St. Joseph’s rice pancakes
St. Joseph’s rice pancakes are a dessert typical of central Italy which is prepared on the occasion of Father’s Day, celebrated on 19 March. Prepared with rice, eggs, butter, sugar and citrus peels, the pancakes are fried in plenty of peanut oil until they reach a beautiful golden color and a crunchy texture on the outside but soft on the inside.
The appearance and preparation are reminiscent of the famous tortelli di carnevale and fritole veneziane; the flavor however, thanks to the presence of rice in the dough, recalls that of Sicilian rice crisps.
Ingredients
For the rice
- Arborio rice 150 g
- Milk 500 g
- Sugar 20 g
- Orange peel 1
- Lemon peel 1
- Salt 1 pinch
For the dough
- Cooked rice (prepared previously)
- Medium eggs 2
- Butter (room temperature)30 g
- 00 flour 90 g
- Baking yeast 8 g
- Sugar 50 g
For frying
- Peanut oil 1.5 l
To complete
- Sugar to taste
Allergens
Milk Eggs
Peanuts
Procedure
For the rice
Start preparing your pancakes by cooking the rice to add to the dough.
Pour the milk into a fairly large saucepan, turn on the stove and heat it over a gentle heat, also adding the sugar and salt and stirring to dissolve them. Also grate the citrus peels in and, when it comes to the boil, add the rice.
Let it cook over a low heat until the rice has absorbed all the milk (it will take 18-20 minutes), stirring occasionally so that it does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
After cooking, tip the rice into a low, wide bowl and let it cool.
For the dough
When the rice has cooled, transfer it to a large bowl.
Then separate the egg yolks from the egg whites: incorporate the former into the rice and, using an electric whisk, whip the latter separately with 20 g of sugar.
Add the butter, the remaining sugar, the sifted flour and yeast to the bowl with the rice, mixing everything well. At this point also add the whipped egg whites, mixing with a whisk from top to bottom so as not to dismantle the mixture.
Cover the bowl with cling film and place it in the refrigerator to rest for 1 hour.
Cooking
After this time, heat the oil in a pan with high sides, until it reaches a temperature of 160-165°.
At this point, take the dough for the pancakes out of the refrigerator and, using a spoon or a 4 cm diameter ice cream scooper, take some of the mixture from the bowl and drop it into the boiling oil.
Proceed in this way until all the dough is used up, adding a few pancakes at a time to the oil so as not to lower the temperature and leaving them to fry for 5-6 minutes, turning them from time to time, until they are golden.
Drain the fritters on a tray lined with absorbent kitchen paper to eliminate excess oil and, while they are still hot, roll them on a plate sprinkled with granulated sugar.
Your St. Joseph’s rice pancakes are ready!
Notes & advice
*To facilitate the descent of the pancakes into the hot oil I recommend you grease the spoon or the shoulder pad by immersing it in the oil itself.
*It is important that when you roll your pancakes in sugar, they are still hot. Otherwise the crystals will not remain attached to their surface.
Conservation
I advise you to consume your rice pancakes immediately when they are still hot, otherwise you can keep them in the refrigerator for approximately 2-3 days.
