Unveiling the Secret of Fried Sweet Tagliatelle That Will Leave You Speechless (VIDEO)
You know that feeling when you wake up craving something sweet and fried? That, my friend, is the perfect morning to whip up a batch of fried sweet tagliatelle, Italy’s answer to fried dough.
What is Italian Sweet Tagliatelle Recipe?
This classic Carnival treat from Italy is simple yet utterly indulgent. Ribbons of fresh egg pasta are fried until puffy and crisp, tossed in a lemon honey and served warm. The sweet-tart glaze seeps into every nook and cranny, balancing the richness with a bright pop of citrus. One bite of these fried noodles, and you’ll be transported straight to the Carnival celebrations of Cento or Carnevale di Viareggio.
So do yourself a favor and embark on a little fried pasta therapy this weekend. You’ll have a new go-to recipe in your arsenal for Carnival!
Carnival Tagliatelle Rolls: The History
Caramelized Tagliatelle are sweet noodles rolled and caramelized with a citrus aroma, which are prepared during the carnival time, mainly in Northern Italy.
Carnival tagliatelle has been a sweet treat in Italy for centuries. Traditionally eaten in the days leading up to Lent, these fried strips of pasta dough are dusted in sugar and sometimes lemon zest.
Tagliatelle, the long, flat pasta noodles, date back to the 14th century in Emilia-Romagna. For Carnival, cooks would fry the noodles instead of boiling them. The fried noodles were meant to use up ingredients like sugar, butter and lard before the fasting period of Lent. Over time, fried tagliatelle became a signature Carnival dish, especially in cities like Bologna.
Today, fried tagliatelle are still enjoyed in Italy during Carnival and other festivals leading up to Easter. While the ingredients have remained largely the same, some recipes use egg dough or add flavorings like cinnamon, vanilla or chocolate. No matter how they’re made, fried tagliatelle noodles evoke nostalgia for Carnivals past and the indulgence of the pre-Lenten season.
Italian Carnival Sweet Tagliatelle Ingredients
It seems hard to make sweet tagliatelle delicious, but it only takes a few ingredients to create the magic. I assure you, this recipe will amaze you because sweet Carnival tagliatelle is really delicious.
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- All-purpose flour (or 00 flour)
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Granulated sugar
- Grappa liquor
- Medium eggs
- Lemon, organic
- Oranges, organic
- Sunflower oil for frying
Italian Caramelized Tagliatelle Video Tutorial
How to make fried sweet tagliatelle
Here then are all the secrets of preparing one of the most famous Italian Carnival desserts: fried sweet tagliatelle.
Prepare the dough – First, prepare the dough, because it will have to rest for 1 hour. Sift flour and baking powder into a bowl. Add salt, 15 g sugar, Grappa, and eggs. Knead everything with your hands until a smooth dough forms. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for about 1 hour.
Make the filling – Meanwhile, wash and dry the lemon and oranges. Using a grater, grate citrus peels in a small bowl. Be careful not to grate the white part as it will make your mixture a bit bitter.
Add 160 g of granulated sugar to the grated peel. Mix everything well, crushing the mixture with a spoon so that the sugar absorbs all the flavors and essential oil of the citrus peel.
NOTE – 3 oranges and 1 lemon seem like a lot, but you’ll find out that you’ll need everything to give it a nice caramel flavor.
Make the roll – After an hour, transfer the dough to a lightly floured board. Roll out with a rolling pin until you get a rectangular sheet slightly thicker than classic noodles. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin, not a machine, otherwise you won’t get a good tagliatelle swivel after frying.
Sprinkle dough with flavored sugar. Don’t worry if you can’t spread it evenly because it will melt during cooking, evenly caramelizing the noodles.
Roll up the dough without stretching it too much, leaving it soft. After rolling up, pass your hands along the entire length, pressing lightly so that the dough adheres well to the filling. Cut the tagliatelle to a thickness of about ½ centimeter.
Fry sweet Tagliatelle – Pour the sunflower oil into a wide skillet and heat over medium heat. You should have about 1 cm of oil, no more, because you don’t need to deep-fry the tagliatelle. Once the oil reaches 170 °C, start frying.
Dip the tagliatelle in the oil and cook until golden brown on both sides. During frying, a kind of floating foam is formed, it is the caramel formed during baking that flows out. This is fine!
When the sweet tagliatelle is golden on both sides, scoop them up with a slotted spoon and drain them on parchment paper. I recommend that you don’t use absorbent paper because the boiling caramel will remain attached to the absorbent paper.
Once cooled, transfer the caramelized tagliatelle to a serving dish and enjoy!
