Cenci
Cenci (CHEN chee) are a typical Tuscan sweet, prepared during the Carnival, pre-Lent period. They are usually eaten on Berlingaccio – or Fat Thursday or giovedì grasso – the Thursday prior to Mardi Gras. Cenci are a kind of fried, sweet pasta, served with powdered sugar, and can be found in other regions, by different names: cenci (rags) in Tuscany, chiacchere (gossip or chat) in Umbria, frappe (no obvious meaning) in Lazio and bugie (lies) in Piemonte. Party food!
Different families and regions vary the recipe – some are made with butter but ours are made with a touch of olive oil. The butter makes them too heavy for our taste.
The fun part of this recipe is rolling out the pasta. When I was a girl, I stood by as my grandmother kneaded, added flour, rolled and re-rolled the pasta. With my rotellina in hand, I was like a tiny soldier waiting for my orders, for him to give me the go-ahead to me to cut the pasta into the shapes that look like torn rags. Some families make braided strips, knots, or small wads, but the Florentine tradition is to cut them in strips two fingers wide and then cut along a diagonal, irregular lengths and non parallel lines keep them interesting.
At the time of the Medicis, Berlingaccio was the day when Florentines were allowed to let their vices go unchecked. They took advantage of the excuse to explore the sins of gluttony (among others)!
On a work surface, make a well from 300g of flour. In the hole, but 50ml of oil, 2 eggs, a small glass of
(Tuscan dessert wine), 50g of sugar and a pinch of salt. Work the ingredients together into a compact, elastic and homogeneous ball. Let the dough rest for about an hour under a tea towel.
Roll out the pasta with a rolling pin, until it is thinner than a £1 coin. (This can also be done very well with a pasta machine.) Cut into irregular strips around 7-8 cm long and 3 cm wide. If some are folded or knotted it give more texture to the cenci.
Fry the ribbons a few at the time in plenty of hot oil, so that they have a golden colour and drain them on kitchen roll. When they have cooled a bit, spread them out on a tray and sprinkle with normal or vanilla powdered sugar. Let them cool fully and serve with a glass of vin santo.
