Anna Makes Delicious Italian Donuts! | Anna Olson Archives

Chef Anna Olson shows you how to make her amazing Basil Lemon Zeppole recipe, an incredible example of an Italian doughnut, from the first ingredient to the last bite!
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Ingredients
1 cup (200 g) creamy ricotta (full-fat)
¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract
2 large eggs, at room temperature and separated
1 cup (150 g) all-purpose flour
¼ tsp (1 g) salt
pinch ground nutmeg
½ cup (125 mL) fine chiffonade* of fresh basil
Assembly:
4-6 cups (1-1.5 L) vegetable oil, for frying
4-5 fresh basil leaves (or 1 tsp/1 g dried basil)
½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
zest of 1 lemon
Directions
1. Cream the ricotta in a mixing bowl to smooth it out. Add the sugar and lemon zest and cream again (to draw out the flavor from the zest.) Stir in the vanilla and egg yolks.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs whites by hand until they are foamy and stir these into the ricotta.
3. Sift in the flour, salt and nutmeg and stir until evenly combined, and then stir in the basil.
4. Heat the oil in a tabletop fryer or in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, until it reaches 350 F (180 C). Drop in the basil leaves and cook them for just a few seconds until they are crisp (do take care, as the fresh leaves can spatter, or use dried here instead and skip frying the leaves). Remove them to a paper towel-lined plate to drain (they will be crisp.) Stir the sugar with the lemon zest and crumble in the basil, stirring until finely worked in.
5. Use a small ice cream scoop to carefully drop zeppole into the oil in batches, taking care not to overcrowd the oil. Let these cook for 4 to 5 minutes flipping them over occasionally until they are an even golden brown. Use a slotted spoon to pull them out of the oil and onto a rack to drain. While they are still warm, roll the zeppole in the basil-lemon sugar and serve warm. The batter can be prepared a few hours ahead of time and chilled until ready to cook.
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