Lemon Ricotta Zeppole with Cinnamon Sugar

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

The easiest Italian fried treat there is: a thick ricotta batter you stir together in one bowl, spooned straight into 350°F oil. The puffs turn themselves over as they fry, cook through in about four minutes, and come out custardy inside with a crackly golden shell. Toss them warm in cinnamon sugar and eat them standing at the stove — no dough to knead, no rising time, ten ingredients.

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole milk ricotta, drained of any pooled liquid
• 2 large eggs
• 3 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 lemon, zested
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp fine salt

• 6 cups neutral oil, such as sunflower or canola
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar mixed with 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions

1. Pour the oil into a heavy, deep pot (at least 4 quarts) so it comes up about 2 inches and fills the pot no more than one-third of the way. Clip on a thermometer and heat over medium until it reads 350°F (175°C), 8–10 minutes. SAFETY: never leave hot oil unattended, keep a lid and a dry towel within reach to smother a flare-up, keep children and pets away from the stove, and never add water to hot oil or try to move the pot while it is hot.
2. While the oil heats, whisk the ricotta, eggs, sugar, vanilla and lemon zest in a bowl until smooth and loose.
3. In a second bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt, then fold the dry mix into the ricotta mixture with a spatula until just combined — it should be a thick, sticky, scoopable batter. Let it sit 5 minutes.
4. When the oil is at 350°F, scoop a rounded tablespoon of batter and push it off the spoon into the oil, keeping the spoon close to the surface so it doesn't splash. Fry a test zeppola first: it should puff and float, flipping itself as it cooks, and be deep golden all over in 4–5 minutes. Break it open — if the centre is still wet, make the next ones slightly smaller.
5. Fry the rest in batches of 5 or 6, never crowding the pot, turning them once with a slotted spoon if they don't roll over on their own. Keep the oil between 340°F and 355°F, nudging the heat up or down between batches; oil that is too hot browns the outside before the middle sets.
6. Lift each batch onto a paper-towel-lined rack for 30 seconds, then toss the still-warm zeppole in the cinnamon sugar until coated. Serve immediately — they are best within 15 minutes.
7. Turn off the heat and let the oil cool completely in the pot before straining it through a fine sieve into a jar for reuse, or sealing it in its original bottle to discard. Never pour warm oil down the sink.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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