Romanian recipe
How to make Papanași (cheese doughnuts)
papanași
Romania and Moldova
Doughnuts made from fresh cheese, eggs and flour, fried or boiled and served hot with sour cream and sour cherry jam. Each one comes with a little ball of dough on top, like a hat.
Ingredients
- 500 g dry cottage cheese or ricotta, well drained
- 2 eggs
- 3 tablespoons sugar, a pinch of salt and the grated zest of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- About 200 g plain flour (or 150 g flour and 50 g semolina)
- Sunflower oil for deep frying
- Sour cream and sour cherry or blueberry jam to serve
Method
- Mix the cheese, eggs, sugar, salt, lemon zest and bicarbonate of soda into a smooth paste.
- Add the flour a little at a time until you have a soft dough that is only slightly sticky.
- With floured hands, shape 8 balls the size of a small orange. Flatten each one and make a hole in the middle, like a doughnut. Shape 8 small balls from the rest of the dough.
- Heat the oil to about 170°C and fry the rings and small balls a few at a time for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until deep golden and cooked through. Drain on kitchen paper.
- Put a small ball on top of each ring and serve warm with plenty of sour cream and jam.
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