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Pasta cresciuta
Pasta cresciuta: soft, puffy Neapolitan yeast fritters, plain or flecked with sea lettuce
Pasta cresciuta means "risen dough", and that is all it is: a loose, sticky yeast batter dropped by the spoonful into hot oil, where it swells into airy, irregular puffs. In Naples the friggitorie around Piazza Mercato and the Quartieri Spagnoli sell them by the paper cone, plain or with a little seaweed (alghe) folded in, and at Christmas they appear as zeppoline on every table. They are best eaten within minutes, while crisp outside and chewy-soft within. Chef's tip: wet your spoon in a glass of water between each blob, so the sticky batter slides off cleanly into the oil.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 10 ½ oz plain flour (type 00)
- 1 ¼ cups lukewarm water
- 1 tsp fine salt
- ⅛ oz dried sea lettuce or nori (optional)soaked and finely chopped
- 4 ¼ cups sunflower or peanut oilfor deep-frying
- 1 tsp flaky sea salt (optional)to finish
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Mix 10 ½ oz plain flour (type 00) and ⅛ oz fast-action dried yeast in a large bowl. Pour in 1 ¼ cups lukewarm water and beat with a wooden spoon for 3–4 minutes into a smooth, very soft, sticky batter.
5 minStep 2: Beat in 1 tsp fine salt, then fold in ⅛ oz dried sea lettuce or nori if using.
1 minStep 3: Cover and leave somewhere warm for about 1 hour, until doubled, bubbly and wobbly.
60 minStep 4: Pour 4 ¼ cups sunflower or peanut oil into a deep, heavy pan, no more than a third of the way up the side, and heat to 350°F. Check with a thermometer, or drop in a cube of bread: it should brown in about 60 seconds. Never leave hot oil unattended.
10 minStep 5: Scoop walnut-sized blobs with a wet spoon and drop them into the oil, 6–8 at a time. Fry for 3–4 minutes, turning, until puffed and pale golden all over. Common mistake: oil that is too hot; the outside browns before the middle cooks and stays doughy.
15 minStep 6: Drain on kitchen paper, sprinkle with 1 tsp flaky sea salt and serve straight away in paper cones.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 240 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does pasta cresciuta take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 75 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- What can I use instead of plain flour (type 00)?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of fast-action dried yeast?
- Fresh yeast, three times the weight.
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