Lina's Ciambelline

I suppose you could call these doughnuts, but I prefer the more musical Italian name ciambelline [cham-bell-EEN-eh], which translates to "little rings." There is, in fact, something distinctly Italian about these rings ~ the tender dough, shaped by hand rather than by using a cutter, is sweet but not too sweet, and subtly but unmistakably perfumed with citrus zest.

This recipe comes from Lina Colafella, cousin by marriage to my culinary tour partners Michael and Nancy Morizio of Abruzzo Presto. Every year on our Abruzzo Culinary Tour, Lina and her husband, Abramo, open their home to our guests and host a fantastic day of cooking, eating, and drinking. Lina and I give a pasta workshop and Abramo gives us all a tour of his cantina. Afterwards, we sit together at a long table and enjoy our pasta and Abramo's wine. We all communicate through a creative mix of Italian, English, Abruzzese, and hand gestures. Then Lina fries up batch after batch of these pillowy ciambelline, which we dip in cinnamon sugar and eat while they are still warm.

LINA’S CIAMBELLINE
Makes about 2 dozen rings

Ingredients
1 large russet (baking) potato, 8 to 10 ounces
1 envelope (2 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
1/2 cup milk, warmed to 110 F
3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 large eggs, at room temperature
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
Finely grated zest of 1 large lemon

Vegetable oil for frying
3/4 cup sugar mixed with 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, for dipping

Instructions
1. Put the potato in a pot with water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and boil until tender (you should be able to pierce through it with a cake tester or fork). Remove from the heat and pour out the water. Peel as soon as the potato is cool enough to handle and use a potato ricer to rice it into a bowl. Let cool.

2. Sprinkle the yeast into the warm milk and stir to dissolve (this takes a little time, as yeast does not dissolve as easily in milk as it does in water). Let proof until foamy, 15 to 20 minutes.

3. Mound the flour onto a clean surface and make a wide, shallow well in the center. Add the riced potato. Break the eggs into the well and add the sugar, salt, butter, and lemon zest. Whisk briefly with a fork to combine, taking care not to break the "wall" of flour. Carefully pour in the yeast and milk mixture and stir to make a thick slurry. Begin incorporating the flour from inside the wall, adding more as you go until the mixture is no longer sticky. Knead into a ball, incorporating just enough flour to make a soft, pliable dough (you may not use all the flour, or you may need a little more, depending on how sticky the dough is). Continue to knead for a few more minutes, until smooth.

4. Lightly coat the inside of a bowl with oil and place the dough inside, turning it to coat the surface. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm spot until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Cut a section of the dough and cover the rest with a clean towel or plastic wrap. Roll the piece of dough into a fat rope about the width of a finger. Sprinkle a tiny bit of flour on the rope if it is sticky. Cut the rope into 6-inch sections and form them into rings, pinching the ends to seal. Set the rings on a flour-dusted tray or board and cover lightly with plastic wrap or a clean cloth (I use cheesecloth). Continue to shape the dough into rings; you should end up with about 28. Let the rings rise for 30 minutes.

5. Pour oil to a depth of 2 inches into a deep-sided skillet. Heat on medium-high until the oil shimmers (375 F). Fry the ciambelline, a few at a time, turning them once or twice so they brown evenly on both sides. They fry quickly--within 30 seconds--so watch carefully. Transfer the ciambelline to a rack set over a paper towel-lined tray to drain for a few seconds, then dip them in the cinnamon sugar while still hot.

Although they will keep for a day, these ciambelline are best while still warm, irresistibly soft and tender.