“Carafòi” are special fried sweet thin pastry “crackers”…. they are the sweet dish for major festivities of the Ampezzo valley.

Once upon a time they were prepared for special occasions such as weddings, births, local religious events and at Carnival time.
The original recipe was handed down from mother to daughter and every family had it’s own secret ingredient, but nowadays not many ladies know how to make them.
They need a certain amount of time and ability. As most antique recipes, there are not specific dosages, it’s more a question of experience. But they are not really that difficult to make, and it’s possible to try!

Here is the recipe for Carafòi from Ampezzo.

Ingredients:

600gr white plain flour
3 egg yolks + 1 whole egg
2 tablespoons of sugar
70gr of melted butter
1 tablespoon of oil
1 pinch of salt
1 small glass of grappa

white wine…. enough to knead

Preparation:

For making the pasta, it’s necessary to have a wooden or marble
board, an electrical or manual pasta machine and a pastry wheel cutter.
For frying you need a big frying pan and a certain quantity of frying oil
or even better; lard.
Put the flour on the board, add the mixed egg yolks and the egg
together with all the other ingredients
Knead the ingredients adding the white wine a little at a time, until you
reach a compact and elastic consistence.
Knead the pasta for a few minutes and then keep it covered with a
cloth.
Take away a little piece of pasta at a time, keeping the rest covered with the cloth, and pass it
through the pasta machine until you take it through the finest phase. Cut out with the wheel cutter, lozenge shaped pieces, and then give two cuts in the middle of each piece as in the photo.
With extreme care place a few pieces at a time in the hot oil.
When they have reached a golden colour, for this only a few seconds will be necessary, place them on absorbent paper.
Once they have cooled, then sprinke with abundant icing sugar.

Suggestions
For making Carafoi, it’s easier if there are two people working together; one prepares the pasta and the other fries.
The room that you fry in, must have the door closed, as they say that a draught of air makes them absorb more oil.

Some recipes use lemon zest and baking powder.