Cenci Recipes

ITALIAN CENCI COOKIES

Steps:

• In a bowl, beat eggs, sugar and salt until frothy. Stir in vanilla. Sift flour with baking powder; gradually add to batter. Add butter and mix well. Turn out onto a floured surface; knead for 10 minutes. Divide dough in half; roll each half as thin as possible (noodle thickness). Cut into 5-in. x 1-in. strips with a knife or scalloped pastry wheel. , Preheat oil to 375°; fry cookies until golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar. Cookies are best served the same day.

CENCI

Steps:

• Sift flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl, then stir in the sugar. Add the egg, and stir with a fork until it is evenly mixed with the flour. Gradually add the rum and continue mixing until the dough draws together.
• Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until it is smooth. Divide the dough into quarters.
• Roll each dough piece out to a 6x3-inch rectangle, and trim to make them straight. Cut each rectangle lengthwise into six strips 1/2-inch wide. Tie each strip into a simple knot.
• Heat the oil in a deep-fry fryer to a temperature of 375°F Deep-fry the knots in batches for 1-2 minutes, or until crisp and lightly golden brown. Transfer to a paper towel.
• Serve warm, dusted with confectioner's sugar.

CENCI (FRIED DOUGH BOWS WITH CONFECTIONER'S SUGAR)

Steps:

• Mix all ingredients in a food processor. Roll thin with a rolling pin into a rectangle 8-inches long. Cut into strips approximately 1-inch by 8-inches. Twist the pieces softly and tie into a loose bow. Deep fry in oil until golden. Remove from the oil and sprinkle heavily with confectioner's sugar.

CENCI--ITALIAN BOW TIES

Steps:

• Make a fairly stiff dough with these ingredients, kneading it thoroughly, and adding more flour if it comes out too soft. Flour it and let it rest, covered, for about an hour.
• Then roll it out into an eighth-of-an-inch-thick sheet, and use a serrated pastry wheel to cut it into strips 4 inches long and two and one half inches wide. Make a cut down the middle of each cencio (so as to obtain two strips joined at the ends), twist the side strips without breaking them,
• Fry them in hot oil or lard, and dust them with confectioners sugar when they're cool. This recipe is sufficient to make a platterful. Should the dough have formed a crust while it sat, knead it again before you roll it out.
• My Mom also drizzles honey before the confectioners sugar.