As an appetizer,  a snack, instead of the usual bread,donzelle are a great  offer.

Just to describe them ,Donzelle are little puffs of deep-fried bread dough and they get different names in different Italian area.

Donzelle are perfect as  a delicious accompaniment to any antipasto platter and are traditionally enjoyed with Italian cheese and salami.

With the arrival of the good Season we think of dishes served al fresco for a group of friends,so what’s the best next to a charcuterie board with cheese, salami, olives, sun dried tomato if not  the donzelle.

Ingredients:

flour 00/all purpose 400 gr.= 2 cups

  fresh yeast 20 gr.=1.3 tbs.

E.V.O.O. 4 tbsp.

Fine salt 1 tsp.

Water 1 cup ( it maybe necessary more)

seed oil(sun flower,grape,peanuts)

Preparation

Dissolve the yeast in 1/3 of the given water.

Mix the flour with the yeast and the salt ,until the dough comes off your hands.

Make the dough into a ball, place it in a bowl, make an X  on the top and leave it to rise for 1 hour.

Then knead it with your hands

Divide the dough into small portions

Roll them and cut in 10 cm/ 3.9 inches  lengthwise.

Fry in hot oil until golden.

When dropped into the hot oil they will sink to the bottom, but within a few seconds they puff up and rise to the top. It’s best to turn them halfway through with a wire spatula to ensure they cook  evenly.

Take them out of the oil with a   strainer ladle. Lay them on  a piece of kitchen paper 

Sprinkle with salt and serve hot.

Curiosity

May be the name derives from the fish of the same name – the Mediterranean rainbow

wrasse in English – because that’s exactly what they look like when swimming around in the

frying oilor more simply they look like grafeful dancing girls.Donzelle is actually the ancient word for girls.