** Michelin Silk Restaurant in Milan

Nicola Di Lena, among the best pastry chefs in Italy according to Gambero Rosso's Confectioners and Confectionery Guide 2020, he is a precise, shy and nice guy, who works alongside chef Antonio Guida since 2006, when they began their collaboration with the Il Pellicano hotel in Porto Ercole.

Born in Switzerland to a Sicilian mother and an Apulian father, while still a student he took advantage of every school holiday to reach his pastry chef uncle Agatino, in Sicily, and to observe his every move in secret to learn the trade. Add to this an energetic (paternal) grandmother who raised him to the sound of taralli, focaccia and every type of regional delicacy and who was his real inspiration.

What you find below is, in fact, the traditional zeppole recipe that Nicola learned from his grandmother and that he revisited for his wife, Alessia, celiac and lactose intolerant.

It is a simple recipe that tastes of family and love, which allows us to enhance time, tradition and important ties especially in this very particular moment.

Zeppole di San Giuseppe gluten-free and lactose-free

Ingredients

For about 20 wedges with a diameter of 7 cm

dough
200 g of water
100 g lactose-free butter
160 g gluten-free cake flour
170 g of whole eggs (about 4/5 eggs, if you use normal flour 3/4 are enough)
5 g of salt

Method

Boil water, butter and salt together, add the sifted flour and keep on the heat for at least 10 minutes, until it separates well from the spoon, then put the mixture in a bowl. Take a whisk and slowly incorporate the eggs, mixing everything well.
Insert the obtained pasta into a star-shaped pastry bag and spread it on sheets of baking paper, drawing circles of about 6 or 7 cm in diameter.

Heat well (about 180 ° / 185 °) plenty of sunflower oil in a large and large pan and dip the zeppole on the baking paper (tip: you can dip the baking paper directly in the oil, you will see that the dough will come off by itself) and turn them halfway through cooking.

When they are golden brown, drain the zeppole and place them on a plate with paper towels, leaving them to cool.

Lactose and gluten free pastry cream
1 liter of lactose-free milk
200 g of sugar
100 g corn starch
7 yolks
1 vanilla bean
1 lemon peel

Heat the milk with the sugar, lemon zest and vanilla pod. In the meantime, mix the cornstarch well with the eggs. Take a small part of the milk and incorporate it into the mixture just prepared, then pour the mixture obtained into the remaining milk and continue stirring, always on the fire. When it starts to thicken, let it boil for 5/10 minutes on low heat and remove it from the heat to put it in a bowl covered with a sheet of contact film, so that the boring crust does not form.

When the cream is cold, remove the lemon and vanilla and whisk for a few minutes so that it becomes homogeneous and fine. Pour the cream into the piping bag and stuff the zeppole (abundantly, we are in Puglia!).

If desired, sprinkle with icing sugar and cinnamon, alternatively you can pass the freshly fried zeppole in granulated sugar and cinnamon.

Finally, fill the zeppola also on the outside at the top and place a canned black cherry on top.

Tip: you can also prepare the dough the day before by storing it in airtight containers in the refrigerator.

Happy father's day!

Text by Romina Ciferni

The zeppole di San Giuseppe are pancakes garnished with custard which are fried – Italian Cuisine

They are the dessert of the Neapolitan tradition associated with Father's Day and are prepared in every family on March 19th. Once they were given to everyone, friends and acquaintances, as a auspicious gesture

A mixture of water and fried flour and then covered with sugar, cinnamon or honey: these were these the zeppole of San Giuseppe until the end of 1800 in Campania, prepared every March 19 for the feast of the saint, which then became the all fathers day. From then on, however, the recipe improved, to become that of choux pastry, stuffed with custard and topped with a black cherry. It is also said that at the beginning of 1900, in Naples, the pastry chef Pintauro had the idea of to fry his San Giuseppe zeppole on the sidewalk in front of his shop, perhaps to compete with the many improvised fryers that invaded the city streets that day. All the authors of the time wrote about the goodness of its zeppole! If you prefer a lighter dessert, know that there is also one light version of fried San Giuseppe zeppole: baked zeppole.

As tradition dictates

Fried St. Joseph's zeppole they are a dessert of the Campania tradition. Legend has it that Joseph, fleeing to Egypt with Mary and Jesus, improvised himself a deep fryer in order to support his family. Therefore, these pancakes have always been the typical dessert for all dads' feasts. In Naples on March 19th all the pastry shops prepare the San Giuseppe zeppole and it is said that in the past years these sweets were given to everyone, relatives and friends, as a good omen.

Our recipe for fried San Giuseppe zeppole

Ingredients

For the choux pastry
300 g 00 flour
5 dl of water
5 egg yolks
2 egg whites
80 g butter
1 pinch of salt
fry oil

For the custard
5 yolks
3 spoons of sugar
1 tablespoon of flour
500 ml of fresh cream
1 vanilla stick
powder sugar
Cherry Jam

Method

For the choux pastry
Measure the flour in a glass and then measure as many glasses of water and put them in a saucepan. Add the salt and butter and when the water starts to form bubbles, pour the sifted flour into it and start to mix vigorously with a wooden spoon. Keep stirring until the pasta detaches from the edge of the saucepan. Transfer it to an oiled surface and when it is lukewarm, work it with your hands, adding the egg yolks and the egg whites one at a time. Work until they are completely absorbed and then let the pasta rest for 30 minutes in a cool place. At this point, take a pastry syringe and pour the pasta into it. Press it by making two spiral overlapping strips on a perforated ladle that you will dip in boiling oil to fry.

For the custard
In a saucepan, whip the egg yolks with the sugar and then add the spoonful of flour. Heat the cream with the vanilla stick, and when it is warm, remove the vanilla and pour the cream over the yolks, stirring constantly with a whisk, so that no lumps form. Continuing to stir, bring to the heat until the cream has thickened. Turn off and let cool. Once cold, pour a little cream on each zeppola and then garnish with small pieces of black cherry jam. Finish with a sprinkling of icing sugar and serve.

In the tutorial some tips to prepare the best zeppole di San Giuseppe.

Tart of San Clemente – Italian Cuisine

Start by preparing the pastry: put all the ingredients (flour, hazelnuts, yeast, vanilla, butter, sugar, salt and eggs) in a bowl and mix until a homogeneous dough is obtained.
Cover with cling film and leave to rest for at least 30 minutes in the fridge, then roll it out on a lightly floured surface.

Line the mold and level the edges, puncture the bottom, cover with parchment paper and dried legumes, then bake at 190 ° C, in a preheated convection oven, for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes remove the beans and parchment paper and cook for 10 minutes, take out of the oven and lower the temperature to 150 ° C.

In the meantime, prepare the filling: beat the eggs and sugar together (without whipping them), then add the juice and the grated peel of the citrus fruits and the yogurt and mix.

Pour the cream into the pastry shell, put it back in the oven and cook for 30 minutes or until the cream is well compacted.

Leave to cool, then leave in the fridge for 1-2 hours: the San Clemente tart is ready, serve it cold.