Frittelle di riso di San Giuseppe or traditional Italian rice fritters, are a type of fried donut. Recipes vary from region to region within Italy. These are studded with currants and flavored with citrus.
Tomorrow, March 19th, Italians will celebrate Father’s Day and the Feast of St. Joseph.
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Part of that celebration includes the tradition of Frittelle di San Giuseppe or zeppole, which are different kinds of doughnuts and pastries, depending on the region of Italy.
Here is an example of one type of zeppole di San Giuseppe.
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I was really interested in the frittelle di San Giuseppe which are made with rice. They are like little puffs of deep-fried rice pudding; if you can’t imagine that, here’s a photo:
They are not crisp, but soft and have a delicate texture to them. As with many doughnut type treats, they are finished off with a roll in a bowl of sugar–delicious! If you’d like to make these for St Joseph’s day, make sure to start them tonight, as the rice has to sit overnight (or at least for a few hours or so), rather like arancini.
Happy Father’s Day to all Italian fathers! Buona Festa del Papà!
Frittelle di San Giuseppe
Traditional Italian Rice Fritters/Doughnuts for St. Joseph’s Day
adapted from Ricette della Nonna
Ingredients
- Arborio rice
- milk
- sugar
- grated lemon rind
- grated orange rind
- currants
- rum
- eggs
- flour
- oil for frying
- sugar for coating doughnuts
Prepare the Rice the Night Before (or at least 6 hours before)
In a small bowl, place the currants and rum together and let soak for a few hours or overnight.
Place the milk, sugar, lemon and orange rinds in a small saucepan over medium heat, then stir until the sugar dissolves.
Add the rice, stir and bring to a boil; lower the heat so it simmers gently, uncovered, for about 30 minutes or until rice is cooked and milk is absorbed.
Cool, then place in fridge for a few hours or overnight.
Prepare the Frittelle di Riso Dough
Beat the egg whites until stiff; set aside.
Remove the rice from the fridge and add the egg yolks, currants and rum, and mix well.
Next, add the flour, and once combined, gently fold in the beaten egg whites.
The mixture will look like this:
Fry the Frittelle di Riso
Once evenly mixed, heat the oil until hot and drop teaspoonfuls of frittelle di riso dough into the oil.
Fry until golden brown, then drain on a paper towel lined plate.
Allow the frittelle di riso di San Giuseppe to cool for about 10 minutes, then lightly coat in sugar.
Serving frittelle di riso right away is the best plan!
Finally, you can eat these delicious treats!
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Traditional Italian Rice Fritters/Doughnuts for St. Joseph's Day (Frittelle di Riso di San Giuseppe)
Tradtional Italian sweet doughnuts made with rice for St Joseph's day.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (100g) Arborio rice
- 17 oz (500 ml) milk
- 1/3 cup (60g) sugar
- grated rind of one lemon
- grated rind of one orange
- 1/4 cup (50g) currants
- 2 Tbsp rum
- 2 eggs, yolks and whites separated
- 1/2 cup (70g) flour (substitute a gluten free grain if desired)
- oil for frying (I used organic canola oil)
- sugar for coating doughnuts
Instructions
- In a small bowl, place the currants and rum together and let soak for a few hours or overnight.
- Place the milk, sugar, lemon and orange rinds in a small saucepan over medium heat, then stir until the sugar dissolves.
- Add the rice, stir and bring to a boil; lower the heat so it simmers gently, uncovered, for about 30 minutes or until rice is cooked and milk is absorbed. Cool, then place in fridge for a few hours or overnight.
- Beat the egg whites until stiff; set aside.
- Remove the rice from the fridge and add the egg yolks, currants and rum, and mix well.
- Add the flour, and once combined, gently fold in the beaten egg whites. Once evenly mixed, heat the oil until hot and drop teaspoonfuls of dough into the oil.
- Fry until golden brown, then drain on a paper towel lined plate. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes, then lightly coat in sugar.
- Serving frittelle immediately for best flavor.
Notes
Omit the currants if you don't like them.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 3Amount Per Serving: Calories: 91Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 51mgSodium: 49mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 1gSugar: 5gProtein: 3g
Nutrition information is only estimated.
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Sounds. Good l9ve any type frotters.
[…] Fritelli di Risort click on the linkhttps://www.christinascucina.com/traditional-italian-rice/ […]
Miss Lorraine, can I put the mixture in the fridge for two days? I like to pre-make it and then fry it up when I need it?
Hi Stacey, not sure where Lorraine comes in (I’m Christina), but I am not sure about keeping it the fridge for 2 days. Maybe overnight would be okay, but truly unsure about 2 days? Sorry I can’t be more helpful!
Thank you for the recipe were I live in PA. Don’t carry St. Joseph Cake.
Can not wait to make.
You’re very welcome, LuAnn! I also have the recipe for zeppole. :) Enjoy.
[…] exception. March 19th is dedicated to St. Joseph and you may recall that last year, I posted these rice fritters for the […]
Dear Christina,
Thank you for finding this recipe for Frittelle di Riso Di San Giuseppe. I can’t wait to make them. We are second generation Sicilian
Americans and still cook very much the way our grandmothers did. My mother,who passed away last year at 92 often spoke of lemony rice fritters that she remembered as a child.This year we will celebrate St. Joseph”s Day with our children and 5 little grandchildren, and we will make these fritters in honor of my mother and my father, Joseph.I also feel it is so important to pass family recipes along to each generation and to preserve our cultures. Thank you so much. Sincerely, Lorraine Marsala
Dear Lorraine, thank you so much for your lovely comment. I hope you and your family enjoy the fritters and that it becomes a tradition. Let me know how they turn out Thanks, again! Chrisitna
An Italian-American friend of mine who grew up in Memphis mentioned to me today that she loved the “St. Joseph’s Balls” that her mother and grandmother had made when she was a child. (Seriously! she said she was too young to get the double entendre.)
Googling around, I found your blog and this recipe … but my friend said these are not the “Balls” she remembers, as she said her mother did not deep fry.
Do you happen to know of any other cookie/confection that might have been called “St. Joseph’s Balls”?
Haha! I’ve actually never heard of them at all. I suppose it would depend on what part of Italy the recipe came from, and honestly, if it’s an Italian-American recipe that’s been changed from the original, sometimes they have absolutely nothing in common with the Italian version.
I did a quick google (I’m sure you did, too) and found nothing. However, I’m going to take a stab and say that this may be what she’s talking about and maybe her mother and grandmother made them more “ball-shaped”? https://christinascucina.com/2016/03/zeppole-di-san-giuseppe-st-josephs-day-traditional-italian-pastries.html Let me know, Mike! Good luck!