Tips for Frying Up the Perfect Batch of Carnival Tagliatelle
To achieve light and crispy tagliatelle, there are a few tricks of the trade to keep in mind:
- Use a neutral-flavored oil with a high smoke point, like canola or peanut oil. This allows you to heat the oil to a high enough temperature to fry the pasta without burning.
- Bring the oil to 180°C-190°C. Use a kitchen thermometer to monitor the temperature. If the oil is not hot enough, the pasta won’t get crispy. Too hot, and it will burn before cooking through.
- Fry the pasta in batches to avoid overcrowding the pot. Add a few strands at a time, so the oil temperature does not drop too much. Overcrowding leads to greasy, not crispy results.
- Don’t overfry the pasta. As soon as the strands start to take on a light golden color, about 30 to 60 seconds, remove them with a slotted spoon or spider strainer. They will continue to crisp up as they drain.
- Drain the fried dough on baking paper or on racks. Don’t stack the pieces on top of each other, so they will retain their crunch and won’t stick to each other as they cool.
How to Serve Carnival Fried Tagliatelle
Carnival fried tagliatelle is meant to be enjoyed immediately with friends and family. Serve the crispy noodles in paper cones or cups and let everyone top theirs with their favorite treats.
Traditionally, carnival fried tagliatelle is topped with powdered sugar, cinnamon, lemon zest, or chocolate syrup. You can also offer sweet sauces for drizzling like caramel, strawberry, or Nutella. For an extra special treat, top the tagliatelle with sweetened mascarpone cheese, ricotta, or cannoli cream and fresh or candied fruit like cherries, oranges or berries.
To add a bit of saltiness, sprinkle the tagliatelle with crushed amaretti cookies, toasted pine nuts or chopped pistachios. Or for something really over the top, top the noodles with melted chocolate, dulce de leche, marshmallows or butterscotch.
Let your guests get creative with their toppings and enjoy this festive fried treat! The possibilities for making carnival fried tagliatelle your own are endless. Most importantly, have fun with it – that’s what Carnival is all about!
Italian Carnival Tagliatelle Storage Instructions
Fried sweet tagliatelle is recommended to be consumed at the moment or at the latest during the day. The dough can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 day. Freezing is not recommended.
Sweet Tagliatelle: Easy Italian Carnival Dessert
So there you have it, a sweet treat to fry up for your Carnival celebrations. Making fried tagliatelle is a fun project that brings friends and family together in the kitchen. The delicious results are worth the effort. Once you take your first bite of the warm, crispy pasta coated in powdered sugar, you’ll be hooked. Carnival only comes once a year, so take the time to make memories in the kitchen and enjoy this special fried pasta. Buon appetito and happy Carnival! Now get frying – your sweet tagliatelle is waiting.
Carnival Italian Fried sweet Tagliatelle
Ingredients
- 200 g all-purpose flour or 00 flour
- 2 g baking powder
- 1 pinch of salt
- 15 g + 160 g granulated sugar
- 10 g Grappa liquor
- 2 medium eggs
- 1 lemon organic
- 3 oranges organic
- Sunflower oil for frying
Instructions
- First, prepare the dough, because it will have to rest for 1 hour. Sift flour and baking powder into a bowl.
- Add salt, 15 g sugar, Grappa, and eggs. Knead everything with your hands until a smooth dough forms.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for about 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, wash and dry the lemon and oranges. Using a grater, grate citrus peels in a small bowl. Be careful not to grate the white part as it will make your mixture a bit bitter.
- Add 160 g of granulated sugar to the grated peel. Mix everything well, crushing the mixture with a spoon so that the sugar absorbs all the flavors and essential oil of the citrus peel.
- After an hour, transfer the dough to a lightly floured board. Roll out with a rolling pin until you get a rectangular sheet slightly thicker than classic noodles. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin, not a machine, otherwise you won’t get a good tagliatelle swivel after frying.
- Sprinkle dough with flavored sugar. Don’t worry if you can’t spread it evenly because it will melt during cooking, evenly caramelizing the noodles.
- Roll up the dough without stretching it too much, leaving it soft. After rolling up, pass your hands along the entire length, pressing lightly so that the dough adheres well to the filling.
- Cut the tagliatelle to a thickness of about ½ centimeter.
- Pour the sunflower oil into a wide skillet and heat over medium heat. You should have about 1 cm of oil, no more, because you don’t need to deep-fry the tagliatelle. Once the oil reaches 170 °C, start frying.
- Dip the tagliatelle in the oil and cook until golden brown on both sides. During frying, a kind of floating foam is formed, it is the caramel formed during baking that flows out. This is fine!
- When the sweet tagliatelle is golden on both sides, scoop them up with a slotted spoon and drain them on parchment paper. I recommend that you don’t use absorbent paper because the boiling caramel will remain attached to the absorbent paper.
- Once cooled, transfer the caramelized tagliatelle to a serving dish and enjoy!
