Recipe for Romanian Cheese Fritters – Papanasi

AuthorCategoryDifficultyBeginner

Carnival is coming up soon, so here is a new recipe for doughnuts, this time of Romanian origin, called Papanasi. They are made with dry cottage cheese and have that typical shape that reminds me of certain pastries. They are served hot, with sour cream and red fruit jam most often. A pure delight!

Yields4 Servings
Prep Time30 minsCook Time20 minsTotal Time50 mins
Dough
 350 very dry fresh cheese, like cottage cheese
 1 egg yolk
 1 lemon, zests
 2 Vanilla sugar
 1 pinch Salt
 1 Baking powder
 80 Flour
 2 egg whites
In addition
 oil for frying
 fresh cream for serving
Directions
1

Place the cheese in a bowl. Add the egg yolk, lemon zest, vanilla sugar, salt, and mix well with a spatula or spoon.

2

In a separate bowl, mix the flour and baking powder, then incorporate them into the cheese.

3

Whip the egg whites until stiff and gently fold them into the batter in three additions.

4

Heat a frying bath.

5

Divide the obtained dough into 4 equal parts (make a separation with the spoon directly in the bowl). Prepare an oiled board to work with the dough.

6

With oiled hands, take 1/4 of the dough, remove a small piece the size of a walnut (about 1/4-1/5 of the total piece), and make two balls: one large and one small.

7

Flatten the largest ball of dough to create a circle of about 7-8 cm in diameter and 1-1.5 cm thick. With your finger placed in the center, make a hole of about 2 cm in diameter.

8

Do the same with the other dough balls.

9

Brown on all sides in hot oil, then drain on paper towels.

10

To finish, serve with fresh cream and jam, a small ball stacked on top of the large one (like a sweet pastry).

Ingredients

Dough
 350 very dry fresh cheese, like cottage cheese
 1 egg yolk
 1 lemon, zests
 2 Vanilla sugar
 1 pinch Salt
 1 Baking powder
 80 Flour
 2 egg whites
In addition
 oil for frying
 fresh cream for serving

Directions

Directions
1

Place the cheese in a bowl. Add the egg yolk, lemon zest, vanilla sugar, salt, and mix well with a spatula or spoon.

2

In a separate bowl, mix the flour and baking powder, then incorporate them into the cheese.

3

Whip the egg whites until stiff and gently fold them into the batter in three additions.

4

Heat a frying bath.

5

Divide the obtained dough into 4 equal parts (make a separation with the spoon directly in the bowl). Prepare an oiled board to work with the dough.

6

With oiled hands, take 1/4 of the dough, remove a small piece the size of a walnut (about 1/4-1/5 of the total piece), and make two balls: one large and one small.

7

Flatten the largest ball of dough to create a circle of about 7-8 cm in diameter and 1-1.5 cm thick. With your finger placed in the center, make a hole of about 2 cm in diameter.

8

Do the same with the other dough balls.

9

Brown on all sides in hot oil, then drain on paper towels.

10

To finish, serve with fresh cream and jam, a small ball stacked on top of the large one (like a sweet pastry).

Notes

Recipe for Romanian Cheese Fritters – Papanasi

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Nutrition Facts

4 servings

Serving size

4

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