Sweet rice fritters made for Father’s Day

The St Joseph’s fritters are a simple and tasty dessert typical of Umbria, made with rice cooked in milk, the dough of which can be enriched with a variety of ingredients giving rise to different versions.

As the name suggests, these fritters are nowadays made on St Joseph’s Day, 19 March, on the occasion of Father’s Day, while in the past they were mainly prepared on “Carnevaletto” (Little Carnival) or “Mezza quaresima” (mid-Lent) day, a much-awaited moment during which it was possible to break the dietary restrictions linked to the Lenten period. On this occasion, homes were filled with the smell of “li frittelli” (fritters), which were prepared with simple stale bread soaked in milk, then fried in lard.

Over time, this tasty yet simple recipe has come to be the sweet symbol of Father’s Day, and although today the lard used in frying is replaced by oil, these very special fritters remain a traditional specialty definitely worth trying!

Pour the milk into a small saucepan, place it on the heat and, once it comes to the boil, cook the rice, stirring it with a wooden spoon, exceeding the cooking time by 2-3 minutes to make it softer.

Once the rice is cooked in the milk, add a tablespoon of sugar and let it cool down thoroughly, then create the fritter batter by adding the flour, cake liquor, eggs and baking powder. Optionally, you can also add other ingredients such as sultanas or cocoa. Mix everything together to obtain a dough with a soft and creamy consistency (similar to that of a ring-shaped cake).

Heat plenty of frying oil in a frying pan, then create your fritters by placing one spoonful of batter at a time. Remove the fritters from the oil when they are golden brown and place them on a sheet of paper towels. To complete the dish, dust the fritters with caster sugar or icing sugar. Your fritters are ready to be enjoyed!