Happy New Year : oliebollen

Happy New Year : oliebollen
Originally uploaded by kattebelletje.

A very happy 2007 to you! Let 2007 be filled with delicious food, shared with wonderful people! To celebrate the new year, we eat the traditional oliebollen in the Netherlands. Most of the people here don't bother making these "oil ball" fritters by themselves, but buy them ready made at special snack counters which pop up on streetcorners in December. But then they are always mushy and never have the crispy crust which these oliebollen have when just baked. I made oliebollen last year, but don't remember from which book, so I browsed the web again, looking for a suitable recipe. You will need: 500 grams of white flour, half a litre of milk or buttermilk, 1 egg, 100 grams of sultana raisins, a handful of sukade (sugared lemon skins, used for baking), 50 grams of sugar, 2 packages of instant yeast (total 14 grams) and a pinch of salt. Add the yeast, sugar and salt to the flour, mix, put in the egg and stir, then add the milk slowly, stir until you have a batter. Mix and whip it until it is quite sticky, then add sultanas and sukade and cover with a damp cloth for at least 1,5 hours until you are ready to bake them. Heat vegetable oil in a special frying pan with high sides and wait for the oil to reach the right temperature. It is hot enough when a piece of bread starts to fry, but be careful, it shouldn't be too hot. Use an ice scoop to scoop out little balls of dough (which will be very sticky and runny) and put carefully in the hot oil. You can make 4 or 5 simulateously, The fritters will turn over by themselves when one side is done, but keep watching them to see if they brown correctly. They cook for about 8 to 10 minutes. Take them out, put them on a plate lined with kitchen paper and dust with icing sugar. Enjoy, also on the day after! Happy new year again!