Citrus and rum scented, these sugar-crusted, fluffy fritters are essentially deep fried blobs of rice pudding. You can't go wrong.
These frittelle di riso start appearing in Tuscan bakeries and food vans parked at fairs around carnival time in February but are perhaps even more commonly associated with la Festa del Papà on March 19 -- Italian Father's Day and St Joseph's day. It's fitting. Aside from being the exemplar father, St Joseph is also the patron saints of friers (that's right!). So it seems an auspicious day to be frying up a batch of these sweet, plump, soft fritters for your papà.
Like anything deep fried, these are best eaten while still hot and crisp, so cook these when you have people around to share them with. A batch of these makes many – around 40-50 depending on the size, and while light and fluffly and so moreish that you think you'll be able to eat them all by yourself, these fritters are also deceptively filling.
This is based on one of Pellegrino Artusi's recipes for frittelle di riso – he lists two in his 1891 cookbook Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well. It may look like a very runny batter, but don't be alarmed. Avoid being tempted to add too much flour to this batter to thicken it – the fritters become hard and even chewy. Soft and pillowy is what you want. The hot fritters are rolled in sugar, which gives a wonderful crunch as you bite into them. —Emiko
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