Recipe: Calas

Makes about 36 fritters

This recipe is from "A Baker's Odyssey: Celebrating Time-Honored Recipes From America's Rich Immigrant Heritage," by Greg Patent; Wiley; $34.95.

Ingredients:

Batter

¾ cup long-grain rice

2¼ cups cold water

1½ packages (3½ teaspoons) active dry yeast

½ cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees)

4 large eggs, well beaten

6 tablespoons granulated sugar

¾ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

¾ teaspoon salt

2 cups all-purpose flour

Vegetable oil for deep-frying

Confectioners' sugar for dusting

Instructions:

The night before making fritters, put the rice into a small heavy saucepan, add the water, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir once or twice with a fork, cover the pan, reduce the heat to very low, and cook for 25 to 30 minutes, without disturbing the rice, until it is very tender and the water is absorbed.

Scrape the rice into a large bowl and mash it with the back of a wooden spoon or wooden spatula to a mushy consistency. Let cool slightly. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, sprinkle the yeast over the warm water and give it a stir. Let stand until the yeast is dissolved, about 10 minutes.

When the rice is lukewarm throughout, add the yeast and beat with a wooden spoon for two minutes. Place a damp towel over the bowl and leave the rice at room temperature overnight.

The next morning, stir the beaten eggs into the rice, followed by the sugar, nutmeg and salt. Gradually stir in the flour. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and let the batter rise in a warm place for 30 minutes (or a bit longer). The batter will be very bubbly.

Meanwhile, pour 3 inches of oil into a large heavy pot. Bring the oil to 375 degrees over medium to medium-high heat. Line a large baking sheet with several thicknesses of paper towels.

Use two soup spoons to shape the calas, one for dipping into the batter, the other for pushing the fritter off into the hot oil; take a well-rounded spoonful of batter for each cala. Fry the calas about eight at a time for six minutes or so, until well browned. Remove them with a slotted spoon and set them on the paper towels to drain. Let the calas cool for a minute or so, and dust generously with confectioners' sugar. Make sure the oil returns to the proper temperature between batches.

These are best fresh.

This story was originally published February 27, 2008 at 5:08 AM with the headline "Recipe: Calas."