Sweet Cinnamon Fettuccine
Submitted by cinnamon
Sweet cinnamon fettuccine is a dessert pasta: egg noodles rolled and cut by hand, scented with cinnamon and lemon zest, then deep-fried into crispy golden ribbons. Dust with powdered sugar for an Italian fairground treat.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
40 minCOOK
20 minREADY
70 minDessert pasta may sound unusual, but sweet fried noodles have lived in Italian and Central European dessert traditions for centuries. This sweet cinnamon fettuccine is a cousin of cenci, chiacchiere, and the Hungarian forgács fank, all fried dough strips eaten at Carnival.
The dough is basically egg pasta dough with a spoonful of sugar, a teaspoon of ground cinnamon, and a flick of fresh lemon zest. The zest is small but essential. It brightens the cinnamon and keeps the dough from tasting one-note sweet.
Rest the dough a full 15 minutes after kneading. This relaxes the gluten so you can roll it thin without it springing back, critical for getting those shatter-crisp noodles.
Fry small batches at 375°F (190°C). Crowding the oil drops the temperature and leaves soggy noodles instead of crackling ones. Thirty seconds per batch is all you need. The noodles puff and turn pale gold almost immediately.
Pro Tips
- Roll the dough as thin as possible, #5 or 6 on a pasta machine or paper-thin by hand.
- Dust finished noodles with powdered sugar while still warm, it clings better than to cool noodles.
- Drain on a rack set over paper towels so the undersides stay crisp.
- Eat within an hour, these lose their crunch fast.
Variations
- Swap cinnamon for cardamom or anise seed for different flavor profiles.
- Drizzle with honey and toasted sesame seeds for a Greek diples-style finish.
- Serve alongside vanilla ice cream and fresh berries for a plated dessert.
Ingredients
Directions
Place flour in mound on surface or in large bowl.
Make a well in center of flour.
Add remaining ingredients except oil.
Mix thoroughly with fork, gradually bringing flour to center, until dough forms.
(If dough is too sticky, gradually add flour when kneading. If dough is too dry, mix in water.)
Knead on lightly floured surface about 10 minutes or until smooth.
Cover with plastic wrap or foil.
Let stand 15 minutes.
Divide dough into 4 equal parts.
Roll and cut each part into fettuccine.
Heat oil (2 inches) in deep fryer or 4-quart Dutch oven to 375℉ (190℃).
Fry a few noodles at a time about 30 seconds or until golden brown.
Drain on paper towels.
Keep noodles warm in 200 degrees F oven.
Serve warm.
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