Chiacchiere are delicious Italian fried pastries made with sweet and aromatic dough cut into thin ribbons and fried until crispy. A popular and traditional recipe for carnival season!
Place the flour on a working surface and add the baking powder, sugar, and salt. Make a well and crack the eggs.
Add vanilla extract and then pour the grappa. With a fork, combine the ingredients in the middle.
Add the pork lard and using a spatula start mixing the ingredients just until combined.
Knead for about 15 minutes or until you achieve a smooth and elastic dough. NOTE: You can also make the dough in a stand mixer.*
Make a ball, wrap it with plastic wrap, and leave it to rest for 1 hour.
Roll & Cut
Lightly flour a working surface and roll the dough into a thin sheet (about 3 mm/ 0,40″).
Cut the dough with a fluted ravioli wheel into a large rectangle about 18×7″ (45x18cm).
Cut that rectangle longwise in two parts, obtaining two strips of dough.
Cut each strip into 8 rectangles, making 16 pastries in total from the dough. Make two small cuts longwise in the middle of each piece.
Fry
Heat a good amount of oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Fry the chiacchiere 3-4 at a time until crispy and golden.
Place them on a lined paper plate to drain the excess oil.
Transfer to a serving place, dust with confectioner's sugar, and serve.
Notes
The thinner the dough, the crispier the pastries will be. So, if you have it, use a pasta roller machine for this step.
Chiacchiere are typically fried with olive oil or pork lard when making them at home. However, many pastry shops now prefer to fry those with other types of oil, such as peanut, sunflower seed, corn, etc.
Always work in batches, frying a few pieces at a time, because too many together can lower the oil temperature.
Omit grappa if you don’t like it or don’t have it at home. Or you can also replace it with Marsala or orange liqueur.
Don't throw the scraps after cutting the pastries, fry them as well and eat them or use them to top ice cream!