First frittelle of the season!!

I've had a cold since New Year's day, feeling quite crappy unfortunately. Last night as Mike was leaving the apartment for his walk, I asked him to bring back something for me that would make me feel better. Guess what my present was???  FRITTELLE!!!  I still felt crappy, but he sure did give my spirits a big boost!

Frittelle, for those of you who don't already know, are a Venetian treat made only at Carnevale time. It's essentially a fried doughnut, but even better!  The dough usually has raisins and pine nuts in it, and it can be filled with lovely stuffings such as creme , nutella, chocolate, zabaglione, marmalade, and ricotta, or left vuota (empty).

These tasty morsels are perhaps my favorite thing about Carnevale. I look forward to winter just so I can have frittelle. We've even put them in the freezer at the end of the season so I could stretch out my frittelle consumption a little bit longer. Just like in summer when I am a 2 or 3 gelato a day girl, Carnevale season I become a 2 Frittelle a day girl. Every bakery in town makes their own versions, all delightful.

Bakeries stack trays of frittelle in their windows, it's impossible to resist!

The link below is to a video of Cesare Colonnese, a Venetian, who shares his recipe for frittelle. Watch it and enjoy!  Yes, it's all in Venetian, but it's worth taking a few minutes, both to see the frittelle making and to enjoy Cesare!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTce74ZDXHI

If you are going to be in Venice this year over Carnevale, I recommend treating yourself to some frittelle. Go on your own "Great Frittelle Hunt".  Try a frittelle in each bakery you pass.  Bet you can't eat just one!!  Some of my favorites places to find frittelle include:

Tonolo near the Frari in Dorsoduro
Majer in Campo Santa Margherita, Dorsoduro  or Via Garibaldi, Castello
Rizzardini by Campo San Polo, San Polo
Colussi by Campo San Barnaba


Carnevale 2013 officially begins January 26, ending on February 12 this year.  My Venetian friends have informed me this morning that eating frittelle before January 7 is not just not allowed.  January 7 is the day Carnevale started in past times,the day after Epiphany, and ended 40 days before Easter.   Since the 1980's, Venice has celebrated Carnevale for just  the last 10 days of that period.  I confess, I have violated the rule.

I tried to argue with my friends based on the fact that I am not Venetian and will never be considered a local, therefore the rule regarding not eating frittelle prior to Jan 7 just doesn't apply to me.  That logic didn't fly!!!   Fortunately for all of us January 7 is just a few days away!!!

More from today.... FRITELLE's

As I walked home from the Befana race, my route took me from the Rialto through San Polo. Because Venice was not particularly crowded today, I took a "main street", something I rarely do, but today, I was suitably rewarded... I spotted a sign on the window of Pasticceria Rizzardini announcing Fritelle Veneziana. Now, if you have ever been to Venice before and have found this heavenly spot, you know, as I do, that it is near impossible to resist going in here on a normal day. But today.... oh sweet Jesus, Fritelle have arrived! I was IN!!!


The topic of my blog today is Fritelle's, but I must give a shameless plug for Pasticceria Rizzardini. You can find them at Campiello dei Meloni, in San Polo. They've been there since 1742. Here's their front window today:


And this is their side window. See why I try to avoid walking by here most days???

But back to Fritelle's.....

Fritelle are, oh my, how do I begin to describe them?? Fluffy little pillows of the most wonderful taste you can imagine? They are sort of donut, sort of fry bread, very close to Zeppoli's. If you are an Italian kid who grew up in New Jersey, you know Zeppoli's. These little buggers are a few steps above Zeppoli's.

Sadly for me, Fritelle are a Venetian tradition that only make their appearance in the bakeries during Carnevale, or a little before it. And they disappear about a week after Carnevale is over. They are made plain, or stuffed with an assortment of fillings, along with raisins and pine nuts. In the photo above, from right to left, are Veneziana (no filling), Zabaigone, and Crema. My personal favorite, not available today, is Ricotta. What fillings are available depend upon which bakery you go to.

Here's a shot of the inside of my Zabagione filled one, just before being devoured. I have saved another for after dinner. Sweets are my weakness, always have been. I admit it. My friend Vicki has decided that what we really need is a dessert calendar, not a monthly calendar. Mine would be something like this ... Panettone (end of November to beginning of January), Fritelle (end of January to mid Feb), Columbina and Casata Siciliana (Easter season), and then gelato and scroppino from May to October.

Fritelle are out a little early this year, I wasn't expecting them until end of the month. Panettone are just about finished up for the season, in fact I was just lamenting that I probably had my last one this week. So....what a great surprise today!