Loretta Sebastiani

Loretta Sebastiani
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Sweet fritters with potatoes
( Zippulas (zeppole) di patate )

Authentic Italian recipe from Sardinia

These potato donuts are fried sweets from Sardinia, typical of winter because among their ingredients you can find oranges. Their other peculiarity, which makes them a Sardinian food, is the use of filu e' ferro and saffron in their dough. They are delicious! Seeing is believing =_^

difficulty: medium

time: preparation: 40 minutes
plus leavening time
cooking: 1 hour
total time: 1 hour 40 minutes

calories: 162 (kCal)

Ingredients / Serves 12

  • 700g (1 1/2 pounds) all-purpose flour plus extra for dusting
  • 1 egg
  • 1 200g (7 ounces) potato
  • 1 sachet of saffron ground power (0.15 g)
  • 1 orange
  • 100ml (3 1/3 fluid ounces) “filu e' ferro”
  • 25g (1 ounce) fresh yeast
  • Extra virgin olive oil or peanut oil for frying
  • Granulated sugar
Difficulty:
medium difficulty
Time:
preparation: 40 minutes
plus leavening time
cooking: 1 hour
total time: 1 hour 40 minutes
How many calories in a serving?
Calories: 162 (kcal) 9 % - 678 (kJ)
Protein: 5.5 (g) 11 % GDA
Total fat: 0.8 (g) 2 % GDA
Total carbohydrate: 35.3 (g) 14 % GDA
Sugars: 1.4 (g) 2 % GDA

Download free PDF version (391 download).

Sardinian potato donut recipe (Zeppole)

Preparation and cooking

  • - Steam potato.
    Peel and purée it.
  • - Prepare potato donut dough.
    Put flour in a bowl or on a work surface.
    Make a well in the center and add puréed potato too.
    Add beaten egg, orange juice (about 90ml), filu e' ferro, saffron (melted in a tablespoon of warm water) and fresh yeast (melted in very little warm water).
    Slowly begin mixing all your ingredients.
    Then work until a smooth, elastic dough forms.
    Cover with a napkin and let your dough rest until it doubles in size, in a warm place, faraway from draughts, at least 2 hours.
  • - Prepare donuts.
    Cut your dough into pieces.
    Get the shape of a stick to every piece and connect its ends with your moistened fingers.
  • - Donut frying.
    Heat olive or peanut oil in a skillet.
    Add your donuts and cook until light golden brown on both sides, only few seconds.
    Remove them with a slotted spoon and put on absorbent paper to remove the fat in excess.

Just before serving

  • - Sprinkle potato donuts with sugar and serve immediately.

Note

Tips

  • - Some people also add the rind of the orange, grated, and other wines such as malvasia or vernaccia (obviously the dose of filu e' ferro is 50ml- 1 2/3 fluid ounces in this case).
  • - Filu e' ferro is grappa from Sardinia.
  • - There is no sugar in the dough because there are grappa and orange juice in zeppole dough.

Menu planning

  • - I always make this kind of fried potato donuts in my get-togethers with friends or relatives in cold winetr afternoons.

Healthy eating

  • - My tip is to fry in olive or peanut oil. Besides it is important to use the oil once.
  • - It's very difficult to have the real amount of frying oil and sugar.
    So nutrition facts don't include these ingredients. In other words you can read only calories, carbo, sugar and fat of the ingredients used for these potato donuts, oil and sugar excluded. They are really rich in calories!
  • - Do not eat fried food too many times! It's better for a healthy diet.

Loretta

What's the right wine for " Sweet fritters with potatoes "?

Do not pair a wine to these sweet fritters for the presence of grappa in the dough!