Castagnole mini doughnuts

I have to warn you, these are addictive, calorific and wonderful. It’s just as well they only make an appearance once a year!

Ingredients:
makes 40
80g granulated sugar
60g butter, softened
zest of 1 lemon
3 free-range or organic eggs,
beaten
370g self-raising flour
pinch of salt
1 litre nut oil or sunflower oil, for
frying
icing sugar, for dusting

Step 1: Cream the sugar, butter and lemon zest together until it’s light and fluffy, then add the beaten eggs, mixing well to incorporate them.
Step 2: Whisk together the flour and salt in a separate bowl, then add to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
Step 3: Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and roll into a thick snake. Cut the snake into 3cm pieces. Roll each piece between the palms of your hands to form small balls.
Step 4: Heat the oil in a large saucepan or a deep-fat fryer until it reaches 175?. Test the heat by dropping a small piece of dough into the hot oil – it should quickly turn golden.
Step 5: Fry the balls in batches of four in the hot oil. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a plate lined with kitchen paper to remove the excess oil. Place on a serving plate and dust with
icing sugar.
These are lovely served warm, but they’re also nice when cooled. These mini doughnuts can be kept in an airtight container for up to three days.

Festa A Year Of Italian Celebrations by Eileen Dunne Crescenzi is available at?www.books.ie