Cutumè: the recipe for sweet Sicilian pancakes with ricotta and honey

Yo generally they are a typical specialty of Sicilian pastry particularly widespread in the Ragusa and Catania area. It’s delicious donuts pastries, made with a soft but firm dough based on ricotta cheese, eggs and ground durum wheat semolina, fried in boiling seed oil and then served with a syrup honeyorange flavored.

A true delight, golden and fragrant, perfect to serve in sandwichto the delight of young and old, or take to the table as an exquisite dessert end of mealon the occasion of a dinner with special guests, along with a glass of passito or other liqueur wine.

The term cutumé comes from the Greek xutosWhat does it mean small pile: Originally it seems that these delicious pancakes were prepared with a softer and more fluid dough, dipped by spoonfuls or, precisely, in small piles, in hot oil and that, only later, thanks to the addition of a greater amount of flour between the ingredients, have taken the characteristic donut shape that we all know today.

For best results, it is advisable to leave the dough to rest in the refrigerator, once it is ready, for at least a couple of hours, so that it can be easily molded, and then gradually dip the sweets into the mixture.seed oil brought to a temperature of approx. 175ºC: in this way the fried foods will be crispy at the right point and not greasy at all.

If you wish, you can sprinkle the cutumè with the grated orange zestas we did, but also with a light coating of icing sugar or ground cinnamon.

Here we opt for della ricotta cow’s milk, with a light and delicate flavor, but if you like it you can replace it with a more aromatic and tasty sheep’s or goat’s milk: the important thing, whatever your choice, is to let the whey drain well and then work it with the tips of a fork, to obtain a dry and creamy mixture.

Find out how to prepare the cutumè by following the step-by-step procedure and tips. If you liked this recipe, also try the lilies.

How to prepare cutume

Collect the ricotta, well drained of the whey, in a bowl and work it with the tips of a fork. 1 until creamy.

add the eggs 2.

Continue with the reground durum wheat semolina 3.

Combine the sugar 4.

Season with a pinch of ground cinnamon 5.

Mix the ingredients carefully, until you get a smooth and homogeneous mixture. 6.

Shape into a loaf, cover with a sheet of cling film 7 and let it rest in the fridge for at least a couple of hours.

After the resting time, take many small portions of dough and, with your hands lightly greased with extra virgin olive oil, form many balls. 8.

Poke a hole in the center with your finger, to make many donuts, and place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. 9.

Heat abundant seed oil in a saucepan, dip the donuts 10 and let them cook for a couple of minutes on each side.

When they are golden and fragrant, remove them with a slotted spoon. eleven and let them dry on a sheet of absorbent kitchen paper.

Collect the honey in a saucepan together with the filtered orange juice. 12put on the fire, gently bring to a boil and cook over very low heat for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Transfer the pancakes to a serving plate and drizzle with the warm honey. 13.

Decorate the cutumè with the orange zest 14bring to the table and serve.

storage

The cutumè should be eaten hot and fragrant, on the spot. If they had to advance, they are kept at room temperature, under a glass bell, for 1 day Maximum.