Called "Sfinci" in Sicily, these ricotta fried doughnuts are surprisingly straightforward and easy to make.  There are several variants to Sfinci in Sicily but here we stick with the classic and prepare the batter with fresh ricotta.  After frying they are tossed in wildflower honey and sprinkled with cinnamon. These doughnuts are best eaten within the same day so if needed you can prepare the batter in advance and hold in the fridge until ready to fry.  

This recipe is adapted from Melissa Muller's cookbook "Sicily".

Makes about 3 dozen doughnuts

Ingredients:

6 large eggs

1/2 cup sugar

2 3/4 cups of fresh ricotta 

2 cups plus 2 tbsp AP flour

4 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Vegetable oil for deep frying

1/2 cup or more wildflower honey 

Ground cinnamon 

Method:

To make the batter:

Beat the eggs and sugar together with a hand mixer or stand mixer until it turns frothy and pale yellow.  Next add the ricotta, flour, baking soda, and vanilla.  Mix until combined.  At this point you can cover the batter with plastic wrap and hold in fridge until ready to fry.

To Fry:

Heat a large cast iron skillet over high heat.  Add frying oil until its about 2-3 inches deep and lower heat to medium.  Test the oils temperature by dropping in a tiny bit of the batter into the hot oil.  It should sizzle lightly and rise to the top.  If it turns dark brown right away, lower the temperature.  

Set up a paper towel lined baking sheet for finished doughnuts to drain. Using two small spoons form a ball shape with the batter and drop into oil.  Repeat, fitting as many as you can without overcrowding the pan.  Turn them over a few times to make sure they are cooking evenly.  This will take about 2-3 minutes.  They should be puffy and golden brown.

When finished with the entire batch of batter toss the warm doughnuts with the honey.  Sprinkle with cinnamon and drizzle more honey if desired.

Serve within the same day.