Picarones

[matheuscodes]

http://perudelights.com/picarones-peruvian-doughnuts-bunuelos-or-beignets-are-one-of-a-kind/

Picarones Author: Peru Delights Recipe type: Dessert Cuisine: Peruvian dessert Prep time: 3 hours Cook time: 15 mins Total time: 3 hours 15 mins Serves: 12

Picarones may look like buñuelos or beignets, but they are one of a kind. They are not made with flour and eggs only, containing a local squash called macre and sweet potatoes instead. These two ingredients are boiled until tender, then mashed to make a silky puree, and finally mixed with flour, yeast and sugar, making a soft goo that sticks to your hands like bread dough. Covered with a kitchen cloth, the preparation doubles or triples in volume in a quiet spot of the kitchen. Ingredients

1pound sweet potatoes
1pound pumpkin
2 teaspoons aniseed
1 tablespoons sugar
1 ¾ tablespoons active dry yeast
1pound all-purpose flour
Vegetable oil for frying
4 cups chancaca syrup
For the syrup:
2 chancaca pieces
2 cinnamon sticks
6 cloves, 1 fig leaf
2 star anise
pineapple peels
1 orange, whole

Instructions

Peel the sweet potatoes and cut in medium sized squares. Peel and chop the pumpkin. Put in a heavy saucepan with the aniseed, add water to cover, and cook over medium high heat until soft. Drain, reserving the water, and process in the food processor or mash the sweet potatoes and pumpkin to form a soft puree.
Cool the water to lukewarm. In a bowl put one cup cooking water and the sugar; add the active dry yeast, stirring until dissolved. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes in a warm place, until it forms a sponge.
Put the potato and pumpkin puree in a large bowl; add the activated yeast. Add the flour, and mixing with your hands add ½ cup of the cooking water, until the dough is no longer sticky, and feels soft and silky. Cover with a kitchen towel and let rest in a warm and quiet place, until double or triple in volume, at least two hours.
When the dough is ready, heat a good amount of oil in a big saucepan to deep-fry the picarones.
This is a fundamental step and requires skill and training. With practice, you will get there. Have a bowl with cold water nearby; with one wet hand, take a portion of dough, and quickly try to make a ring shape with your thumb while you put it in the hot oil. With a long wooden stick, turn the picarones around (you can use a kitchen fork to do this).Serve drenched with syrup.
For the syrup:
Chop chancaca and put in a saucepan with cinnamon sticks, cloves, fig leaf, star anise, pineapple peels, and orange. Cover with water and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the chancaca is dissolved and forms a thick syrup. Strain discarding the solids, cool to room temperature, and put in a jar to have it ready to pour over picarones. You can substitute chancaca with molasses syrup or muscovado sugar.

Nutrition Information Serve size: 40 gr Calories: 112 Fat: 4 g Saturated fat: 0 g Unsaturated fat: 2 g Trans fat: 1 Carbohydrates: 18 g Sugar: 7 g SodiumSodium: 55 mg Fiber: 1g Protein: 2 g Cholesterol: 10 mg