Sugared Easter frites

Pestiños

In the south of Spain, these sweets are sometimes referred to as borrachuelos, I assume because the Spanish word for drunk is ‘borracho’, and this dough calls for a good amount of white wine. Having said that, this recipe is actually fine for the kids, as the alcohol is cooked out during frying and the end result doesn’t have the slightest hint of wine taste.

MAKES 40

8 green cardamom pods

400 g (14 oz/2²/₃ cups) plain (all-purpose) flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

125 ml (4 fl oz/½ cup) olive oil

250 ml (9 fl oz/1 cup) white wine

1 tablespoon honey (optional)

vegetable oil, for deep-frying

FOR THE ORANGE SUGAR

zest of 1 orange

100 g (3½ oz) sugar

To make the orange sugar, put the orange zest and sugar into a blender and blend to a fine dust. Put into a medium bowl and set aside.

To make the pestiños, use a mortar and pestle to pound the cardamom pods to expel the seeds. Discard the pods and grind the seeds to a fine powder.

Put the ground cardamom, flour, cinnamon, sesame seeds and a pinch of salt into a large bowl. Mix well to combine. Make a well in the centre and add the olive oil, wine and honey, if using. Mix to form a ball of dough then cover with plastic wrap and set aside in the fridge for 1 hour.

Half-fill a medium saucepan with oil over low heat. Put the dough onto a lightly oiled work surface and roll out to a square shape, 3–4 mm (¹/₈ inch) thick (no thicker). Cut into small matchbox-sized squares.

Slide a small amount of dough into the oil. When it floats and turns golden brown in 1 minute or slightly less, the oil is ready for cooking.

Take each square of dough, press two opposite corners together and gently slide into the oil. Deep-fry the pestiños in small batches for 1–2 minutes, until golden-brown. Drain on paper towels to remove excess oil, then roll in the orange sugar. (Allow the oil to reheat for 1 minute between batches and take care not to overcrowd the saucepan.)

Note

Store the cooled pestiños in an airtight container at room temperature (not in the fridge) for up to 4 days.