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Sicilian Cooking

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Sfingi San Giuseppe 2

SaInT Joseph SFINGI

( Sfingi di San Giuseppe – Sfinci ri San Giuseppi )

Saint Joseph’s day is celebrated on May 19th all over Sicily, in particular in Palermo. The night of March 18th big piles made of wood, old furniture and junks are burned in honor of Saint Joseph.

This feast is celebrated in every house with La Tavola di San Giuseppe, a table full of bread called Pane di San Giuseppe, along with pasta topped with fennel sauce.  To commemorate San Giuseppe, the leavened dough, originally used to make the breasts of a virgin is improved with eggs to make it lighter and tastier, stuffed with ricotta cream, decorated with a cherry, symbolizing the nipple, and called Sfingi di San Giuseppe.

Sfincia-Giuseppe-Sfingi-Breasts
  • Yield15 to 20 Sfingi
  • Sicilian DessertsSaint Joseph's Sfingi

    Ingredients

    For the Shells

    • 2½ cups sifted flour
    • 1 ½ cups water
    • 2 oz. butter
    • 6 medium eggs
    • Pinch of salt

    For the Cream

    • 4 cups of ricotta (approximately 2 lb.)
    • 1 cup granulated sugar
    • 1 tablespoon semi-sweet chocolate shavings or chips
    • 2 tablespoons of diced citron or assorted diced candied fruits
    • Zest of 1 orange
    • Pinch of cinnamon
    • 2 drops of vanilla

    For Frying

    • Olive Oil, Canola or Corn Oil for deep frying
    • A deep sauce pot for frying

    For Garnish

    • Candied orange peels
    • Candied cherries
    • Confectionary sugar

    Instructions

    1

    THE FILLING
    Ahead of time, in a large bowl, thoroughly mix the ricotta and sugar until smooth. Blend in the zest of the orange, cinnamon, vanilla, chocolate shaving or chips and the diced citron or assorted diced candied fruits. Store the cream overnight in the refrigerator.

    2

    THE SFINGI
    Place the water, the butter and a pinch of salt in a 4 quarts saucepan with a handle and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. When it boils, remove from the heat and add the flour in one shot and blend well with a wooden spoon, stirring continuously until the flour is thoroughly mixed with the liquids. Return to the stove on low heat, and simmer until mixture forms a ball, about 3 to 4 minutes and makes a frying sound. Remove from heat and transfer into a bowl, turning occasionally with the wooden spoon to cool the mixture. It takes a few minutes. Add one egg, and incorporate it thoroughly into the mixture before adding more eggs. Keep turning using a whisk or a hand held electric mixer, adding the eggs one at a time. Blend well until it becomes smooth. The dough should be silky, thicker than pancake dough and thick enough to stand up in peaks. Cover and rest dough for 20 to 30 minutes.

    3

    THE FRYING
    Use a deep pot to fry the Sfingi to avoid an overflow of oil. Bring oil to 375F , dropping the mixture a few spoons at a time, without crowding the fryer. To deposit the sfingi in the oil use the help of another spoon. Deep fry the sfingi until golden. Transfer to drain in a dish covered with paper towels. Cool and place in a sealed container. If the oil is too hot the sfingi will not be light or “grow” to a nice size. While frying, tap the dough with a wooden spoon to help the sfingi expand and separate. Keep turning the sfingi to ensure they cook on all sides.

    4

    THE STUFFING
    Holding a Sfingi in your hand, make a hole with your finger and fill the inside of it with a tablespoon of filling. Spread a thin layer of filling over the hole and decorate with powder sugar, the orange peel, the candied cherry and the crushed pistachio.