Labor Day weekend in Lawrence means a weekend of celebrations, from the Lebanese celebration at Mahrajan to the Bread & Roses Festival to the Feast of the Three Saints. This is my fourth Labor Day in the Merrimack Valley, and every year around this time the newsroom talk turns to rice balls, crispellis and all the other treats to be enjoyed at the festivities.
This year I got to try some of the treats myself. On Thursday, writer Rosemary Ford, who wrote about all the events for Thursday’s paper, went to the famed Italian Kitchen to bring rice balls and crispellis back to the newsroom for us. Both were yummy.
Crispellis, for those who aren’t familiar with them, are a variation of fried dough. I was considering eating them with sugar, but was told that was “for kids” and the authentic way to enjoy them was with anchovies and/or cheese. I passed on the anchovies. I only bought one, but could easily have eaten half a bag of the small fried dough balls. I was anticipating a gooey yellow cheese, but they were neatly packed with a ricotta type.
The rice ball was like a large meatball except not as dense. Lightly friend and topped with spaghetti sauce, a pleasant surprise of chicken and peas was found in the middle. Just the right size for lunch!
If you can’t make it downtown this weekend, you can try this recipe for the crispelli as provided in The Italian Kitchen and printed in The Eagle-Tribune nearly 10 years ago.
Crispelli
Ingredients:
2 cups very warm water
1 pound flour (or more to achieve desired consistency)
1 ounce yeast
1 ounce salt
1/2 ounce sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking power
1 can anchovies (optional)
2 cups oil, or enough to fry in a skillet or sauce pan.
Confectionary sugar
Mix above ingredients except for the oil.
After the dough is made, let it rise for at least 45 minutes. You will have a very sticky dough that is hard to work with. For plain crispellis, you can scoop ping-pong ball sized dollops into hot oil.
For anchovy crispellis, take a handful of dough. Using lots of flour makes the job easier. Place an anchovy or two in the middle, wrap it in the dough to form a ball. Carefully drop into oil. You should have enough in the pan for the dough to float. Fry one side and then the other for a few minutes until they are a golden brown. Do not burn the oil. For a sweet touch, sprinkle the plain crispellis with some confectionary sugar.
