Crispeddi di Riso

Feast of Saint Agatha

These honey soaked, crispy Sicilian rice fingers, flavoured with orange and cinammon, are tradtiional for Feast of Saint Agatha is celebrated in Catania,

Ingredients

•     300g (10 ounces) short grain rice

•     1 liter (4 1/4 cups) milk

•     5g (1 teaspoon) salt

•     1 orange zest

•     1 teaspoon cinnamon

•     2 tablespoons sugar

•     15g (1 tablespoon) fresh yeast

•     150g (1 cup) plain flour

•     peanut oil for frying

•     200g (3/4 cup) honey

•     icing sugar

Instructions

1.     Put the rice, milk, and salt in a saucepan. Bring it to the boil and then cook gently until the rice is a sticky mass and all the milk has been absorbed, about 15 minutes.

2.     Remove from the heat and add the orange zest, cinnamon, sugar, and yeast dissolved in a little warm water. Mix to combine.

3.     Sift the flour over the top of the mixture, combine with a wooden spoon and then bring together with your hands to form a kind of dough.

4.     Cover with a clean cloth and leave to rise in a warm place for at least an hour.

5.     Roll the mixture out onto a floured surface until it’s about a centimetre (1 inch) thick.

6.     Cut the mixture into strips of about one centimetre (1/2 inch) width and four centimetres (2 inches) in length.

7.     Roll the crispeddi in flour with the palm of your hand.

8.     Place the oil in a deep frying pan or skillet and heat gently until bubbles begin to rise.

9.     Fry the crispeddi in batches until they are golden brown, about 6 minutes. Then drain them on pieces of kitchen towel and leave to cool.

10.     Place the crispeddi in a dish. Then melt the honey in a saucepan with a couple of tablespoons of water. Pour over the crispeddi and allow to cool. Douse with icing sugar and serve.