ALSO FOR VEGETERIANS
Chifel or chifeletti are an original recipe of Friuli Venezia Giulia, and particularly of the Trieste area, made of smashed potatoes, flour, butter and eggs. Once fried in a big amount of oil, they are great to taste as a first course or as a side.
The name comes from the word Kipfel, which in German means half-moon, and, in fact, it recalls the classic half-moon shape of this specialty of the city.
However, want to introduce you to Trieste’s half-moons in their sweet version: that is why we present the recipe of the Chifel of Muggia, the seaside village on a promontory of the Gulf of Trieste, from whose coast you can enjoy a spectacular sunset over the sea.
The secret to prepare delicious Chifel, is to respect the leavening time. Although it implies waiting for the dough growing all night, you will not be disappointed when, once ready, the Chifel will spread their smell throughout the house and give you a sweet awakening … extremely sweet!
Ingredients
- 300 gr of wheat flour
- 150 gr of butter
- 20 g of beer yeast
- 3 eggs whole
- 1 egg yolk
- ½ lemon zest
- 5 gr salt
- Apricot or peach jam
Method
Let’s start with the preparation of the dough that, once risen, will give birth to our brioches. Melt the yeast in the lukewarm milk, then mix it with 100gr of flour. Make two cross cuts on the surface of the pastry, wrap it in a cloth and leave it aside for about an hour.
While the dough is rising, mix the remaining 200gr of flour with three whole eggs, one yolk, sugar, salt, and grated lemon zest. If the mixture is too hard, you can soften it with a bit of milk. Then incorporate the butter and the previously prepared dough, which in the meantime will have doubled its volume. Knead the dough with your hands for a long time, until it becomes a soft and elastic ball, and let it rest for a couple of hours.
Then, work it for another ten minutes and then let it stand all night.
The following morning, spread the pastry with a rolling pin, until you get a half-a-centimetre-high layer. Cut the dough and create a series of ten-inches-side triangles and place a spoonful of thick peach or apricot jam in the centre, then close the triangles by rolling them up and giving them a half moon shape. If you want to make this recipe even greedier, you can fill the Chifel with custard.
We just have to place our cookies on a greased and floured pan, then leave them stand for an hour, before brushing them with a whipped egg together with a bit of sugar. Finally, bake in the oven at 200 ° C for about 20 minutes.
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…enjoy!
