Filhozes from the Beiras

[Anya]

Ingredients:

 

• eggs (usually 6 for each 1kg of flour)
  
• flour
  
• salt
  
• yeast
  
• sugar
  
• peel of a lemon gritted
  
• about 2 fingers height of olive oil or other vegetable oil (personally, I prefer olive oil)
  
• aguardente (a portuguese strong alcoholic drink) or brandy to taste
  
• water
  

Preparation:

 

In a large bowl, add the eggs to the sugar and the gritted lemon peel. Crumble the yeast mixing it with cold water and add it in the bowl.

Warm about 2 fingers height of olive oil in a small jug and add it little by little to bowl. Add the flour and knead the ingredients well. Pour the aguardente (or brandy) in the bowl and keep kneading. If needed, add warm water.

The dough can't be too hard nor too soft/flabby.

Cover it and let it rest until it grows.

Once it has grown, annoint your hands with oil (or olive oil), take a bit of dough and mold it in your hands until it looks like a small round-shaped plate by pulling on it. Fry it in well heated oil.

Sprinkle with sugar and/or cinnamon.

 

[Sabedora]

Oooh - they look familiar!

 

My son gets given bags full of them at Christmas time by the old ladies in the village. Sometimes they are exactly like those, and sometimes they are more like fancy shaped donuts with knots in them. Each old lady seems to have her own recipe and own individual way of shaping them - sometimes they are really sugary, sometimes flavoured with cinnamon...

 

Oh yum, I'm getting hungry. Better go see what I can cook up... :stirring:

 

Edit - just want to add that one of the old ladies took us into her 'outside kitchen' once to show us how she cooked them. She rolled the dough in her hands, tied it in a knot, joined the ends and deep-fried them one at a time in a cauldron of hot fat above an open fire. Easter time is my favourite though - all the women get together and unlock the old cook house and bake orange and honey cakes...

Edited June 4, 2009 by Sabedora
more to add...

[Anya]

I knew you would be familiar with these. :chef: I love these.

[Black-Cat]

These look delicious! And they look a lot like bhatura, an Indian puffy fried bread usually served with chick peas. I eat Indian food alot, so I thought these looked familiar as soon as i saw them! I will definitely try out your recipe, Anya! Thank you!

[Anya]

You're welcome, Black-Cat. :)

[LightBurner]

OMG!!! My mom used to make filhozes for Christmas along with rabanadas and bilhozes... Those are soooo good!!!... Sigh, I miss my mom's cooking lolol :P

 

Aika