St. Joseph Sfingi

History

As we mentioned in our post about St. Joseph, the devotion to this saint flourished in the Middle Ages, and along with it came many sweet dishes that were meant to commemorate the guardian of our Lord. St. Joseph’s Day falls on March 19^th, which means that it will always take place within the Lenten season when Christians traditionally fast. Nevertheless, people have found various ways to remember St. Joseph through food while still observing the fast through sweet yet meatless treats. That said, we’ll let you decide for yourselves whether deep-fried sweet-cheese-filled donuts follow the spirit of fasting. 😉

Sfingi, as this sweet treat is called, comes to us from Italy. More specifically, it originated in Sicily where they are fond of commemorating saints through pastry. Also fittingly, St. Joseph’s Day is Father’s Day in Italy—a nice nod to Jesus’ earthly father figure.

St. Joseph Sfingi

Both sfingi and zeppole are Italian donuts, and you will see the names often used interchangeably. While both are enjoyed on St. Joseph’s Day, there are subtle differences between them. Zeppole is a Neopolitan fried donut that uses yeast while sfingi’s delicate and light texture doesn’t need to rise! Another distinction is apparent when one considers the filling. Sfingi, which is thought to be the precursor to zeppole, has a sweet ricotta filling that is closely related to cannoli fillings while custard is what is in the middle of zeppole. Whichever you enjoy on St. Joseph’s Day, this isn’t a treat you want to miss out on!

One note about the ricotta cheese filling: making your own ricotta is easy and simple, so if you don’t have ricotta on hand but do have milk, vinegar, and lemon juice, you are in luck. Simply heat the milk to 200 degrees Fahrenheit, add ⅓ cup of lemon juice or vinegar per half gallon of milk, stir, remove from heat, and let it sit for 2-3 minutes before straining off the whey. The higher the fat content of your milk the better. One gallon of 2% milk will yield about 16 ounces of ricotta cheese. Add a pinch of salt and you’re ready to begin!

Ingredients

Ricotta Filling

15 ounces ricotta cheese, drained

¾ cup confectioner’s sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

dash of cinnamon

½ cup mini chocolate chips (optional)

Dough

1 cup water

½ stick butter

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

3 eggs

Oil for frying

Confectioner’s sugar for dusting, optional

Instructions

1. In the stand of a mixer or using a handheld beater, whisk together the ricotta (drained of any liquid), sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon until smooth. If using chocolate chips, fold them in now. Place the filling in a container and refrigerate until it is time to assemble the sfingi.
2. To start on the dough, bring the the water, butter, and salt to a boil and then add the flour. Stir until a dough has formed and then remove from heat. Spread the dough out over a cutting board to cool.
3. Meanwhile, cut out 5-10 approximately 3″x3″ squares of parchment paper and prepare a piping bag by fitting your piping bag with the largest star tip you have, or simply cut a ½” whole in the corner of a gallon-sized ziplock bag. Also, begin heating the frying oil in a pot filled approximately 3″ deep with oil. You will fry the dough at 275-300 degrees Fahrenheit.
4. Once the dough has cooled and is no longer hot to the touch (warm is ok), beat in the egg until a smooth dough has formed.
5. Transfer the dough into your piping bag, and pipe a circular wreath shape onto each parchment paper square. Once the oil has reached a temperature of between 275 and 300 degrees F, gently place the first wreath into the oil while it is still on the parchment paper. The paper will fall off in the oil. Flip the donut over after one minute, or once the underside begins to brown, and cook for one more minute before removing and placing on a plate lined with a sheet of paper towel. Remove the parchment paper from the oil. You can reuse the parchment for more sfingi after it has cooled.
6. Repeat the piping and frying until you have used up all of your dough. Allow the sfingi to cool before gently cutting open like a bagel and filling with the sweet ricotta cream.
7. Top with confectioner’s sugar and possibly an cherry on top, if desired!